The first trailer for Public Enemies had me hook, line, and sinker. From the use of music, to the charismatic presence of Johnny Depp, to the determined visage of Christian Bale, to the authentic looking sets, it looked like a movie that was determined to hit all of the right notes. It doesn't hurt that Michael Mann is the man behind the camera, and while I am not a fan of all his films, he has a certain way of bringing a scene to life and making the locations as integral a character as the actual actors.
Director and co-writer Michael Mann and writers Ronan Bennett and Ann Biderman, working from a novel by Bryan Burrough, have taken the story and boiled it down to its essence. It is not the story the audience necessarily wants, but it is the story that Mann wants to tell. It is generally a good thing when the creative tells the story they want to tell rather than load up on elements that are expected, it is best to focus on the story. The result in this case is a tale that strips away the romanticism of the character (although it is still there), it gives us the character of legend without the legend. It is a story that gives you the pieces upon which the legend can be built.
The movie begins with John Dillinger's (Johnny Depp) daring escape from prison and subsequent desire not to go back and live in the moment. He returns to Chicago where he has bought himself something of a safe haven. He and his crew terrorize local banks, taking them for all they can get, all while living it up with the nightlife. They were like rock stars, doing their thing with very little fear of retribution, although there is always a certain edge, a distinct danger that things could go wrong, but they scarcely paid it any mind, knowing their skills would take them as far as they wanted.
Purvis is a straitlaced, serious individual who always gets his man, and he sets about putting his G-men to work in an effort to get Dillinger and all of his accomplices. However, the story is not so much about him, despite his importance to how it plays out. This puts a bit of a clamp on Bale's performance, which is more or less one note, yet still highly effective.
Public Enemies is based on truth, although it is not a slave to it. Watching this film will give you an honest overview of the era and how things played out, just do not trust it as a definitive source, as there are many facts that are not correct. I will not go into them here, as neither this review nor this film is about being a historical document. It certainly aims to be authentic to the period and motives of the characters, but that is about it.
Michael Mann has meticulously crafted this film to show what needs to be seen. There are no overtones of niceties. Dillinger is never made out to be a nice guy, or a good guy, the same goes for Purvis. It is rather refreshing to see a movie portray characters in a way that is real rather "movie real."
The performances are fantastic all around. There is a brutal honesty to them as they go about their business. Johnny Depp leads the way with a charismatic performance that really draws you in. You may not necessarily like him, but you will admire the way he plays the role, the character is one you cannot take your eyes off of. Christian Bale feels a little but like stunt casting considering how one note the character is, but at the same time his presence adds a little more weight to the pursuit of Dillinger, and Bale brings a distinct intensity to the role that focuses the pursuit portion of the story. Then there is Marion Cotillard, she brings an exotic beauty to the role plus an emotional vulnerability that really pays off in a powerful way.
Bottomline. This is not what I expected, and in a way I am glad that it isn't. It is a solid movie with great tension, excellent performances, and an eye for detail. It strips away the romance and leaves the cod underbelly of the legend exposed to the harsh light of day.
Highly Recommended.
1 comments:
Your desciption is very interested, I saw the movie too and it was maybe one of the best movie that I have never seen! Thank you for this article! :)
PS: sorry for the mistakes, I am french!
Post a Comment