Michael Mann's story of notorious bank robber John Dillinger is not just about criminals, but also cops. Johnny Depp plays Dillinger and Christian Bale plays Melvin Purvis the FBI agent on his trail. The Great Depression was the age of bank robberies. Dillinger was one of the most daring. He carefully managed his public image so he could to hide among them. He was always one step ahead of the cops, until the cops learned to dance as well.
The story begins with the first of Dillinger's brash jailbreaks. With the assistance of his right hand man John "Red" Hamilton (Jason Clarke, TV's BROTHERHOOD), he and several associates broke out of prison, but mistakes happened and lives were lost. Dillinger doesn't like people who can't keep their cool. Depp's Dillinger is simple. He takes what we wants and is loyal to those that help him get it. Look how he courts the coat check girl Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard, LA VIE EN ROSE). He's not taking no for an answer and makes his pitch simple.
Purvis gunned down Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum, STEP IT UP), so FBI head J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup, WATCHMEN) puts him in charge on the Chicago office. The pressure is on now to catch the other big names like Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham, GANGS OF NEW YORK). The robbers have been slipping through their fingers for years, but the agents are getting smarter. They begin using new technology to hunt down Dillinger and his like. But the pressure from up top also makes them more eager to use brutal tactics.
This is at the heart of what makes PUBLIC ENEMIES special. The cat and mouse chase between police and the bank robbers and how one learns from the other and must adapt. Dillinger was a breed of criminal that was flashy, using the press to his advantage. But the FBI is getting use to these Robin Hood-types. Frank Nitti (Bill Camp, ROUNDERS) and his right-hand man Phil D'Andrea (John Ortiz, FAST & FURIOUS) are the new breed of criminals. They lay low, pay off the cops and keep all their business looking respectable. They're the new face of the mob and don't like too much attention. It's fascinating to watch as Dillinger moves from an untouchable icon to a desperate man, willing to bend every rule he used to live by. It only gets tougher when his actions begin to affect the business of Nitti.
Depp is cool and precise as Dillinger. He's a man oozing with confidence. The risk is what makes it fun. Bale plays Purvis as a good cop, who isn't interested in playing political games with Hoover. He just wants to get the job done the right way. There is an interesting scene between Dillinger and Purvis that says a lot about the line of work the two men have gotten into. It resonates even more when we learn the ultimate fate of Purvis during the credits. Also shining through are Cotillard and Graham. Cotillard's Billie is a poor girl who can't resist Dillinger's intensity. The Oscar-winning actress is remarkable during an interrogation scene where we witness her pain and her intelligence. Graham embodies the Baby Face persona and helps underline the depths Dillinger has sunk.
In terms of crime films it's not BONNIE AND CLYDE or GOODFELLAS. Those films delved into the psychological side more deeply. PUBLIC ENEMIES has grander intentions. It shows how crime and law enforcement changed during the 1930s. One gets an idea of modern crime when we see a room full of people sitting behind phones stealing money and can imagine people sitting behind computers today. But those criminals are not as entertaining. Dillinger's brash escapes right under the noses of the cops are hilarious. Just like Warren Beatty's Clyde Barrow, Depp's Dillinger lets regular folk in the banks keep their money. In the 1930s when banks were foreclosing on people all over the country, Dillinger was a hero. There aren't celebrity criminals like him anymore. He liked to party and he kept on dancing until the cops finally caught up with him and turned off the music.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
