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July 8, 2009

'Public Enemies' could have been better

By STEVE OUELLETTE, Movie Review

"Public Enemies" has all the trappings of greatness.

It's got two premier lead actors in Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, an Oscar-winning actress (Marion Cotillard), a strong director (Michael Mann) and an interesting topic — legendary crime figure John Dillinger — that provides the opportunity for endless gun battles, chases and escapes.

The lavishly filmed gangster flick, however, settles for pretty-goodness instead.

"Public Enemies" covers the latter stages of Dillinger's bank robbing career, starting with a crackerjack prison escape and continuing through his cat-and-mouse game with the FBI, his love affair with Cotillard's Billie Frechette and his famous final apprehension.

Depp is charismatic as Dillinger, the most-wanted criminal who developed a Robin Hood-like reputation (despite his tendency to use bystanders as human shields). He's calm, slick, calculating, and Depp is completely believable — but also cold and without much depth. Though the film tries not to mythologize Dillinger, we get very little insight into the character behind the steely glare.

Bale is Melvin Purvis, the righteous FBI agent in charge of Dillinger's capture. He's clean-cut, strong and determined, but the character is even more one-dimensional than Dillinger. It's almost a waste of Bale's talents.

French actress Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose") strikes a few sparks with Depp as his devoted girlfriend, a one-time coat-check girl, but their romance doesn't seem like a grand one worthy of ultimately risking Dillinger's life.

There are some excellent supporting performances thrown in, notably Billy Crudup as a young J. Edgar Hoover and Stephen Lang as a stone-faced Texas Ranger called in to help out the pencil-pushing FBI agents.

"Public Enemies" is eminently watchable — despite its 140-minute running time, it never drags. There's plenty of action going on, and visually, it looks perfect.

It's never fully engaging though. None of the characters feel fully formed, and there is no compelling storyline to carry it. It's good but could have been better.

Rental Recommendation: Can't vouch for the historical accuracy, but the pursuit of Al Capone in "The Untouchables" is more entertaining than the search for John Dillinger in "Public Enemies." Grade: A

E-mail Steve Ouellette at: ouellette1918@gmail.com


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