Public Enemies

In the golden era of bank robberies, a crack batch of gangsters gave birth to the Federal Bureau of Investigation under the controversial leadership of J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup.) The planner and kingpin of the group, a man of charisma, fashion, and prowess, confounds law enforcement until Hoover appoints Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) an expert lawman and visionary investigator. Purvis' team hunts down and captures or kills every one of their targets' friends and associates while climbing their way to the top of the organization. It's the time of Tommy Guns and fedoras, a time where money was tight and crime was high. It is the time of the Public Enemies, and John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) is Number One.

Warm is how I'd describe this film. The photography, coloring, costumes and film score are beautiful; the acting, fluid; the action smart and savvy creating a comfortable and full tone granting the audience a savory and hearty emotional experience. Even the famous 1930's gray suits offer a warmth in their authenticity, fit and color coordination matching each character's portrayer perfectly. The lighting offers a classic feel as do the acting styles of our lead six actors. The package is seductive, charismatic, comfortable and real, everything John Dillinger personifies.

Mr's Depp, Bale, Crudup and Ms. Cotillard all perform with exceeding finesse, providing the film with great emotional content, making you wish the chase never ended. And the romance between Marion Cotillard's Billie Frechette and Depp's Dillinger is heartbreaking, a tribute to their immersion into the characters and their work into the brilliant chemistry between Frechette and Dillinger. Mr. Depp's sadness as he must leave her and escape speaks edges of sorrow and is quite wonderfully done. As is the horror of Billie's interrogation. And there's the obsessive hunter, Purvis, who history says took his own life after the end of his famous pursuit, is soulfully but coldly embodied by Mr. Bale to perfection. And Mr Crudup's Hoover is perfectly slimy, only wishing for the political gain the rise of the FBI brings him.

However, it's Dillinger and Purvis' seconds which caught my eye. The tactical and duty-bound Special Agent Winstead (Stephen Lang) is ironclad and comprehensively rock-solid. He's hardened, the perfect soldier and he's a soul-filled, making him human especially the scene where he tells Billie that Dillinger is dead, passing on the last thoughts. Red Hamilton (Jason Clarke) seems to be Dillinger's conscience, balancing out the clinical and efficiency that is his friend. He's soft, soulful and wise, everything Dillinger is not.

As I understand, at least three of the locations used are the actual locations where the events of the film took place and each feels different from each other. The prison at the beginning is bright and open and free: no pressure, no one hunting. The inn in the woods is a maze, where the chase could lead anywhere. And the alley, where Dillinger is tracked down to and eventually shot, offers no way out.

Overall, Public Enemies is brilliant, beautiful and cinematically stunning. The tension expands fantastically, keeping the audience appropriately on edge. Each shootout is performed with little to no music accompanying the furious gunfire, presenting an edge to the action removing the silliness of stylistic gun-fighting, giving off an air of authenticity and enhancing the experience of the piece.

****

In: James Russo

Out: Marion Cotillard

Coming Soon: Inception