Public Enemies (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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Actor: Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard, Matt Craven, Rory CochraneBrand: Universal Studios
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Black & White, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.40:1
Running Time: 140 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-12-08
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of Public Enemies (Two-Disc Special Edition)
DVD Review: Far from a Mann masterpiece
Summary: 2 Stars
The topic of the public enemy era of the 1930s is a rather expansive one with several complex personalities on both sides of the law and criminality. Very few films have properly portrayed these complexities while others have not even come close. Michael Mann's Public Enemies is not a masterpiece in terms of the crime films on the public enemy era or worthy of his own standard set by his masterpieces Heat (1995) or Collateral (2004). 1987's The Untouchables similarly tackled the criminal era of Al Capone but with a bad script, the hallmarks of the film rested in Sean Connery's performance and director Brian de Palme's visual finesse. Public Enemies lacks standout performances or any visual finesse that distinguishes itself from any other film. With a stellar cast and a formidable director, Public Enemies emerges as a great disappointment in line with Mann's previous debacle Miami Vice (2006).
Johnny Depp portrays John Dillinger, a bank robber who during his day found the consideration of the public as a Robin Hood-esque character at a time of economic depression. Depp's performance is remarkably predictable and forced. With this character's positive perception among the public, Depp's characterization of Dillinger provides little sympathetic qualities that would endear him to the public who saw him as a robber of the wealthy whom destroyed this country with impunity while corrupt and inept politicians served it on a platter. Marion Cotillard's performance however is endearing and slightly approachable. Yet, Cotillard's appearance is not enough to salvage the wreck of disengaging personifications.
Christian Bale whose career has received a great boost in this past decade plays a still, boring and stiff Melvin Purvis similar to his lackluster John Conner in Terminator Salvation. Purvis, an FBI agent should seem like an open character or at least one that the audience can hitch their star too. Bale's Purvis and Depp's Dillinger leaves the audience with no one to root for as they both are too hallowed in characterization to result in any substance that audience can grab hold of. In 1995's Heat, Mann posed two characters to the audience. One was Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), a dedicated detective whose whole life revolved around catching his man at the expense of family. The other was Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), an equally dedicated man whose life was devoted to fulfilling his robbery scores at the expense of a private life. The equal devotion and discipline to their respective occupations built up a "meeting of the minds" at the unforgettable coffee shop scene. The next time these two men see each other is during a lengthy shootout outside of a bank. The scene was electrifying as the tensions of two unstoppable forces finally collided in a manner that was satisfying and attention grabbing. Bale's Purvis and Depp's Dillinger lack that tension, depth or anticipation because both characters are too plain, too obvious and too traditional to keep the attention of the audience.
More frustratingly, Billy Crudup portrays FBI director J. Edgar Hoover as a vigilant administrator hell-bent on the capture of Dillinger. However, Hoover has a much different historical consensus. J. Edgar Hoover was a corrupt, exploitive and self-obsessed man who remained FBI director for 37 years by threatening Presidents with damaging documents for re-nomination. He only faced opposition from Robert Kennedy who during his tenure as Attorney General prevented Hoover from leaking documents about John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Interestingly enough, Robert Kennedy was assassinated while running for President. Hoover knew that RFK's ascension to the Presidency meant his early retirement therefore Richard Nixon had to be President especially since Nixon was weary of Hoover. Currently, the law prevents another Hoover legacy as a FBI director can only serve the maximum of ten years. Hoover's personal desires for media attention lead him to cornering both Melvin Purvis and Elliot Ness after their historical killing and capture of John Dillinger and Al Capone respectively. Hoover's reign as FBI director saw him embracing illegal tactics, wiretapping and surveillance. Hoover also was a rumored homosexual and cross dresser. The venomous tendency of Hoover is rarely seen in Crudup's performance. For a more accurate depiction of J. Edgar Hoover, watch Bob Hoskins's performance in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995).
The most disappointing aspect of Public Enemies is that it does not explore the issues that fall between the lines of the 1930s or even explain why the wave of crime followed it. The film lacks an epic struggle between good and evil because those lines are not so clear yet there is no dynamic to compensate for it. Very few if any of the portrayals of the characters are interesting enough to analyze while the intrigue is completely absent from the chase. The action sequences are not mesmerizing even as Mann attempts to recreate an abbreviated 1930s version of the classic Heat (1995) shootout between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro whose characters had a rare dynamic with another making the shootout scene so powerful and satisfying. It was the forces of law and loneliness confronting the forces of crime and loneliness with the outcome being equally spellbinding as both men lost something important in their pursuit of each other. There is nothing spellbinding about the acting, action or execution of Public Enemies and like most historical film dramas; it is filled with inexcusable inaccuracies.
I believe this film like American Gangster will be snubbed by the Oscars in every category it is eligible for and for great reason.
Description of Public Enemies (Two-Disc Special Edition)
From award-winning director Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) comes the film inspired by one of the country?s most captivating and infamous outlaws ? John Dillinger. Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean series) stars as the charismatic and elusive bank robber marked by the FBI as America?s first ?Public Enemy Number One.? Academy AwardŽ winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) plays Billie Frechette, the only woman capable of capturing his heart. Hunted relentlessly by top FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale, The Dark Knight), Dillinger engages in an escalating game of outrunning and outgunning the FBI, culminating in an explosive, legendary showdown. ?It?s a landmark crime saga? (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone).Bestsellers in DVD
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