Public Enemies
In the 1930’s the Robin Hood-esque bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) was a household name known for defying law enforcement at every turn. But when J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) formed the F.B.I. and activated his first agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) crime fighting in the U.S. took a very different direction. Directed by Michael Mann, Public Enemies details the final months of Dillinger’s run on robberies, violence, and love for Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard). 
Shot in a somewhat unconventional manner using high definition video cameras as opposed to film cameras Mann pushes the envelope on cinematography in this latest offering; unfortunately, the look and feel of the footage often comes across as “too slick” or “crisp” which stands out like a sore thumb and unfitting for a period piece of such nature. Additionally, the script does little to develop the characters of Dillinger or Purvis and fails to give a solid sense of historical or rhetorical context. Fortunately solid acting from Depp lends to a small peek at the psyche of one of the nation’s most notorious early criminals, and, it’s refreshing to see Bale pushing a little further than his previous dry performance this summer in Terminator 4. Perhaps a good escape as a matinee, strictly for the acting. Public Enemies is rated R.