On target
Michael Mann’s retelling of the Dillinger / Purvis legend in ‘Public Enemies’ should hit No. 1 with a bullet
By Carl Kozlowski 07/02/2009
John Dillinger was a man who walked tall across the American landscape during the Great ......Depression — a bank robber and charismatic criminal who was described by one major journalist as having the magnetism of a movie star. Melvin Purvis was a straight-arrow government agent for the then-nascent FBI who also built a following for his relentless pursuit of Dillinger and the other fanciful felons who rose to folk-hero status amid the nation’s hardships.
Dillinger may have ultimately been gunned down by Purvis and his men, but his spirit lives large
in national folklore, including the stunning new film “Public Enemies.”
Directed and co-written (with Ronan Bennett and Ann Biderman) by Michael Mann, the intelligent-action-film mastermind behind “Heat,” “Collateral” and “The Last of the Mohicans,” “Enemies” immerses viewers in its 1930s mid-America milieu while taking them on a rollercoaster ride of rousing action set pieces and elaborate double-crosses between Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and Purvis (Christian Bale), as well as a solid emotional core centered on the relationship between Dillinger and his paramour, Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard).
The handsomely mounted result will not only provide flashy entertainment for discerning viewers, but will likely be remembered at Oscar time for both the overall product and its attention to detail on every possible level. The gleaming cars, crisp costumes and neon cityscapes contrast with dusty back roads under impossibly blue skies to make nearly every shot of the film, framed by cinematographer Dante Spinotti (“L.A. Confidential,” “The Insider”), appear like an expertly rendered painting come to life.
“Enemies” kicks off its story at full throttle, depicting a daring prison escape in which Dillinger pretends to be re-entering prison. In reality, he’s returning to lead his gang out from their shackles, and the resulting sequence quickly sets up his extremely loyal code of ethics — which is great for those who stay on his good side and potentially deadly for those who cross him.
Purvis’ character is established just as effectively with his long-distance sharp-shooting takedown of another famed robber, Pretty Boy Floyd. The rest of the way, the men’s parallel tracks across the country provide fast-paced fun while Dillinger’s impromptu yet rapidly deepening and doomed relationship with Frechette provides a sad and romantic counterpoint.
Depp and Bale turn on the old-school movie-star charm in this film, bringing the script’s tough-talking dialogue to vibrant life while outfitted in a string of sharp suits that quickly remind viewers that today’s stars rarely seem to have a sense of glamour anymore.
Cotillard, whose most noticeable US film to date was her Oscar-nominated turn as famed French singer Edith Piaf in the 2007 film “La Vie en Rose,” holds her own with Depp in the tough broad tradition of Barbara Stanwyck and Claudette Colbert — winning audiences over with her outright refusal to give up her man, even under intense police pressure.
“Public Enemies” scores its strongest points by showing that there was a level of nobility under the criminal natures of Dillinger and his crew, and that despite Purvis’ best efforts, some of his men were as brutal as any felon they pursued. In bringing a fierce intelligence and emotional empathy to both men, Mann has created a film that should stand the test of time nearly as well as the Dillinger legend itself.
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