Public Enemies

I just got home from seeing Public Enemies and let me say this: if it doesn't end up being the best movie I see all year then it's going to be one hell of a great year at the moviehouse. Here is a film that is both thoughtful and thrilling. A film that uses technology and action to serve the story. A film where the actors inhabit their characters as if their lives depend on it. It is a film for adults. In short, it is everything that Transformers is not.

Set in the mid 1930s, Public Enemies tells the story of noted bank robber John Dillinger and Mlevin Purvis, the G-Man assigned to bring Dillinger in dead or alive. Both actors are terrific. Depp, who I occasionally find too precious (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Pirates 2 and 3), finds just the right balance of colorful and authentic. I've read some reviews that describe his performance as too "iconic" and that he doesn't get under Dillinger's skin. Complete nonsense. At first, Depp's portrayal does lean on his natural charisma heavily. But as the film goes on and his relationship with Billie Frechette (played luminously by french actress Marion Cotillard) deepens so does his performance. The chemistry between the two is instant and electric. Dillinger's breakneck courtship of coat check girl Frechette could only be pulled off if you believe in the two performances. And you do. Dillinger's character has no time to waste and Frechette is tired of wasting time. So when he pulls her from behind the coat check counter and says come with me, you can see how she only allows herself a passing second thought.

Bale's assignment playing Purvis is trickier. It's an old adage in movies that playing the villain is more fun than playing the hero. That's true here as well. Depp realizes that as the villain you have no boundaries whereas Bale has to be constricted by his character's observance of the law. Still Bale shines. All subtlety on the surface but seething with righteousnous underneath, Bale finds the rigidity in his character but also hints at the humanity that lies behind Purvis' eyes. Follow his face closely as he carries a woman who has been beaten by one of his officers to the bathroom to clean up. Note the effort on his face to withhold any expression of horror. This is high class acting at it's finest.

To that point, how many actors are as generous as Bale? Here's a guy who can clearly go broad and charismatic when he wants to (American Psycho, The Prestige, Rescue Dawn), but more often than not he is content to let other actors shine while he holds the film steady. Look at the Dark Knight and Heath Ledger or 3:10 To Yuma and Russell Crowe. Never do you feel that Bale is competing with them. Instead you find that he is providing them the space they need to stretch as far as they want and therefore provide the film the necessary balance.

Now some critics have decried the fact that the film doesn't explore Dillinger's backstory. As if a ponderous three hour connect-the-dots style biopic would serve the subject. No, instead what director Michael Mann (Heat, The Insider, Collateral) does is focus on the most dramatic portion of Dillinger's life. And doesn't that make sense? In one short bit of dialogue Dillinger tells Frechette about the early death of his mother and his violent upbringing by his father. He then proceeds to tell her all the things he likes in life ending with "...fast cars and you, what else do you need to know." And we, like Billie, are along for the ride. As Dillinger says "it doesn't matter where you've been, it only matters where you're going." Words the film takes to heart.

Now I could go on about the great period costumes and art direction, the gorgeous digital cinematography, the tasteful but impactful use of music, and the electrifying set pieces in the film (all true by the way), but what you really need to know is this---If you don't want your multiplex to be dominated by the latest Dreamworks animation or big budget action film blowup fest then please go see Public Enemies. Because if it does well enough, hollywood might still occasionally make films for people who like to think, who enjoy a good story and good acting. You know, grown ups.

Sumo-Pop
July 1, 2009