Depp is great, but ‘Public Enemies’ falls a bit short
Depp is great, but ‘Public Enemies’ falls a bit short
Look at the bright side of life. You're Johnny Depp
Whether it be flamboyant pirate Jack Sparrow, the soulful Edward Scissorhands or the aloof Willy Wonka, Johnny Depp’s utter weirdness is fuel in his star machine. Depp, outside of eye shadow, funny hats and a straight edge razor, is something of an enigma. Some of his performances are vivid and memorable (Finding Neverland, Chocolat, Donnie Brasco) while others…not so much (The Ninth Gate, Secret Window, Blow). So as hard-working patrons (and a few who are not. You know who you are.) return to theaters to see Depp playing Depression-era gangster John Dillinger, I’m sure most of you are expecting him to wear a wok on his head and make a potted plant his best-friend. Nah. Instead, viewers will behold the quandary posed by Michael Mann’s latest crime-thriller, Public Enemies: why should we care?
John Dillinger isn’t just a bank robber. He’s also into baseball, movies and making buffoons out of the FBI. When not breaking himself and others out of jail, Dillinger pines for the one dame in his life that brings meaning to his criminal heart, Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard). Billie, who will apparently run away with a man and sleep with him when offered a swanky dress, sits at home and cries, wondering if her Johnny will make it home or be finally reined in by Hoover’s G-Men.
Installed by the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup), to head up the Chicago office and their newly formed Dillinger task force, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) is on a mission to bring down public enemy no.1. Things are looking down for Johnny D as he doesn’t only have to contend with a ramped-up federal police agency but a growing crime syndicate that wants little to do with him and the attention he brings. Faced with nearly no safe havens, Dillinger just needs one more big score so he and his Charleston-dancing lady can leave for Brazil.
Michael Mann films rarely evoke emotion. The constant emotional void aside, his previous works, which include his magnum opus Heat, The Last of the Mohicans and Collateral, all show his mastery of telling a story. Always slick, always cool, yet accessible. This isn’t the case for Public Enemies, which replaces a tangible bond with a character, for bullet-riddled walls and bad Southern accents. An ambitious attempt, Mann’s great enemy was ambition. The story was too big, too wide and its character focus had the pinpoint accuracy of Baby Face Nelson’s (exceptionally played by Stephen Graham) Tommy gun.
The casting is stellar. Depp is excellent here and proves, again, that even without lavish costumes the man can still create vivid portrayals, even if his environment is less than accommodating. Bale ( Terminator Salvation, The Dark Knight), who adds a drawl to his gravely Batman voice, is intense, cold and is like a walking plank wearing a fedora. Oddly, this plays to Bale’s advantage with his rendition of the steely Purvis.
With all the downturns in the film, Public Enemies still remains a fabulous film. A glimmering city on the hill of truly awful films that populate the current box office, Mann proves again that he is able to wash away the bad taste left by the parade of mediocrity.
