A Classic Cat-and-Mouse Game with a Lovely Twist
Written: Aug 24 '09
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: The unexpected love story and humanity
Cons: The high-definition camera used to film this movie
The Bottom Line: A bank robber with a heart and a soul, how can you hate him (especially when he's played by Johnny Depp)?
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| paxromana's Full Review: Public Enemies |
Time: Great Depression. Place: Chicago (mainly). People: A bank robber named John Dillinger on the run (breaking out of jails and into banks as he runs) and a FBI agent named Melvin Purvis chasing after him. The ending: just google "John Dillinger".
I expected this film to be the usual chasing-criminal-heavy-gunfight period piece, and it is. I also expected Johnny Depp (Dillinger) and Christian Bale (Purvis) to stay close to their onscreen alter egos, i.e. Capitan John Sparrow and Batman, due to the similarities between the roles (criminal you can’t hate and crime fighter with a poker face). Finally, I expect a headache due to the high definition camera used. All three expectations were met, but I was surprisingly engaged throughout the film and was even touched by the ending.
What I didn’t expect is to find a love story in this film. It’s the love story between a bank robber and a coat-check girl. Two people from poor backgrounds, uncertain about tomorrow, living just for today, found each other, and never expected this to be the love of their lives. Yet, it is. Dillinger isn’t the average sweet talker who just promises to take care of a girl; he takes it so seriously that he would gladly risk an arrest (when he’s at the top of the “America’s Most Wanted” list) for his girl. We will never know how he might have been as a husband or father, but he sure is a man. This is further exemplified when he takes a stroll through the police department headquarters on one sunny afternoon. He checks out the mug shots of his compliances (all dead or in jail) and himself (still alive and free), walks past Purvis’ office, and even asks a group of officers for the game scores. The pure courage it takes to do something like this makes it difficult, if not impossible, for you to hate him as the killer criminal that he is. I can’t help but hope that he escapes the police, who are not exactly cowards but not exactly heroes either; they are just regular cops.
Though Dillinger’s end is predictable, I think the real end of his career takes place much earlier than what happened to him on that fateful hot summer night before a movie theatre. He just breaks out of jail, and seeks refuge with an ex-colleague. But the ex-colleague has moved on from bank robbery to a better business called illegal gambling. While Dillinger can get $80,000 per robbery, these guys are pulling that kind of month daily without firing one shot. And to them, Dillinger is no longer a hero or a star, but a liability, because he brings too much unnecessary attention. While the public is still fascinated by this Robin Hood like character, his own followers have abandoned him. Ironic, isn’t it?
Last words: Take “Catch Me If You Can”, add machine guns and blood, mix in a well written script and solid actors, shake it a bit with high-definition camera, and viola, a strong drink with a surprisingly sweet yet sad aftertaste.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Action Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: A few glitches, but mostly complete.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
paxromana
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Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 3 members
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