Public Enemies: Michael Mann is back!

It's been 10 years, but Michael Mann has finally come out with an achievement that comes close to the greatness that he use to show repeatedly. In the 80's, he made a good thriller called "Monster" and then a successful series known as "Miami Vice." In the 90's, he created a personal and emotionally staggering crime/epic called "Heat", and a wonderful character study called "The Insider." After that, he did nothing special for his resume. "Ali" was dull and predictable. "Collateral" was very good, but just another action film. And "Miami Vice" turned out to be one of the worst films of 2006. I started to wonder when will Mann be the man again. And boy, he came back a lot sooner then I expected with "Public Enemies."


Here's the synopsis.


The story takes place in the 1930's with the feds and Melvin Purvis try to take down the famous American Gangster John Dillinger.


First of all, this film is ambitious, beautiful, brutal, and intense. The shootouts are vintage Michael Mann, and he uses the editing to illuminate every little detail during the shootouts. It's some of the best editing I have seen in a Michael Mann film since "The Insider." And it's easily his best work since both "The Insider" and "Heat." I wish he would stop using the digital camera, but he gives this type of film a unique look.


Visually, it is splendid and very original. I love classical film making, but I get tired of seeing these type of period films with the same old direction, same old camera angles, and the same old editing techniques that I've seen in a thousand other films like this. It was great to see different type of camera angles, close-ups, and camera movements. This is gritty film making at it's finest, and it made me feel like I was actually there during that time period. Michael Mann is still the man in my opinion. Johnny Depp gives his most mature and disciplined performance to date.


Depp is perfect as John Dillinger. He IS John Dillinger. He captures the man's body language, facial expressions, hand movements, and charisma. He deserves another Oscar nod for commanding the screen, and actually adding alot of emotional depth to his performance. Which is something that I rarely see him do.


Bale is just as great as Purvis. Bale invokes alot of sadness and pain in every scene. Every time he kills somebody, he always has a look of deep pain in his eyes. His accent is flawless, and he totally transforms into his character. This has to be Bale's best performance since "The Prestige." Like Depp, he hits all the right notes.


Marion Cotillard was outstanding as well. She was the emotional weight throughout the entire film, and her vulnerability is absolutely frightening. She is slowly becoming one of my favorite actresses. I loved many scenes in this film. I don't know if any of them will become classic scenes, but they could be. Like almost every scene between Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard was treated like a 1930's classic Hollywood romance. When their watching a horse race, the musical score gets louder when they start kissing.


The shootouts will be praised, and talked about for a long time. The scene where Dillinger walks into the Chicago Police Department could be considered a classic scene. It's intense, amazing, and the best slow-motion you will see during this summer season. I also loved that Michael Mann strips down the legend and shows that he was nothing more then a sociopath. John Dillinger was not a nice man, he robbed, killed, and enjoyed it. And Mann doesn't shy away from that. He even shows the cops being just as ruthless and brutal as John Dillinger himself. He wisely keeps things mysterious about Dillinger and never gives an explanation to why he robs banks. That's up for the viewer to learn about, not the film.


So what didn't I like about this film?? Well I think the love story was too cliched, and that the dialogue between Cotillard and Depp felt recycled from other crime/dramas in the past. Or other romances that I've seen. And the CGI blood at the end didn't feel necessary at all. Overall, this is a damn good film with a lot of great moments.


I don't know if this will be considered a classic, but it will be considered Mann's best achievement in a long time. It's also one of the best films of this year so far. I give it an 8.5/10.