Public Enemies poster & wallpaper

Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard

No one could stop John Dillinger and his gang. No jail could hold him. His charm and audacious jailbreaks endeared him to almost everyone -- from his girlfriend Billie Frechette to an American public ...( read more  read more... )who had no sympathy for the banks that had plunged the country into the Depression. But while the adventures of Dillinger' gang -- later including Baby Face Nelson and Alvin Karpis -- thrilled many, J. Edgar Hoover made Dillinger America's first Public Enemy Number One and sent in Melvin Purvis, the dashing "Clark Gable of the FBI." However, Dillinger and his gang outwitted and outgunned Purvis' men in wild chases and shootouts. Only after importing a crew of Western ex-lawmen (newly baptized as agents) and orchestrating epic betrayals -- from the infamous "Lady in Red" to the Chicago crime boss Frank Nitti -- were Purvis, the FBI and their new crew of gunfighters able to close in on Dillinger.

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65% liked it

106,956 ratings

Critics

67% liked it

235 critics

R, 2 hrs. 23 min.

Directed by: Michael Mann

Release Date: July 1, 2009

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DVD Release Date: December 8, 2009

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Flixster Reviews (26,242)

  • ebs90
    September 18, 2009
    ebs90

    Public Enemies is an exciting film, although a very inconsistent one. It begins with an adrenalyn rush, during a stylishly filmed prison break, and from then on it falls sloppy, gets back on track, and falls again, over the course of 2 hours and a half.


    For those of yo

    ...( read more)u who don't know, John Dillinger was made Public Enemy # 1 by J. Edgar Hoover. He escaped from jail multiple times, robbed banks multiple times, and was a public darling, more than a public enemy.

    Performance-wise I don't have many complaints. I'd say Johnny Depp is, and rightfully so, the main attractive of Public Enemies. After so many years reprising Captain Jack Sparrow, I think I had forgotten what an amazing actor he is. No cliches, no trying to imitate previous gangster characterizations. His performance feels isolated, truer to the character of John Dillinger, 'a man', than John Dillinger, 'a gangster'. Billy Crudup's short appearance as J. Edgar Hoover is also very good, as those of most of the supporting cast: Dillinger's gang, Nelson's gang, and the FBI officials. Marion Cotillard is great as Billie Frechette, Dillinger's girlfriend. I suppose the writers wanted to show her off a lot and that's why the love story is so recurrent.


    I do complain about Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis. He is probably one of my favorite actors, and I think it's popular knowledge what he can do with roles as different as Dieter Dietrich and Patrick Bateman. But his Purvis is nothing like the "Clark Gable of the FBI". He has some -few- inspired moments, but he was overall given so little to work with that he couldn't really pull through.


    I would have liked the characters to be given more development. Perhaps the conception of "action movie" got in the way of giving them much opportunity for insight. Dillinger is the one who talks the most, so it seems we know him the best. But Purvis, who plays a big role here, only shows up as an effect to a cause.


    The action sequences, though, are indeed excellently produced and look and sound amazing. Michael Mann's narrative structure really works when he's shooting that sort of thing, much better than when we're just following the characters from one town to another. Also, although some people found it obtrusive, I liked the effect of the hand-held camera he used.


    The cinematography could've been better (darn digital), and at certain moments the lighting was just lazy, which is a shame considering the perfect costumes, architecture, and props. The first sequence features a beautiful take of Dillinger's exhausted face against a washed out afternoon sky. I can't get it out my head, regretting that it was an isolated moment of visual brilliance. Without that, and a few other moments of good composition, I wouldn't have even pointed out that aspect at all. But it upsets me to think of what could have been.


    It doesn't lack style, though, and the costumes and art direction in general are impressive. It's the sort of romanticism I expected from a film about a gangster/pop star like John Dillinger apparently was . Everyone looking impossibly impeccable in suits and fedoras, the piercing sound of the machine guns, the soundtrack, etc. The problem is a general lack of substance. I think the writer tried to cover too much ground, and that's often a problem. Not everyone can pull off so many dimensions of a single story or character convincingly. Usually, there are parts that need to be left out, or merely be hinted at. The love story, I think, was almost front and center, and I don't know what was the point of that.


    Watching too much French noir made me sorely miss what I think should be present in gangster films. Namely, the scheming. The Dillinger gang goes into one bank after the other, but we never see them planning anything. Neither do we see what happens when they're out the revolving door with the money in their hands. The internal dynamics of the 'gang' are pretty much absent. Sure we see them interact and we know who are closest to Dillinger, etc, but I think that a sense of complicity was missing. Another thing: Dillinger was a sort of hero. But we only know that through suppositions and slight mentions.


    Other reviewers have pointed out another shortcoming with which I wholly agree. Dillinger operated during the Great Depression. Without the Great Depression, would there have been a John Dillinger? And yet, the poverty and misery of the era have such a secondary role that right now I can't remember them ever being shown. And I think that, if we are to understand why Dillinger did what he did and why the public supported him so, the background can't be so hidden.


    So... I guess I was expecting a much more intellectual film, which is not opposed to a film with the tense, masterful shoot outs and prison breaks of Public Enemies. To me, if you can't find an interest in a celebrity/gangster like John Dillinger, be it in his own psychology or that of his supporters and detractors, why make the film at all? By making only an "action" film, the characters turn out trivialized and boring. This doesn't entirely happen in Public Enemies, but close. What bothers me is the potential that went unexploited. I enjoyed the movie, but I wish the filmmakers had taken it a bit further.
  • ogerre225
    August 31, 2009
    ogerre225
    Not nearly as good as I expected, but still a decent movie.
  • allan913
    August 30, 2009
    allan913
    A spectacular masterpiece no questions asked. It's American Gangster meets The Untouchables. It's the best, most detailed and most constructerd crime film of the decade. A stylish, slick, classy and pistol packing crime drama. Director, Michael Mann's best film in years. It stand...( read more)s with his crime classics like Heat and Collateral. It's loaded with the flash, cash, class, big stars and all the bullets you could want. A hard-boiled, thrilling, exciting and pulse-pounding old-school action-packed ride. It's a real treat that dazzels and sizzels enough to melt cold steal. It's smart, stunning and wickedly well-crafted. It packs alot of punch and even more fire power. But what truly shines is the star power. Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are magnificent, these two powerhouse performers are at their absolute best. Depp gives a sharp, charming, witty and very charasmatic performance. Bale gives a swift, compelling, intelligent and very dedicated performance. These two actors deliver some amasing work in this film. A wonderful supporting cast also deliver teriffic performances that include Billy Crudup, Jason Clarke and Marion Cotillard. A riveting and very powerful film. This is an exhilerating and heart-pounding film that will keep you on the edge of your seat right to the very end.
  • sheens431
    August 20, 2009
    sheens431
    The saving grace here is Depp and Bale. Without those two this movie would have most likely sucked. Their great performances are really the main reason to watch this movie.

    Michael Mann does a decent job here, but the movie just overall lacks.

    I love these gangster movies, es...( read more)pecially the ones set in the '30s. It's an era I would love to be able to go back and live in. Where these people robbing banks, these renegades, were almost regarded with a Robin Hood-esque stature.

    The length of this movie didn't bother me at all, since I loved the story so much. I would have sat through another hour.

    My complaint is that with a cast like this I'm expecting something outstanding, and this wasn't. This was just another movie, not a movie that's going to make it's mark on history or anything.

    And most of the clever or witty one-liners in this movie had already been shown in the trailer, so they were pretty much wasted.

    The directing/timing of a lot of the shots seemed sort of awkward. Like Depp would have a clever line and instead of just cutting to another scene, or having someone reply to him, the camera would instead stay on his face for a few seconds too long. A minor detail, but one that I picked up on.

    Watch this movie if you're a Depp fan or if you like gangster flicks, but don't expect the usual Depp performance or the usual gangster flick.
  • flixsterman
    August 15, 2009
    flixsterman
    Not as good as I had hoped but not nearly as bad as I had heard. Depp and Bale tend to elevate films with their talent and I think Public Enemies is no exception. Director Michael Mann does an adequate job but his choice of angles, particularly the hand-held camera shots...( read more), was more distracting than it was effective.
  • jessytu
    November 7, 2009
    jessytu
    Johnny Depp vs. Christian Bale...mmmm :))))
  • bon21jovi
    November 7, 2009
    bon21jovi
    "Public Enemies" could be a battle of wits and wills...Instead it's a battle to stay awake!!!
  • Damiqib
    November 7, 2009
    Damiqib
    Way too long - couldn't keep me interested. Rather boring one - just bullets after bullets...
  • jigsawlegend33
    November 5, 2009
    jigsawlegend33
    PUBLIC ENEMIES is a solid tense crime movie. Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are great but the characters they play are just poorly written so it comes off very one-note. Which is really sad because the characters they play are real people who are very interesting and had alot of ...( read more)depth. It had great michael Mann shootouts! I really HATED the camera work! What was Mann thinking?! Its like watching an episode of cops in the 1930s! For all its problems its still a fun crime flick...could have been a classic though.
  • ichisp
    November 5, 2009
    ichisp
    Not even a tip of the hat to the classics, but only a realisim that Mann does so well.

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Critic Reviews

July 3, 2009
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

Public Enemies is original because everyone, outlaw and enforcer, criminal and cop, looks and behaves the same. full review

July 2, 2009
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

The best rejoinder to Public Enemies is Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal video... It's a tommy-gun gangster fantasia with a touch of Guys and Dolls, and it's everything Public Enemies isn't. full review

July 1, 2009
Armond White, The New York Press

Mann not only lacks the narrative efficiency of old genre filmmaking, Public Enemies' look inspires the opposite of movie love. full review

July 1, 2009
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

It fits neatly on the shelf with Bonnie and Clyde and The Godfather. full review

July 1, 2009
Pete Hammond, Back Stage

Michael Mann's sharp-looking movie is a worthy vehicle for Depp, even if it doesn't break any new ground in the well-worn gangster genre. full review

July 1, 2009
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Director Michael Mann has taken the story of John Dillinger, and has made from it a drama full of dread and atmosphere, a 140-minute film that in no way seems long, that's a succession of compelling s... full review

July 1, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Director Michael Mann mounts a technically proficient, visually enthralling crime drama anchored by the low-key but captivating performance of Johnny Depp as legendary bank robber John Dillinger. full review

July 1, 2009
Kurt Loder, MTV

The movie ends with a line of dialogue so startlingly inane that it leaves the picture flapping on the screen like a punctured balloon. It may be the most brutal moment in the whole movie. full review

July 1, 2009
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Ultimately an odd blend of frustrating and satisfying. full review

June 30, 2009
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Public Enemies has everything going for it except a reason and a script. full review

View more Public Enemies reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • crazymoviemaniac
    July 10, 2009
    crazymoviemaniac
    i loooooooooooooooooved it , it was one of johnny's best films.
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    July 4, 2009
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    As of right now, ONLY 73% of flixster users have given PUBLIC ENEMIES a positive score! Wow... just wow.
  • surgemonkey
    June 3, 2009
    surgemonkey
    Marion Cotillard is missing from the cast.... She's like one of the main characters! (or atleast it appears so from the trailers) Still, it looks awesome.
  • ahmedalsid20
    May 27, 2009
    ahmedalsid20
    looks nice
  • blacksnake2
    February 12, 2009
    blacksnake2
    If this film cannot surpass John Milius's "Dilliger" (including showing the Black member of the gang, only shown in that film and in Bogart's "Petrified Forest") I will say it SUCKS major a$$!!!...Same with the Thompson SMG's, not that commonly used in real life, unlike in fictional Hollywood gangster films and TV shows like "Untouchables"...If you have not seen the original Dillinger, go here...
    http://www.flixster.com/movie/dillinger
  • SmellagramTheJohnnyDeppian
    September 28, 2008
    SmellagramTheJohnnyDeppian
    I'm getting SO impatient!!!!

    C'mon...at least a trailer! This is so torturous!!

    GAHHHHHHHH


  • drkdemon872
    August 21, 2008
    drkdemon872
    this movie was filmed in my home town!!!! I cant wait to go see it!
  • SmellagramTheJohnnyDeppian
    July 13, 2008
    SmellagramTheJohnnyDeppian
    All you lucky people who live in America!!!!! You're going to see him....or you LIVE ACROSS THE FUCKING STREET WHERE THEYRE FILMING!!! AHHHH
    WHY? WHY do I have to live in Australia?!? It's not fair...it really isn't fair....

    SPASM SPASMROLLONTHEGROUNDEATCEREAL!!!! AHH!

    Can't wait for this movie :)
  • maruschk
    July 10, 2008
    maruschk
    So fucking cool that you get to see them.
    Question: Why/How in hell does a movie that hasn't been made yet - get 4.5 average?
    How can you even vote..
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  • The Quote "We're having too good a time today. We ain't thinking about tomorrow" is taken from the movie entitled _________.  Answer »
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