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With this film Michael Mann really brings back the action and the tension that made his previous films so great. Combined with a great cast, cinematography and a score that's definitely worth mentioning, Mann recreates Dillinger and his world almost perfectly....almost.

Public Enemies stars Johnny Depp in telling the story of Johnny Dillinger, who was widely regarded as a modern day "Robin Hood". He was also known as the "Jack Rabbit" due to both his timely one minute and forty second bank robberies, and his narrow getaways from police. The film focuses on some of these robberies and prison escapes by Dillinger while also showing the early development of the F.B.I., specifically with special agent Melvin Purvis, played by Christian Bale who is in charge of the task force created to catch Dillinger.

The Ups
I do have to admit the action in this film was a real surprise. Not because it was good, but the sheer amount of it. Make no mistake, there a lot of action in this film. I am happy to say that each of the car chases, robberies and pretty much any action sequence in this film was extremely well done. Mann does a great job of incorporating the action in the film without losing touch with the drama and tension. This is emphasized by the cast, which did an outstanding job. I suppose it would go without saying that Depp did an awesome job in this role, but since I felt it was especially good, I'll say it again anyway. Depp captures all of Dillinger's speech, charisma and mannerisms which he was famous for beautifully. This adds up to Dillinger being brought to stunning life by Depp, achieved with an effortless realism that is truly incredible to watch.

Additionally, the performances given by Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, and Jason Clarke were amazing. Cotillard fits the role of a woman who is swept off her feet and ultimately comes to love Dillinger perfectly, with Crudup doing an absolutely amazing job as J. Edgar Hoover. Clark plays Dillinger's partner in crime, John "Red" Hamilton, a character whose daring and loyalty to Dillinger is picked up from the very first scene of the film.

Other aspects of this film which should bear mentioning are the attention to detail with regards to the era of the 30's and the musical score of the movie. Some of the scenes in this movie are simply breathtaking not just because of the surroundings, but the actual detail through which the surroundings are brought to life. Everything from the wardrobe to the buildings of the 30s are all very well done. Another big component to this picture was the musical score. Composed mostly by Elliot Goldenthal, there are songs by Otis Taylor and Billie Holiday whose vibe and unique rhythms bring the feel of the 30s to the audience, while managing to highlight the emotion felt on screen.

The Downs
While I won't classify Bale's performance as bad, I will say that I was a bit thrown off by it. A big reason for this doubt is due to my unfamiliarity with his character Melvin Purvis' true nature. Some reviewers have said that Bale's performance seemed uncharismatic in this role, but when I did a bit of research on Purvis it seemed that Purvis was really like that in real life. With words like, "succinct" and sometimes even "withdrawn" being used to describe him. So I'm pretty torn on Bale's performance because if it was his goal to portray a withdrawn, quite, dedicated law man then he did that wonderfully. If it was anything other than this however, it was definitely lacking in the charisma area.

So maybe in line with this thought, another complaint would be the lack of development we have on Purvis. When people are confused about the true nature of a character in a movie, usually that is due to us not knowing enough about that character.

The other thing that bogged this movie down a bit for me was the love story between Johnny Depp's and Marion Cotiller's characters. Yes, I know that I just said they both did great, and they were...with their own individual roles. However, once we start to get to where we are supposed to believe that their characters are in love, there is zero chemistry between them. It was almost odd to see each character separately be so vibrant and alive, but together be so flat.

The Wrap-Up
Public Enemies is a great drama filled with action sequences that enhance Dillinger's and Purvis' bravery and daring without ever looking corny. The sheer beauty of the movie both in sight and sound, in addition to great performances given by the cast amount to Public Enemies being worth watching. Although I thought Marvin Purvis' character and the love story between Depp's and Cotillard's character deserved a bit more development. Unfortunately these are two big elements in this movie and end up leaving you with the feeling that even though this was a great movie that brought you into Dillinger's world, you didn't really know the important characters in it.

The Final Score

7.0 out of 10.0