Public Enemies

Pros: Depp and Bale.  Interesting, entertaining story.
Cons: Jerky camera work in places.  Some slower scenes.

Johnny Depp is one of the most talented actors working now.  I have enjoyed many of his movies and I'm pretty much willing to give anything he does a chance now.  I've been interested in seeing Public Enemies since I first saw a ...

Pros: Period detail
Cons: Story, Acting, Cinematography

Public Enemies (2009) I saw Public Enemies today at my local AMC theater and have to admit it had its moments, but overall the shots missed the target.  Public Enemies is a production with Michael Mann ...

Pros: Johnny Depp's acting, Mann's direction and an excellent script
Cons: A little slow at times

I'm a big fan of Johnny Depp who I believe is one of our finest living actors.  He's amazingly versatile as is obvious from the roles he has played over the years from "Edward Scissorhands", through "Donnie Brasco", "Finding Neverland", "Pirates of ...

Pros: Solid direction, excellent performances
Cons: Slow and repetitive, weak characterization and script

While Johnny Depp's films are largely fun to watch, and due in no small part to Depp's contributions, it can now be stated with some certainty that as an actor his range is fairly limited.  What?  How can that be?  He played both Willy ...

Pros: Interesting enough that I wanted to finish it
Cons: No characterization, poor acting, sloppily put together, confusing action scenes

Welcome back in time to the lawless thirties when such infamous gangsters as Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, and John Dillinger wreak havoc with incredible bank heists and fantastical escapes complete with fast cars, shrieking hostages, and dangerous ...

Pros: Outstanding performances by principles; great supporting cast.
Cons: Lacked real substance; shot in snippets.

The Great Depression was the period in American history when it seemed like Chicago was ground Zero for the crime wave that swept the nation.  All of the major crime figures of the day seemed to have hung out in Chicago and its ...

Pros: Loud tommy-guns!
Cons: Poor direction, script & cinematography...and that's just for starters.

It’s hard to overstate how disappointed I was in PUBLIC ENEMIES.  Almost every aspect of the film was a letdown.  You’ve got folks like Johnny Depp and Michael Mann on board, and yet the result is long, sloppy and worst of all, ...

Pros: Johnny Depp, Cinematography
Cons: boring

Public Enemies should have been released in December--its sort of an artsy movie. I would call it an Oscar Bid movie.   They did some interesting things with the cinematography, and it had some great lines in it.  But I didn't feel ...

Pros: Dry Humor and Bank Robberies
Cons: Boring and Disappointing

              I really try and avoid movies that I know will be disappointments. I really had high hopes for Public Enemies, with a great cast led by Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. The film details the height and ...

Pros: The sets.
Cons: Christian Bale; lack of character development; confusing; obnoxious cinematographic style.

There comes a time in our lives when we are forced into things we don't want to do. Whether it be pot, alcohol, or sex, peer pressure plays a very big role in our lives. Age is not a factor. I try not to give into such things, but it's easier to give in ...

Pros: The unexpected love story and humanity
Cons: The high-definition camera used to film this movie

              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 n...

Pros: Beautifully photographed; authentic shootouts. Johnny Depp without makeup. Chemistry betw Deep and Cotillard.
Cons: Almost feels like a docudrama.

There is a line in Public Enemies that is straight out of today's headlines.  It is when FBI Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) is assigned to the Chicago Bureau because "Chicago is the center of the crime wave".  As a Chicagoan, we badly ...

Pros: Great attention to detail, aesthetically. A fun movie for crime drama fans.
Cons: Under-characterization as Depp is relied on to completely carry the film. Slight historical inaccuracies.

I'm a sucker for movies about true historic figures. I'm an even bigger sucker for movies about real life criminals and gangsters. One of my favorite eras in the history of the Unites States has always been the Public Enemy Era. J. Edgar Hoover and ...

Pros: Michael Mann, Johnny Depp, Christian Bale at their best
Cons: Good deal of historical inaccuracy

This film will inevitably be compared to "Heat" and "Miami Vice" since both of those were by the same director, were also cops vs. robbers, and featured a lot of shooting.  Of the three films, "Miami Vice" is the most unbelievable, "Heat" is the ...