Movie review: Public Enemies

Movie: Public Enemies

Stars: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale

Synopsis: John Dillinger's short, but active life post-prison

Director: Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral, Miami Vice).

Expectations: Yes, this will rock.

One word: Mixed.

My Take:
I was expecting so much from this film. Bale, whom I love. Depp, who I have grown to respect as a master actor. Mann, the director of some of the best (and most accurate) shootouts in movie history. This film has to rock, right?

Well, it sorta did. Larry Correia hit it on the head when he said you have to view this film with a split personality.

As a film fan, it was really good. Bale was kind of 'meh,' but Depp was fantabulous as Dillinger. As an aside, Billy Crudup (Almost Famous) was stellar as sleazeball J. Edgar Hoover. I hope he starts doing the MasterCard ads (of which he does the 'priceless' voiceover) in the Hoover nasal tones.

As a gunny, it rocked. Thompsons that sounded like Thompsons. Lots of Tommy guns at night (with the Cutts compensator-induced fireball). The BARs were cut down whippet gun style, which was really more of a Bonnie and Clyde thing. Watching the .30-06 brass chunking out of the BARs was all kinds of billy badass.

And the sound! I swear to Athena that the film gunshots were as loud as the real thing. When Baby Face Nelson lights up Dillinger's full-auto .38 super... whoa.

As a history minor and overall fan of the motorized bandit era... it sucked.

Michael Mann (and the screenwriter) apparently decided the true story of the 18 months of mayhem wasn't flashy enough. So, they decided to have G-man Melvin Purvis (Bale) blow away Pretty Boy Floyd to introduce the character. It was all dramatic, with a .351 Winchester and double set traggers.

Problem is, it never happened. Floyd was tagged my local police and found bleeding out by Purvis in an apple orchard later. The only thing Purvis did with Floyd was hound the glory for his death.

Then, during the Little Bohemia shootout (which Mann took the effort to shoot at the real Little Bohemia) Mann has the heroic Bale gun down Baby Face Nelson. Unfortunately, Nelson was still alive when Dillinger was killed (hope that wasn't a spoiler... in Titanic, BTW, the boat sinks).

Nelson was killed after HE chased down a carload of cops and shot it out with 'em. Nelson killed all but one, but he as severly shot up in the process. His wife and partner left his body in a cemetary, where police later found him.

Purvis is made out to be quite the honorable, heroic figure. Gunning down Nelson and Red Hamilton. They do give a nod to accuracy when they have Purvis also chop up a car of innocent men with his Tommy gun, but that's quickly passed by.

In fact, the only people killed at Little Bohemia were one innocent guy in the car and one agent (by Nelson). Two other innocents were hurt, and two lawmen were hurt.

Why, oh why, Michael Mann did you have to ruin perfectly dramatic history? Would Bale not sign on unless he was the white knight? Purvis was, to be blunt, a sycophant paper-pusher for Hoover. His nickname (not in respect) was Lil' Mel. In this film, he's the tall, dapper, heroic lawman.

They did mention, in the epilogue, that Purvis quit the FBI within a year and later killed himself.

(sigh)

Would I recommend the film? Yes, it's still a good film, Depp's performance better come up at Oscar time, and the gunplay was awesome.

But for the history of Dillinger and gang, tune into the History Channel tonight for "Crime Wave: 18 Months of Mayhem." It's the far more accurate way to spend 2 hours on Johnny D. and gang.