Public Enemies

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Public Enemies
Topic Started: Jul 13 2009, 07:17 AM (64 Views)
panzer the great & terrible	Jul 13 2009, 07:17 AM Post #1
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,363 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	Johnny Depp nails another character, one called John Dillinger, in this noisy shoot-em-up/romance/fantasia. I enjoyed it despite some over the top acting in the smaller parts, especially by the guy who plays Pretty Boy Floyd as a fearsome demon; but, see, they have to make Floyd a monster so we, the audience, will think Dillinger is a good guy. And yes, the rest of the movie is just that manipulative, playing fast and loose with the facts to win the audience over. There are some disturbing echoes of Abu Ghraib in the way the police handle prisoners, so you're not rooting for the cops. That being said, Michael Mann's direction is graceful, and the soundtrack is gorgeous, with songs by Diane Kraal and Billie Holiday. Marion Cotillard is memorable as the love interest -- it's hard to take your eyes off her -- Christian Bale, as Dillinger's nemisis, is, according to my cute little bartender last night, "hot," and Billy Crudup plays J. Edgar Hoover as a pure sociopath fighting to establish his empire. A little long at 2 1/2 hours. I could have done with one less bank job, but as I say, I liked the show. Four stars. And no, they don't mention Dillinger's hecker. And oh yeah -- whenever somebody fires a Tommy gun, flames come out, just like in the comics. Edited by panzer the great & terrible, Jul 16 2009, 04:21 PM.
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


Black Tiger	Jul 13 2009, 08:08 AM Post #2
Charter Member Posts: 1,818 Group: Members Member #50 Joined: September 15, 2005	I really love this period and enjoyed the clothes, tommyguns, cars and action. I even liked the cast including Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Unfortunately, they are let down by a leaden plot that just plods along and unbelievable dialogue that just doesn't sound natural most of the time. This is a '30s-style gangster flick that was told better and in less time and with more style in the '30s. This film could have easily been trimmed to 90 minutes that would have picked up the pace a bit. 1 1/2 stars out of four.


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