Public Enemies

Over the years, the gangster-movie genre has leaned in various directions: sometimes it's about cops (Serpico, The French Connection), other times it's about robbers (Bonnie and Clyde, Bugsy), and Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino upped the ante with their emphasis on sadistic violence. Now, director Michael Mann delves into the territory of the mythic “lone outlaw” who operates outside the underworld of organized crime. After breaking out of prison in 1933, notorious bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) launches a crime wave that infuriates the crusading J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) and his fledgling FBI. Hoover appoints agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to track down Dillinger and his gang: Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham), Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum), Harry Pierpont (David Wenham), Alvin Karpis (Giovanni Ribisi), and Homer Van Meter (Stephen Dorff). Meanwhile, Dillinger falls in love with a naïve half-French/half-Native American coat-check girl, Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard), and convinces her to join him on the lam. What separates Public Enemies from ordinary cops-and-robbers pictures is how Mann—who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronan Bennett and Ann Biderman—develops Dillinger's fascinating, self-assured character, based on Bryan Burrough's book Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34. And there's ironic humor amid the shoot-'em-up scenes: on a lark, Dillinger strolls unrecognized through the FBI office as agents listen to a baseball game, nonchalantly inquiring, “What's the score?” Depp is cool and charismatic, while Cotillard (an Oscar winner for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose) is stunning in this flawlessly authentic production. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary with director Michael Mann, a “making-of” featurette with Mann (21 min.), “Larger Than Life: Adversaries” interviews with costars Johnny Depp and Christian Bale (11 min.), a “Film Poster Gallery Tour” with film critic Elvis Mitchell (11 min.), a “Criminal Technology” segment on the weapons and cars of the era (10 min.), an “On Dillinger's Trail” location featurette (10 min.), “The Last of the Legendary Outlaws” featurette on Dillinger and other notorious gangsters (9 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the U-Control interactive picture-in-picture feature and an interactive timeline, along with a BD-Live “Gangster Movie Challenge” feature. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an excellent gangster flick.] (S. Granger)