Good to bad

Right before the climax of the “Public Enemies,” the film’s protagonist (depending on how you look at him) John Dillinger takes in the latest gangster flick, “Manhattan Melodrama,” while he smirks to himself in the audience, watching the very stylized, artificial representation of his lifestyle unfold on the silver screen.

It’s overt, homage-paying moments like this that make “Public Enemies” one of the better excursions into the gangster film genre in recent memory.

Johnny Depp and Christian Bale star as two men on opposite sides of the law. Depp plays an affable bank robber (Dillinger would give some of the loot back to the bank customers) and Bale plays the lawman on Dillinger’s tail, always two steps behind.

After (not one, but two) prison escapes by Dillinger and his willingness to be completely candid about his scores with the media, both organized crime bosses and the Bureau of Investigation want Dillinger dead. The movie essentially centers around this desperation coupled with a better-than-average love story. Dillinger’s love interest is played well by Marion Cotillard in an atypical English-speaking role for the actress.

The best parts of this film are the spot-on costume designing and acting by veteran character-actor Depp. Also, Michael Mann can shoot one hell of a heist flick.
Depp’s Dillinger is a multi-faceted study of the times (1930s Depression era) and circumstance in which a seemingly good, charming man manifests himself into a successful, flamboyant outlaw. Dillinger is stone cold as a stickup man. Layered upon instances of desperation, braggadocio and genuine sweetness (to his love interest) Depp succeeds at breathing true humanity into a gun-wielding folk legend.

Mann’s intricate eye for detail and context shine through in what could have easily been just another shoot-’em-up flick. Whether it’s the look of personal hell on Bale’s character Melvin Purvis’ face after taking the life of yet another gangster or the seamless editing during chase scenes and shoot-outs, Mann’s expertise shines throughout the film.

Unfortunately, that expertise is also the reason the movie feels somewhat bloated, clocking in at over 2 1/2 hours long. Though the movie drags in parts and some peripheral characters are underdeveloped, Depp’s on-screen charisma and Mann’s patient filmmaking ultimately will win over the audience.

Whether you love or hate the gangster genre, you will be moved by the end of this picture.