PUBLIC ENEMIES
(2009)
Director: Michael Mann
Writers: Ronan Bennett (screenplay) and Michael Mann (screenplay)
Starring: Johnny Depp, John Michael Bolger, Jason Clarke, Rory Cochrane, Matt Craven, Christian Bale...
Studio: Universal Studios
Rating: R for gangster violence and some language.
Run time: 140 min
Genre: Crime
Available on DVD
Reviewed by Jim Lewis
Johnie Depp reasserts himself as an actor of incredible depth by bringing to life John Dillinger, one of the early American gangsters. This legendary bunch of robbers and murderers is played at just the right pitch of hardness and evil. To watch the early FBI, faced with capturing or killing these men, come to the realization that these are not just thugs, but a special breed of villain. The FBI will require their own equally special men. And they find them. Like Clint Eastwood's "The Unforgiven" where the psychology of a "gunman" is spelled out, then demonstrated, PUBLIC ENEMIES shows us a dying out sector of American killer and a code among them, best rediscovered only in art. A very enjoyable film.
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