Does Public Enemies live up to the hype?

Johnny Depp and Christian Bale bring a gritty 1930’s tale to the big screen
When I first heard Johnny Depp and Christian Bale would team up for Public Enemies, I admit I was excited. Two of the best actors in Hollywood, telling the story of one of the best-known bank robbers in American history, all against the slick background of the 1930s? I was sold. Unfortunately, Public Enemies didn’t quite hold up.
Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean) plays John Dillinger, who was once known as Public Enemy #1 for his high-profile bank robberies. The story begins in the early 1930s, when Dillinger orchestrated a jailbreak for himself and his buddies and soon starts the crime wave for which he is famous. Soon he meets Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose), who quickly becomes his lady love, not that Dillinger gave her much choice in the matter. Meanwhile, under public scrutiny for his ineffective force, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover puts Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale, The Dark Knight) in charge of the Dillinger task force. What follows is a game of cat and mouse between Dillinger and the law, with Purvis becoming obsessed over finding his nemesis and Dillinger yearning to steal just enough money to disappear with Billie forever.

Before seeing Public Enemies, I had envisioned the movie being filled with slick fashion, haunting jazz music, and all the other characteristics of movies set in the ‘30s—perhaps not as cartoonish as Dick Tracy, but a little more flashy than Road to Perdition. Instead, Public Enemies gives a stripped-down, very gritty portrayal of the time period. Some may say this is appropriate, given that the subject matter is theft and murder, but I left the movie feeling it was a wasted opportunity. In one corner we have Johnny Depp, who can chew some scenery with the best of them, and in the opposite corner we have Christian Bale, who can portray the aloof, powerful man like none other. The one scene in which Dillinger and Purvis speak face-to-face is one of the best of the film, and I just wish the entire thing had been a bit juicier. Instead, Depp checks his trademark quirkiness at the door in favor of a rather boring Dillinger, and Bale barely makes a facial expression throughout the film. Cotillard shines as Billie, but her scenes with Depp are all too brief and left me wanting much more.

Another problem is that the story is much too slow. It drags along for about a half hour too long, and I wish some of that time had been devoted to some character development. As it stands, none of the characters change much throughout the story, making it a rather dull portrayal of the otherwise interesting Dillinger story.
That said, the movie does have its good points. It is an all-star cast, and even a mediocre Johnny Depp movie is still better than most of what’s out there. It’s not a bad movie, but it could have been much, much better.

Public Enemies: 3 out of 5 stars