Public Enemies, Special Edition (2 discs), Blu-ray (2009)
Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup
Director: Michael Mann
Studio: Universal [Release date: 12/8/09]
Video: 2.40:1 anamorphic/enhanced for 16:9 color 1080p HD
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DVS, Dolby 2.0, French or Spanish DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: “Larger Than Life: Adversaries,” “Michael Mann: Making Public Enemies,” “Last of the Legendary Outlaws,” “On Dillinger’s Trail: The Real Locations,” Criminal Technology, Commentary track by Michael Mann, D-Box motion enabled, U-Control: PIP & Interactive timeline, Digital copy disc
Length: 2 hours 20 minutes
Rating: ****
A very good bio of the last year and half in the life of the Depression-era anti-hero John Dillinger. He was idolized by many, saying “We’re not here for your money, we’re here for the bank’s money,” while at the same time he was labeled by J. Edgar Hoover, struggling to get money and attention for the new FBI, as Public Enemy Number One. He robbed at least a couple dozen banks, having developed a SWAT-team-like military procedure that kept his gang ahead of the cops for years. He also killed several police and FBI officers and escaped twice from jail after his original ten-year confinement for a $50 theft. He even dropped in on the police station (in a not-very-effective disguise) and saw the evidence assembled against him, while most of the cops were out preparing for his demise at the movie theater that night.
Johnny Depp’s Dillinger lives life on the edge and doesn’t seem to think of his future. Christian Bale is his main adversary as the chief FBI official, working under Hoover’s demanding presence. The scenes with Dillinger’s girlfriend Billie Frechette are frequently underscored with songs by Billie Holiday. There’s plenty of shoot-em-ups, with both gangsters and G-man blowing away with their machine guns, but overall this is quite a different sort of gangster movie than most – although it doesn’t quite rise to the level of The Godfather series.
Director Mann’s commentaries mention how carefully they tried to emulate the Depression-era environment, finding some of the actual locations or at least very similar ones in which to shoot. The cars, clothes, building interiors and movies of the period are perfect. In the final scene, when a madam friend of Dillinger tips off the FBI to avoid being deported, the movie she and Dillinger go to see in Chicago is the same 1934 gangster movie they actually watched, and we see portions of it on the big screen. (One shot is an extreme and very grainy zoom-in on one screen character; intent unknown.) Dillinger’s gang members and friends are well-played and the one confrontation between Dillinger and Purvis (the main FBI figure played by Bale) is gripping.
The picture transfer seems perfect, with even the darker scenes having plenty of detail. The surround track conveys the various environments well, and the shootouts are suitably loud and disturbing. The Criminal Technology bonus feature details the 1930s guns and the cast members learning how to fire them realistically. Last of the Legendary Outlaws focuses on Dillinger and other gangsters such as Bonnie & Clyde. The Real Locations compares archival footage with the same locations today as used in the film, and the U-Control Picture-In-Picture feature runs production-related videos on how the cast and crew brought Dillinger and his friends to life. There are a few shaky hand-held shots – which I can never fathom why they end up in feature films when they’re not part of some action or fight scene.
– John Sunier
