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Storyline
Public Enemies is a 2009 crime film directed by Michael Mann. Set during the Great Depression, it focuses on the true story of FBI agent Melvin Purvis's attempt to stop criminals John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd. |
Backdrops
The Director
Michael Mann
Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. For his work, he has received nominations from international organizations and juries, including those at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Cannes and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has produced the Academy Awards ceremony twice, first in 1999 with the 72nd annual Academy Awards and second in 2004 with the 77th annual ceremony.
Total Film ranked Mann #28 on their 100 The Greatest Directors Ever and Sight and Sound ranked him #5 on their list of the 10 Best Directors of the Last 25 Years, Entertainment Weekly ranked Mann #8 on their 25 Greatest Active Film Directors list.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Mann, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Movie Clips
Video Reviews
User Reviews
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Public Enemies
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In theory this film should really work. An interesting story, a great cast, excellent technical team and a dedication to detai/lauthenticity. However, what actually appears on screen is a dull, lifeless and too earnest. the 'look' of the film is the first indicator of this. By shooting on digital cameras Mann wanted to show the real bullets and real clothes of these criminals. Instead it makes the whole thing feel like a TV movie and certainly not the gritty gangster film it is trying to be. With cops and robbers and Mann's involvement, it's hard not to compare the film to Heat, and any comparison just makes the failure of this film more apparant. Comparing Bale and Depp to De Niro and Pacino is laughable and something that is taken for a given, like Johnny Depp's charisma, is entirely missing. The film takes itself far too seriously, as Heat does, but in this instance it fails to entertain. I am perhaps being too harsh on the film. It is still better than most gangster films but with everyone involved it should have been better. An interesting failure.
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reviewed by cherryflavourpez (Filmaster.com) on the 27th of June 2011
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This film has remarkable acting, unique vision, and exceptional flourish. Cotillard has a particularly effective interrogation scene, which features a perfectly horrifying performance. The digital cinematography is well done, but clashed with the period, especially during the action scenes. More importantly its narrative, while rife with intriguing historical allusions, devolves into stereotypical aggrandizing, and liberally interprets history to spray on the requisite coat of cool.