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 Public Enemies - Reviews & Discussion

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Sarah
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Sarah


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Join date : 2009-06-08
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PostSubject: Public Enemies - Reviews & Discussion   Public Enemies - Reviews & Discussion EmptySun 28 Jun 2009, 2:45 am

YOUR reviews and OTHER reviews. Here's one I found:

Quote :
UK, June 26, 2009 - Director Michael Mann transposes his unique brand of character-driven cops and robbers action onto the John Dillinger myth. The result is something close to a 1930s version of his caper classic Heat, and also one of the best films of 2009.

Johnny Depp is the infamous, Robin Hood-like gangster John Dillinger, who terrorised Depression-era America with a spate of high profile bank robberies. Along for the ride were his now legendary crew, including Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum), Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and his beautiful sweetheart Billie (Marion Cotillard).

Naturally the fledgling FBI weren't too happy about this state of affairs, with creepy Fed boss J. Edgar Hoover entrusting crack agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to take out the increasingly popular Dillinger.

What follows is essentially a series of brilliantly choreographed confrontations between Purvis and the Dillinger gang, with the two sides engaged in a variety shoot-outs, jail-breaks and all manner of other fisticuffs for much of the movie's running time.

Its a deceptively straight-forward structure that dispenses with virtually all the clichés associated with the gangster genre, and the 1930s setting in particular, and instead - shock horror - actually trusts the audience to use their brains a bit.

This isn't a biopic of the famous gangster that takes us on an emotional journey through his life, with him reaching some epiphany, or meeting his deserved, hubristic comeuppance by the end.

Instead Mann presents the real-life protagonists like he does in virtually all his other movies; as ultra-skilled but emotionally damaged experts, driven purely by a sense of professionalism and ego; think De Niro's thief in Heat, Cruise's hitman in Collateral or both Sonny and Tubs in (the seriously underrated) Miami Vice.

How and why did Depp's Dillinger get into robbing banks? Don't expect Mann to tell you. He starts the film as a fully-formed and rather charming criminal, and remains so - always living in the moment - for the rest of the movie.

That's not to say that Depp's performance somehow fails to add depth or nuance to the character. Indeed he excels as the charismatic Dillinger, who is soemtimes distant, capable of turning on the charm at the drop of a hat, and almost always revelling in his celebrity.

He's not a flamboyant Tony Montana or Al Capone-style archetype, but a real, living human being. Depp's best work is towards the end of the movie, when he subtly shows Dillinger's mask of professionalism and charm begin to slip as his circumstances become more desperate as his crew are whittled down.

Bale is given less to do as the taciturn Purvis, but still manages to turn in a subtle performance that is the polar-oppositie of his daft, shouty turn as John Connor in Terminator Salvation. Not a typical, heroic G-man, instead a character that is single-minded and ruthless, but also often decent and conflicted by the increasingly barbaric methods he must employ to get his man.

The supporting cast also turn in complex, rewarding performances, with Stephen Graham stealing every scene he's in as the unhinged Baby Face Nelson (we'd love to see him given his own spin-off Origins movie.) Cotillard is beautiful and heartbreaking as Dillinger's moll, with their relationship adding another layer of richness to the film.

It is Mann's direction however that is the real star of Public Enemies. His unique-shooting style - filming much of the movie on super-high definition handheld cameras - manages to give the movie both an air of documentary-style realism, and yet also a strange, dreamy feel. It's like watching a documentary crew follow Dillinger and his gang for a couple of years and sets the movie apart from the numerous other 1930s gangster pics.

What this shooting style also heightens however is the many, many action scenes. No-one shoots gunfights quite like Michael Mann. His swooping, ducking camerawork - usually in long takes - and brilliant use of thudding sound means the audience feel the impact of every bullet (in contrast to the chop-heavy, confusing cutting style of certain other top Hollywood directors).

Nonetheless Public Enemies is not that easy to watch at times. Don't expect to enter the cinema and completely switch off your brain. Sometimes events can get a little confusing, with Mann bringing in supporting characters and sub-plots - such as scenes with Hoover and mafia don Frank Nitti - that often don't get resolved or add to the central narrative.

However these elements inexorably enrich the movie, showing the wider world, the context of Dillinger's existence and the changing nature of American crime and law enforcement during this period. Several viewings are essential to fully appreciate Public Enemies.

After the nonsensical, exhaustingly stupid Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and the humourless, characterless and forgettable Terminator Salvation, it's refreshing to see some grown-up mainstream filmmaking during the summer months. Public Enemies, as with The Dark Knight last year, shows you can have star-driven action films that also deliver an emotional and visceral punch during blockbuster season.


Last edited by Sarah on Tue 17 Nov 2009, 12:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Sarah
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Sarah


Posts : 1733
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Location : England

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PostSubject: Re: Public Enemies - Reviews & Discussion   Public Enemies - Reviews & Discussion EmptyTue 30 Jun 2009, 1:58 pm

I was fortunate enough to see this today because I work at Odeon and they put on a staff screening before the public release for free.

I have mixed feelings as well, mostly good though.
I absolutely loved this film, the actors and costume and settings were all brilliant, Marion really impressed me in her scene at the end and as I have never seen La Vie En Rose I didn't know what to expect, but I feel she deserves some sort of award. The last scene made me cry a bit, my eyes watered up. Johnny Depp was as amazing as I expected him to be, I'll be able to say more when people have seen it. I loved the action shoot-outs and, I can't say without spoiling... I'll just say, the clever bit... 'what's the score?' y'know. Ho hum... that was absolutely brilliant. I liked the scene in the cinema as well when he came up on the screen, but most people have seen that clip anyway. And he sings! That part made me laugh, there were some jokes in there that gave the movie more depth.

I felt the start of the movie was quite slow-moving and a bit nothingy, it jumped to a lot of the bank robbery scenes out of the blue and I wanted to know how it got from one scene to the other. Also sometimes the music was a bit overpowering and too dramatic, which worked a lot of the time but in some scenes, I felt it wasn't needed. Sometimes the music would go from bold to dreamy and romantic and it was the sudden change between these that made it weird. The middle and end of the film was a lot lot better than the start, it wasn't at all like I expected it to be. My friend commented that he didn't like the hand held camera which worked better nearer the end, and he also said he was bored at the start. Another of my work mates fell asleep halfway through and missed it when it got better. Everyone else I asked thought it was amazing, so it's mixed opinions depending on how you perceive the filming style. I wasn't bored at the start like Allan or Matt, I was interested to find out where it was going because it's shot unlike any film I've seen before. I also found it hard to distinguish between his gang, who was who, so that bit was confusing. I also wanted to see more of the romance between John and Billie because half of the time, it wasn't there and didn't allow me to get a real feel of their relationship.

It didn't help that 5 people called me through the movie... thank god my phone was on vibrate, not ringtone. Next time I'll turn it off. My driving instructor called me because I'd forgotten my lesson (EEK) just as the bedroom scene came on, so dayum! I have to go and see it again...


Overall, I'd give it 6 or 7/10, not his best film but brilliant acting and action scenes. It came across as quite an independent film... if you're into all the fast paced, modern movies, I don't think this would be your cup of tea, but if you're looking to get involved in the film and appreciate all aspects such as costume, set, acting... I recommend it.
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