Public Enemies

Public Enemies marks the latest in an increasingly long line of disappointments from filmmaker Michael Mann, with the less-than-engrossing storyline exacerbated by the director’s continued obsession with digital cinematography. It’s consequently not surprising to note that the movie is rarely as compelling as Mann clearly wants it to be, which is a shame, certainly, given the strength of star Johnny Depp’s performance and the presence of an admittedly electrifying climax. The film – which chronicles the last few years of Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger’s (Depp) exploits – has been infused with a frustratingly episodic structure that results in a disastrous lack of momentum, with the ensuing plethora of overlong and entirely needless interludes ultimately preventing Public Enemies from sustaining the viewer’s interest for more than a few minutes at a time. There’s little doubt, however, that the movie’s most egregious failing lies in its laughably low-rent visuals, as Mann’s head-scratching use of bottom-of-the-barrel HD cameras ensures that each and every shot looks as though it were filmed in somebody’s backyard. Public Enemies‘ shot-on-the-cheap appearance effectively holds the viewer at arm’s length from the narrative virtually from start to finish and drains any trace of suspense and excitement from the movie’s myriad of shootouts, although – to be fair – it’s hard to deny the effectiveness of the surprisingly suspenseful stretch that closes the proceedings. The almost unbearably glossy atmosphere effectively nullifies the efforts of a uniformly strong cast, with Depp’s irresistibly charming performance the one bright spot within an otherwise irrelevant piece of work.

** out of ****