The Public

The Public details the chaos that ensues after dozens of homeless men (led by Michael K. Williams’ Jackson) stage a protest within the walls of a downtown library branch, with the narrative detailing the impact this decision has on a variety of figures – including library employee Stuart (Emilio Estevez), police negotiator Ramstead (Alec Baldwin), and ambitious reporter Rebecca (Gabrielle Union). Writer/director Estevez delivers an awkwardly-paced and disappointingly half-baked narrative that consistently holds the viewer at arms length, with the less-than-gripping atmosphere compounded by Estevez’s ongoing emphasis on elements of a decidedly less-than-engrossing variety (ie a ludicrous, unnecessary romantic subplot, an eye-rollingly broad villain, etc, etc). It’s clear that nuance is the last thing on Estevez’s mind here, as The Public is rife with heavy-handed, subtle-as-a-heart-attack type elements designed to perpetuate his agenda – with the progressively uninvolving atmosphere ensuring that the picture is scarcely able to make the impact that Estevez is obviously shooting for. It’s a shame, really, given that the filmmaker has assembled an impressive, talented cast of performances, although virtually all of the movie’s actors have been shoehorned into one-dimensional, one-note mouthpieces (with the only real exception to this Baldwin’s surprisingly layered turn as a conflicted cop). By the time the earnest yet extraordinarily silly climax rolls around, The Public has certainly confirmed its place as a thoroughly wrongheaded endeavor that’s more of a didactic slog than anything else.

*1/2 out of ****