Public Enemies (2009)

I don't really care about historical films (usually). But a film with Christian Bale and Johnny Depp I just had to check out.


Title: Public Enemies

Adaptation of the Book: Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34

Book By: Bryan Burrough

Director: Michael Mann

Starring: Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, and James Russo

Rated: R

Released: 2009

Rating: 4/5

Oscars: 0

Basic Plot: John Dillinger robs banks and attempts to evade the police.

Historical Accuracy
I am not big into bank robbers and hadn't heard about John Dillinger until this film came out. Whether or not this film is historically accurate, it is a very entertaining film. While it is good for a historical film to be correct I have since given up faith for them to be historically accurate. Indeed I found some inaccuracies (on imdb) that made the film flow better.

That Woman From Inception
Marion Cotillard is in this movie as Dillinger's love interest. I first remember seeing her in Inception (2010). In this movie her looks are similar to those she had in Inception. How do I feel about her being the love interest? She plays it very well and I enjoyed her in this film.

John Dillinger's Death
I love this scene. This scene really starts when he's in the movie theater and you see Dillinger's reaction to the film he is watching. To me he seemed to draw connections between the film within a film to what his life is like. The slow-mo during his actual death adds to the dark feel of the film. A very good death scene and mostly true to life.

Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a good movie this is the one. It has action, car chases, romance, and has some historical merits to it. I like Christian Bale and Johnny Depp (though I never found the sexual appeal of Depp) so I enjoyed them in the film.