‘Public Enemies’

Release Date: 7/1

Rated: R

Runtime: 140 min.

Directed by: Michael Mann

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard

Rating: A-

If you are expecting ‘Scarface,’ stay home.

If you are expecting ‘Goodfellas,’ stay home.

If you are going into ‘Public Enemies’ anticipating any semblance of a ‘gangster’ flick you have seen before, it will be a bummer of an evening.

Sure, there are gunfights and suspense throughout the film’s two-plus hours, but Michael Mann’s latest is about its characters and the atmosphere he has created.

The film focuses on notorious bank robber John Dillinger, who spent the Depression-era robbing banks in ‘one minute, forty seconds … flat.’

Johnny Depp plays Dillinger and Christian Bale takes the role of Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent assigned to take down Dillinger.

The film chronicles a year and a half in the criminal’s life as he is in and out of banks’ vaults and jail cells frequently.

During this time, Dillinger meets Billie Frechette, marvelously played by Marion Cotillard.

The French actress made a name for herself stateside with her performance in 2007’s ‘La Vie en rose’ which nabbed her a Best Actress Oscar.

Her turn here as Dillinger’s love interest should give her a great shot at a second Oscar.

Cotillard does not get a whole lot of screen time but when she does, she dominates the film. She does not take over scenes, but rather envelops them with an inner drive and focus.

Depp also does his best work in years as Dillinger. It is wonderful to see him not acting in a project with Disney or Tim Burton’s name attached. No over-the-top scene grabbing in this film for Depp. He gives the criminal human qualities while also showing a yearning for acceptance, which he grabs from the love the public adorns him with.

The film was shot in gorgeous HD digital, giving it a look that is simultaneously dated and modern. The locations and set pieces all have the markings of 1930s America, but the way the colors pop and fade make the film’s presentation more than just that of a period piece.

Michael Mann has come roaring back after a lackluster decade (well lackluster compared to his 90s output, ‘Collateral’ is still pretty great) with his greatest film since 1999’s ‘The Insider.’

His latest might not be what people come in expecting from the trailers, but after sitting through the film’s intriguing and stimulating runtime, there should be no one left unfulfilled with their movie-going experience.

‘Public Enemies’ is not the average summer shoot ’em up blockbluster.

With ace directing, cinematography, and acting (with the exception of Bale) it is so much more than that.

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