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Public Enemies Remarkably Average Public Enemies opens July 1
Rated: R By Abby Brennan St. Thomas Aquinas Important: This article was last updated on July 1, 2009. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
Who wants to see Batman fight Capt. Jack Sparrow? Unfortunately, that epic battle has yet to be committed to celluloid. But Public Enemies might be the next best thing. Johnny Depp plays John Dillinger, a bad boy bank robber with good lines, a heart of gold and a complete disinterest in the future, an archetype familiar to anyone who’s seen enough Depp movies. Christian Bale’s Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent pursuing Dillinger, channels Batman's detective skills and determination to defeat crime, although he’s swapped ludicrous martial art skills for ludicrous Tommy-gun skills. Most of the minor characters meld together into an indistinguishable mass of "bank robber #12" and "FBI agent #5." It’s hard to care when somebody dies if you can’t remember who they are. Period music and care with the set design create the illusion that the movie actually took place in the 1930s. A romance with Marion Cotillard (A Good Year) humanizes Dillinger, hits the required notes of humor and pathos, and doesn’t distract from the most important part of the movie — bank robberies and shootouts. The dialogue sometimes crackles, especially between Dillinger and Purvis, but often descends into cliché. Public Enemies has its moments of interest. Overall, though, it’s something we’ve seen before. |
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