Masand's movie review: Public Enemies

Masand's movie review: Public Enemies

Cast: Johnny Depp, Billy Crudup

Director: Michael Mann

Public Enemies directed by Michael Mann is a sprawling period piece, a crime drama set in the 30s-era of gangsters and lawmen, and it stars Johnny Depp as Robin Hood-style legendary bank robber John Dillinger.

The film blends a lot of fact and a bit of fantasy to tell the story of Dillinger who robbed the rich and occasionally gave to the poor, eventually emerging as a larger-than-life folk hero whom the feds swung into action to capture.

The filmmaker shoots Dillinger as a cocky fugitive who enjoys outwitting the law and is practically impervious to capture.

Much like our Hindi movie heroes, he manages to escape even when outnumbered, he dodges a flurry of bullets, and brazenly taunts the feds by hiding in plain sight.

Billy Crudup stars as the young J Edgar Hoover, then the head of the fledgling FBI, and Christian Bale plays Melvin Purvis, the agent in charge of bringing Dillinger to justice.

If the film had focused on these three men and the battle of wits between them, there might have been room to develop them as characters, but director Michael Mann crams the film with numerous side players who appear just long enough to be blown up by the cops.