Friday, Jul. 03, 2009

'Public Enemies:' Cinematic brilliance

Steeped in meticulous period detail, the ambitious "Public Enemies" is a welcome throwback to old-fashioned moviemaking. Yet, there is a distinctive contemporary twist -- director Michael Mann opted for high-definition video instead of film.

Without CGI effects, cheap thrills or the annoying fast-chop editing employed by so many summer tentpole movies, this is the anti-blockbuster big movie for adults.

Those used to shock-and-awe action spectacles are going to be flummoxed by this deliberately paced, classic confrontation between determined lawmen and devil-may-care outlaws. Featuring a luxe look and a poetic touch, "Public Enemies" transports you into a world of crisp fedoras, polished brass and pertinent newsreels flickering in the cool confines of an ornate movie theatre.

Sophisticated and smart, the complex story weaves three developments together, focusing on John Dillinger's rise as Public Enemy Number One, which coincides with the birth of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and also raises the ire of Chicago's big bad boys. The organized crime syndicate's fledgling gambling operations were becoming preferred over small-time hustlers and lone stars like Dillinger.

While sticking it to The Man by robbing banks, which the public blamed for plunging them into the Great Depression, Dillinger became a folk hero of sorts.

The movie covers the 14-month period from 1933, when Dillinger was paroled after nine years in an Indiana penitentiary, to July 22, 1934, when he was gunned down outside the Biograph Theatre at age 31.

We don't get a back story, but there is a romance between Johnny Dangerous and Billie Frechette, a beautiful coat-check girl played with panache by Marion Cotillard (Oscar winner for "La Vie en Rose.") For a time, he's living large and is nearly untouchable, flaunting that he's smarter than the Feds.

As the anti-hero centerpiece, Johnny Depp exudes the coolness we expect, as well as a quiet confidence. His mature look suits him well. He opts for subtlety over theatrics. His dapper Dillinger is both charming and ruthless.

This paradox is evident throughout the film, which is not flawless. Mann's vision is challenging, but it's such a nifty change-of-pace from the dumbed-down summer fluff that I forgave its shortcomings. He refuses to romanticize the hoodlums in typical Hollywood fashion, so it's a different viewpoint, harder to digest.

Christian Bale's performance as Melvin Purvis, the special agent with an unflinching steely resolve to trap Dillinger, never rises above methodical, so we miss out on a thrilling cat-and-mouse tango.

Most frustrating is that the supporting characters are short-changed, as well as interchangeable -- we need a scorecard to keep the cops and robbers straight. We should care more about these doomed cohorts and the G-men who die in the line of duty. For instance, Stephen Graham barely registers as Baby Face Nelson, and Channing Tatum's demise as Pretty Boy Floyd occurs very early. Who are these guys?

Faring well is Billy Crudup as showboatin' J. Edgar Hoover, hinting at the weirdness we'd learn about decades later, as he built up the FBI.

Mann effectively builds suspense, and the climax at the "Manhattan Melodrama" movie screening is one of the year's best. With its blaze of machine-gun fire, the lodge shoot-out in Little Bohemia, Wis., is also a thriller.

"Public Enemies" falls short of being an epic, but my expectations were so high it was hard to meet them.

It's a rich slice of Americana, defining an era with flashes of cinematic brilliance.

3 1/2 stars

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Jason Clarke, Stephen Dorff, Stephen Lang, Rory Cochrane, Giovanni Ribisi.

Director: Michael Mann

Rating: R for gangster violence and some language

Length: 2:10

Should You Go?: Dapper Depp + Tommy guns = mesmerizing