Public Enemies - Two Thumbs Down

I saw "Public Enemies", starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger and Christian Bale as G-man Melvin Purvis, in the delightful company of Just One College-Age Daughter and some friends.

The movie,which is set in the Great Depression and follows the hunt for John Dillinger, has a pleasant musical score and some eye-catching sets (The young ladies in our group found Johny Depp to be the most eye-catching bit of scenery).  However, the movie ws plotless, pointless, dragy, and devoid of characters or characterization.

Why did Dillinger rob banks?  Who knows?  He never quite says "Because that is where the money is", but he does helpfully mention that he doesn't like kidnappings.  Why not?  He doesn't say.

Melvin Purvis is relentless in his pursuit of Dillinger and some other baddies, such as Baby Face Nelson.  What drives this avenger?  Who knows?  The bulk of the show is pointless, tedious dialogue interspersed with pointless, tedious small arms battles.

The movie is not utterly without its diversions.  Somewhat early on, as Depp woos his future flame (played by Marion Cotillard, who was a bright spot), our Romeo assures her that life is not about where you are from, its about where you are going.  Ten minutes later, in an attempt to assure her of his fidelity and commitment, Depp is assuring Ms. Cotillard that he isn't going anywhere.  I managed to while away the next fifteen minutes waiting for Depp to inform us that life is about going backwards (Maybe he was an Eerily Prescient Mets fan).

When that amusement faltered I switched to a new pastime, titled "If He Dies Before I Wake" - I would pick out a character and mentally bet on whether he would be killed before I dozed off; as a bonus, I would speculate on whether he would be alive when I woke up again (Baby Face Nelson was gunned down while I slept like a baby, but I roused myself for Johnny's big finish.)

The movie does have some desultory, spiritless Bush-bashing for those who need that sort of thing - the Federal agents engage in warrantless wiretapping and enhanced interrogation, surprising those who thought Dick Cheney invented such practices.  Incredibly, both the wiretapping and the enhanced interrogations produce useful intelligence - well, that was during the Earlier Depression, but could never happen today.

Eventually all good things come to an end.  John Dillinger was gunned down outside a movie theater, which would have been viewed as a mercy killing if he had been watching this film.  Put this one on your "Must Miss, Don't Rent, Hijack Plane If Shown As Inflight Movie" list. 

Comments

[Captain Hate]

See 500 Days of Summer instead. Or read a book; to hell with Hollywood.

[Thomas Collins]

TM, although your review doesn't move me to see this movie at the theater, I am going to rent the DVD. I always thought no movie could be worse than California Split. Now I'm intrigued by the possibility that this one is worse, and I am going to see (and perhaps suffer) for myself.

[Thomas Collins]

This seems to be the review thread, so I am going to do a short "comment on a blog post" review. Go to http://nicoleinalaska.wordpress.com, and scroll down to the third comment on the Midseason Reflections post (it is currently the top post, but of course may be dislodged from that perch at some point). You will be that our own daddy has penned (I guess now the appropriate term would be "pixelled") a fascinating comment that summarizes the recent history of caribou and reindeer in Alaska. Don't think the history of caribou and reindeer in Alaska can be made interesting? Go see!

[Thomas Collins]

Whoops! Replace "be" with "see" eight lines up from the bottom of my preceding comment.

[sbw]

An octogenarian, reading the book, explained to me that many Americans of the 1930s considered Dillinger to be quite Robin Hoodish. He was followed as entertainment, not a a villain. He was robbing banks that were not well thought of considering the recent stock market crash, foreclosing on homeowners and calling loans on businesses. Of course they didn't consider the bank's money to be their money.

Same disconnect as today.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

So, I'm guessing that you didn't like it much?

[Jerry]

Is there nowhere I can go to forget about the Mets? Nowhere?!?

[BumperStickerist]

Thanks TM,

I was half-thinking of going, mostly to see if Christian Bale can out-act a cedar plank.

My kids are in that still-wranglable age during which I, as The Lord Thy Dad, get to direct their movie habits somewhat. And I've got an old-timey theater nearby.

So far we've been to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (w/Gene Wilder) on the big screen, a couple of big-screen National Geographic films, Mary Poppins, E.T.

I'm dragging them out next month to see "The Right Stuff" and, possibly, RAN, because "King Lear" with blood, samurai, and subtitles is a sneaky way to expose them to King Lear.

-

[Captain Hate]

Don't think the history of caribou and reindeer in Alaska can be made interesting? Go see!

I can believe it; there are lots of interesting documentaries that get made and overlooked. Adding to the problem is how ignorant goofs like Michael Moore and Al Bore demean the genre with their swill. "Hoop Dreams" is an obvious example (helped a great deal by Siskel and Ebert championing it) but another good one that attained a tiny level of box-office stature was "Brother's Keeper".

[MayBee]

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (w/Gene Wilder)

Still good every time you see it.

[Thomas Collins]

Captain Hate, I would definitely go to a documentary on reindeer and caribou if daddy had written the script and narrates it. Of course, I doubt he would have the time to do it, given his flights around the globe.

[Jazzbeaux Beiderbecke]

I resent the banal formulations of amateur movie critics. It's like having to listen to pretenders at a Kansas wine tasting.

[George Bailey]

I like smart alecks. The dumber the better. So I'm happy to be here.

Too, I love Republican contributions to movies. I guess Mr. Potter was my favorite.

[docweasel]

Actually, he does reveal why he doesn't like kidnapping: the public doesn't like it, and it's bad publicity, and he relies public support to stay a step ahead of the law.

The movie is readily available on torrents for those who don't care to sit through it in the theater or enrich the greedy movie companies.

[MayBee]

enrich the greedy movie companies.

Hey now.
Let's remember to pay people for the work they do.

[Philo Vance]

I liked one thing about this otherwise pretentious 'review,' the writer's approval of the F-B-I's slapping around Dillinger's moll. They beat her up but not nearly enough because she still wouldn't talk.
It really happened in 1934---on Hoover's orders.
He may have been a Republican pantywaist in real life (mainly whenever he got alone with Clyde Tolson), but he showed the country how tainted doves ought to be treated.
I'm the same way.
If they get out of line, hit 'em hard and often, show 'em who's boss.

[Jane]

TC,

Nicole's blog (and Daddy's comment) are a great read. Thanks.

[daddy]

TC,

Thanks for the kind words about my Reindeer comment.

As for Dillinger: Back as a kid when we were stationed in Leavenworth, Kansas, my brother (he of the Prom night skunk spray) had a best friend, who's Dad back in the early 30"s (?) had worked at Leavenworth Federal Penn. He was a very nice old guy and I remember him telling me that Dillinger was very much a Robin Hood kind of figure at the time, and that it was cool to sort of walk around town swaggering with a young kids swagger about how he and John Dillinger were on speaking terms, etc. Don't have any particular story's I can remember, but the overall impression of the coolness of old Mister Duffin in this young kid's opinion was "Wow!".

[caro]

TC I would tell Nicole to go camping in the Brooks Range. A great experience. I also enjoyed her blog a lot, and the reindeer story.

[syn]

In 2004 I left NYC theater profession behind because none ever challenged the collective; BORING.

For as long as Americans continue showing up to see the collective eye-candy crap then the entertainment market will NEVER produce quality.

Keep buying entertainment's crap and you will face a load of crap in return.

The best and last movie I saw in the last twenty years was "The Lives of Others" made in East Germany.