"Good, but not great" is what best describes Public Enemies. However, the fact that it does have great pieces in place (great acting, action and camera work) and still doesn't manage to live up to its potential is mindboggling.

Bank robbing was an art form to the outlaws of the Great Depression. Crooks like Baby Face Nelson and Bonnie and Clyde took pride in being able to rob banks in broad daylight, while outsmarting the toughest smartest officers of the law. Michael Mann's Public Enemies follows John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) as he terrorized banks for 13 months while making the fledgling FBI look foolish in the process.

FBI director J. Edgar Hoover orders agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to lead a manhunt for Dillinger, who is known as "Public Enemy #1." The movie provides great action in the form of jailbreaks and shootouts as Dillinger and his gang strive to stay one step ahead of the law. The loud chatter of the tommy guns, as bullets spray all over the landscape, is intense enough to keep you drawn into every confrontation.

Johnny Depp's natural charisma brings Dillinger to life as a calm, confident man who is fiercely loyal to his friends. In contrast, Purvis is a man of few words and he's only concerned with getting the job done. Director Michael Mann uses extreme close-ups to capture the subtle emotions of these characters. Separately they're great, but together as a "good guy vs. bad guy" storyline, Dillinger and Purvis lack the intensity needed for a crime drama. Mann never gives us a reason to root for either side.

On one hand, Public Enemies is fulfilling; technically, I thought it was a visual treat, from the editing to the use of handheld cameras (it was also shot in HD instead of standard film). On the other hand, the story lacked the elements necessary to take it to the next level.

The problem is, when it comes down to it, it's nothing more than a movie about a guy who robs banks. There's not much else to it because Mann chose to focus more on what Dillinger did than who he actually was.

There's no attempts to delve into his psyche, and we learn as much about him as we do the various face that float in and out of the picture like Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham), crime boss Frank Nitti (Bill Camp) and "Pretty Boy" Floyd (Channing Tatum). A lot of information goes unsaid, and in the end, Public Enemies never digs beneath the surface of its pretty exterior.

It's not a bad movie by any means, but it's not completely satisfying either.

Sign up for our Weekly Email Newsletter Email: For Email Marketing you can trust

Other Ways to Share Twitter Del.icio.us MySpace

Discussions and Submission Agreement