If you are like me, and have fond memories of Johnny Depp’s spellbinding performance in Edward Scissorhands or Chrstian Bale’s masterful work in American Psycho, then you will love Public Enemies—well actually you will love about three minutes of it. The three minutes of screentime that Bale and Depp share are brilliant, but sadly they cannot save the remaining two hours and 17 minutes of this clunky misfire of a film.
The first hour and a half of the movie is a poorly-edited series of events that aren’t particularly well-linked. There was just enough of each vignette to leave you wondering what was going on, before the film whisked you off to yet another seemingly-unrelated scene. I’m not sure whether to blame the poor pacing on the writing or the directing, or both, but the first two-thirds of the movie is awkward and unwieldy.
The last half hour of the film finally picks up its stride as it builds to the climactic scene. Here, director Michael Mann seems to finally exercise good judgment, moving through the story at exactly the right speed, telling the audience just the right amount of information about what is happening, and letting the actors shine. Unfortunately, you are left wondering if it was worth the bumpy road that you had to drive on to get to this destination.
Much has been said about Marion Cotillard’s appearance in the film as Billie Frechette. While she physically fits the part, her trite portrayal of the faithful lover leaves a lot to be desired. She does not show any complexity or depth of character; instead she portrays a comic-book like damsel in distress with no will of her own. Her accent was also quite distracting. I find it difficult to believe that a young woman who grew up in Wisconsin would speak with a rhotic “R”.
A highlight of the film was Billy Crudup’s eerie portrayal of a youthful J. Edgar Hoover. He gets just the right blend of PR showman, megalomaniac, and creepy uncle.
Visually, the film was well constructed. The lighting cast a sepia haze on the action that was very 1934-appropriate and the slight jerkiness of the action sequences brought them to life.
Unfortunately, mechanics of the filmmaking and the brilliance of the two stars could not compensate for the poor script and even worse storytelling.
I understand, you will probably go to this movie, and Depp will probably get a Best Actor nomination for his performance, but don’t rush to see this film…you’re not missing much.
