Review of Public Enemies (2009) by Danielj. — 04 Jul 2009

Wow. Really mixed feelings on this film. I'm a huge fan of Michael Mann and his movies are kind of events for me but that can also be frustrating because his work is all over the place. He's been in a period of extremely strong visual stylization that is almost its own art form - Miami Vice and Collateral would almost work better with the sound off.

I prefer when he is just being a really good storyteller, though, i.e. Heat, Ali and The Insider. The biggest problem with Public Enemies for me was that it is shot in a really ugly digital format. I know that Mann probably thought it would lend immediacy and reality to the story - which it does in some ways - but it's also distracting.

The association in our minds of hi-def to reality is a modern, technological connection that we get from watching documentaries shot on a budget. That effect can be simulated in a modern setting more smoothly for this reason, for instance in 28 Days Later.

Here, used on a 1930s historical drama, it stands out like a sore thumb. I was never really able to get lost in the film. There are other problems, particularly the muffled audio that makes Mann's already pithy scrip even harder to follow and the script itself, which is somewhat vanilla.

Depp is sweet. Bale is Bale - one note, complete intensity at all times. The smaller parts are played by great actors who sometimes come to life more than the leads. But there is a blunt energy to the movie that is affecting and kind of addicting.

I've been thinking about the movie all day since seeing it last night. I think it has soul. I would like to see it again. I really hope that Mann goes back to film, or to another format that is equally beautiful.

But I'm also glad he's working as much as he has in the past 10 years.