Public Enemies (2009)

Mann draws a sprawling cast together with a myriad of period details that give an authentic sheen, without letting the audience get confused in the sea of historic information.

Sensational and turbulent, the relationship between John Dillinger and Melvin Purvis sold newspapers and attracted newsreel audiences. It was good for business.

In this era where we all hate banks (as Mojo Nixon once sang) does Hollywood really want to put out a film that glorifies bank robbers? Obviously yes.

Though faithful to Bryan Burrough's painstakingly researched book, Michael Mann's 'Public Enemies' offers more an abstract impression of Dillinger than a fully satisfying portrait.

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Some sloppy storytelling prevents Public Enemies from reaching greatness anyway, but what hampers the movie is Mann's decision to shoot in high definition video. The movie just looks cheap.

A strangely distant, quasi-demythification of the tale of John Dillinger that keeps threatening to turn into a truly fine movie without ever quite pulling it off.

Public Enemies wears it well.

Johnny Depp does his best but the script gives him no possible way to present a fully fleshed out character

Public Enemies traffics in the accumulation of detail at the expense of a big picture.