Director: Michael MannStarring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard
Genre: Crime/Drama
Points: 50 out of 100
Rating: Teen
Comment: "What could have been a dry, tasteless movie is rescued by performances from the lead actors..."
Sometimes due having too much hype, or more significantly, too much expectation can really spoil the movie experience. Public Enemies is one such example. Michael Mann rarely disappoints, and the same can be said of Johnny Depp. However, FPBM! would have to say that this film is just as dry and tasteless as Michael Mann's previous film, Miami Vice [2006].
The film pretty much counts on the charisma of the two lead actors; Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard. However, since the production team opt to stick as close to facts as possible, combine that with the pace of the film, they had rendered the actors' talents to being underused. Especially Christian Bale who seems to be doing a really bad impression of George W. Bush.
Another weak point of the film is that it rely too much on the viewer's knowledge of the background of the film. Now, FPBM! is not saying that they should be spoon-feed us on whatever is going on in the film. But one can't really get what Public Enemies is trying to sell. Are they trying to make Dillinger into some kind of a modern-day Robin Hood? If that is so, it hardly shows on screen.
A good thing however, reliable sources confirmed that this movie remains faithful to history, and the story is told in such a way that you do not really feel like you are simply watching a stylish documentary.
As far as character interaction goes, the only one enjoyable are the scenes involving Johnny Depp and French actress Marion Cotillard. No offense to Christian Bale (who is a charismatic actor in his own right), but this movie could seriously do without him.
Points Calculation
The Good [+100]
- Johnny Depp, baby!
The Bad [-50]
- Slow pace
100 - 50 = 50 points
The film pretty much counts on the charisma of the two lead actors; Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard. However, since the production team opt to stick as close to facts as possible, combine that with the pace of the film, they had rendered the actors' talents to being underused. Especially Christian Bale who seems to be doing a really bad impression of George W. Bush.
Another weak point of the film is that it rely too much on the viewer's knowledge of the background of the film. Now, FPBM! is not saying that they should be spoon-feed us on whatever is going on in the film. But one can't really get what Public Enemies is trying to sell. Are they trying to make Dillinger into some kind of a modern-day Robin Hood? If that is so, it hardly shows on screen.
A good thing however, reliable sources confirmed that this movie remains faithful to history, and the story is told in such a way that you do not really feel like you are simply watching a stylish documentary.
As far as character interaction goes, the only one enjoyable are the scenes involving Johnny Depp and French actress Marion Cotillard. No offense to Christian Bale (who is a charismatic actor in his own right), but this movie could seriously do without him.
Points Calculation
The Good [+100]
- Johnny Depp, baby!
The Bad [-50]
- Slow pace
100 - 50 = 50 points
