John Dillinger and his gang of bank robbers are the public enemies in this
1930s cops-and-robbers thriller, and Johnny Depp doesn't even have to change
his initials to fit the role, which he adopts with his usual expertise.
What you expect is what you get, and relentless pursuit of Public Enemy
No.1, by Ness-type Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) brings the inevitable
conclusion.
Still, it's fun while it lasts, as the poverty of the Great Depression
tends to breed those not content to suffer it out, ie. gangsters, who, while
perhaps giving the public what it wants - booze, broads, betting -
unfortunately, in the process, revert to Law of the Jungle. But, better to
legalise it all, and satisfy the consumer in regulated, honest, and
civilised manner.
The cops can be as ruthless, brutal, and corrupt, as any gang of crooks,
and this movie spares no one on that score.
Dillinger's girl is Billie (Evelyn?) Frechette (Marion Cotillard) who
sticks by her man, even if dubious as to their future together.
But Dillinger tends to live for the day, and reckons he can outsmart J
Edgar Hoover and the Feds, as they close in on him. Frank Nitti and the Mob
think they can survive by going semi-legit, but new nation-wide laws dispel
that illusion.
An interesting film, with plenty of action, so much so that we don't
really get to know much about the other participants, except in cursory
fashion.
Those who live by the gun tend to die that way, and once a dog has a bad
name you might as well hang him. Redistribution of wealth needs some other
way of achievement than by bank robbery.
Movies