Public Enemies

I was trying to write reviews of "Moon" and "Bruno" tonight as well but my interwubbzy was having some issues. At least I got my review for "Public Enemies" finished. Let the complaining begin!

Public Enemies - Michael Mann is responsible for one of the finest crime films (or any kind of film) ever made, 1995's "Heat." He also churned out one of this decades biggest misfires, 2006's "Miami Vice." Going into "Public Enemies" it was anyone's guess as to which Mann would show up. The answer is a director somewhere in the middle.
"Public Enemies" follows John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) through the final year of his life. Just out of prison, Dillinger is infamous, but loved by the public. And he can't wait to get back to doing what he does best: robbing banks.
No one seems able to stop Dillinger and having the Chicago police force in his pocket only makes things that much easier. Only J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup, sounding like Rex Banner) has any real aspirations of catching Dillinger. For Hoover, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) is the man for the job.
As a portrait of the battle of wills and wits between Dillinger and Purvis, "Public Enemies" misses the mark. This is due mainly to leaving Purvis largely undeveloped as a character. We never really understand just what it is that's driving him. Imagine if "The Fugitive" had left Tommy Lee Jones as a virtually blank slate. Perhaps this was intentional on Mann's part, as he seems to want us to sympathize with Dillinger as though he was some sort of misguided folk hero. Mann wants us to let him off the hook. It's possible to have a three-dimensional portrayal of an infamous historical figure without trying to make the audience like them (see "The Assassination of Jesse James").
As Dillinger, Depp does a fine job but it is nothing earth shattering. It's not going to make me forget "Ed Wood" anytime soon. The underdevelopment of Purvis makes Bale's performance unmemorable, but Marion Cotillard does a wonderful job as Dillinger's girl, Billie Frechette. There are some really terrific supporting performances along the way, namely Stephen Graham as "Baby-Face" Nelson and Stephen Lang as experienced G-Man Charles Winstead.
Finally, there is the look of the movie. Shot on digital, "Public Enemies" is an affront to anyone with eyes. It's often so murky that it feels like trying to watch a movie caked in mud. After the visual disaster that was "Miami Vice" Mann should have learned his lesson. He either needs to go back to shooting on film or he should give David Fincher a call and ask him what he did to make "Zodiac" look so incredible (another film shot on digital). It's just unacceptable from a director of Mann's stature working with big budget. 5.5/10.