Public Enemies

[Race Car Driver]

Who's picked it up?

Thinking about swinging by the good ol Best Buy after work to grab a copy.

[Bob]

You might want to rent this one first. I fell asleep at the theater about half way in.

[Chris D]

... so your sleeping body was blocking the doorway, Bob? Doesn't that violate fire code?

[Bob]

Good one Chris!!

[George Bellefontaine]

Geez, Bob, I just bought this earlier today...now I'm wondering if I'm gonna fall asleep, too.

Update here:
I watched this last night. It did have some slow moving parts during the first half but the second half certianly kept me awake. I really liked this film and am glad I bought it.

[audioqueso]

I didn't really like the movie. It was ok to watch. I watched in on the airplane, and then at home. I just figured with two big actors, I expected more. The story was just ok to me. Nothing thrilling to me.

[gross30]

I actually enjoyed this film. Picture and sound quality were excellent. A litle slow in the middle, but all around a good film.

[Ovation]

I just got around to watching this. Like all Mann films, visually pleasant and interesting. The deliberate pacing reminded me of 70s era films more than the hyper-paced films of today. A bit uneven but worth watching. I'll likely add it to my collection as I do with most historical feature films, but having seen it, I'm not in a rush to watch again soon, so I'll wait for a used copy or a sale.

[David Meek]

What do you all think? Pacing and feel similar to Road To Perdition? I haven't seen it yet, just curiosity on my part.

[George Bellefontaine]

What do you all think? Pacing and feel similar to Road To Perdition? I haven't seen it yet, just curiosity on my part.

Somewhat, Tex. Anytime a film actor digs deep into a character's persona, you have to expect things to move slowly. Depp does it here in Public Enemies as did Hanks in Road To Perdition. I like that type of film so I expect to replay PE several times in the coming months.

[Chris D]

Just watched this, and really enjoyed it. I'm wondering how accurate all of it was. Some of the extra material talks about how Bale and Depp did so much research for their parts, and Michael Mann actually filmed many scenes in their actual real locations that things happened, like the prison breaks.

Yes, some of it was uneven. FANTASTIC A/P quality in many scenes, but yet sub-par in others. I was fascinated by a lot of the events, that it really happened, and I think Mann does a great job of capturing the reality of those events. I was also fascinated by the costumes of everyone. SO much style from that period, and great music, too. I absolutely loved the men's suits and hats.

Overall, very enjoyable, and I might buy it.

[David Meek]

We finally watched this last night from our HD DVR. I think it's a keeper (with reservations) and ordered it today. A couple things that stood out for me were that the sets/costumes/autos/weaponry were all first rate and the overall detail and authenticity made it feel like you were there in 1933-34. Johnny Depp was impressive as John Dillinger, but unfortunately it was the only role that had any depth to it. Once past Dillinger, the lack of depth in all of the other characters including Christian Bale's Melvin Purvis left me feeling like I was seeing them through a pane of glass. I look at this as a character-driven film so the lack of development in everyone else was something of a let down. The slower, steady pace wasn't a distraction and it did have plenty of action rolled into things when the story called for it.

Accuracy-wise one thing I have to wonder about is: did John Dillinger, on a lark, on the day of his death, actually walk into, and out of, FBI headquarters in Chicago and while inside, stroll into the department working specifically on capturing him??? It would fit in with his devil-may-care, don't-worry-about-tomorrow outlook on life, but man, that's just cheeky!

Overall I enjoyed this film, and well enough to purchase it. Yes it could have been better, but IMO it still rates a :35: out of :5:

[Ovation]

The answer to your spoilered question is "Yes".

[Chris D]

Really? Wow.