Public Enemies (2009)

I went into this movie a little bit worried. My past experiences with Michael Mann have not been that spectacular. I fell asleep during Collateral and Heat, two of his most widely-regarded movies that really promote his auteurism. They were cold to me. I never really got involved emotionally. Detached killers fighting detached heroes. It all felt like business. I need to see both of them again before I can really endorse my distaste.

But Public Enemies kept me awake in an interesting way. Once again, I was not really emotionally connected to any of the characters, but I don't think any of them wanted my emotions. Once again, the movie feels like business. John Dillinger and his men are bank robbers, yes, but they are also very diplomatic about it. They (the good ones, at least) have principles that dictate their job. There is a hierarchy amongst the men. Dillinger is clearly the CEO of his little corporation. It's fascinating to watch them communicate and work.

And not just his men. This movie made me want to be a cop. I found Melvin Purvis as an extremely interesting character, totally committed to a blind ambition of serving Hoover and his dreams of establishing a federal police system. Purvis and Dillinger certainly serve as foils for each other; they are dedicated to their jobs. They love their jobs. They would die for their jobs.

But the movie is not about their battle against each other. It is, but Mann seems more interested in the grand scheme of things going on in the 1930's after the Depression. This is a period piece like no other. Using HD technology, Mann creates a historical America that feels extremely contemporary. The film has a documentary-grittiness to it. Rarely does the camera try and establish beautiful planned shots of the city; instead, we huddle in with these men in their cramped hotel quarters or claustrophobic FBI offices. This is one of the first movies where the gunfire felt absolutely real. The sound of the tommy gun firing in the streets is, like it should be, chaotically deafening. And the gunfire is messy. It's not pretty and dramatic when these men get shot. Watch Babyface Nelson continue to roll and fire as he is taken down in a dark forest. Watch the time Purvis takes to guarantee a hit on Pretty Boy Floyd. These gunfights did not bore me like most do. I sat up in my chair because I felt that this is what they really must be like. Chaotic, sloppy, terrifying.

My one problem with the movie was its failure to undergo this documentarian format all the way. Whenever Mann used non-diegetic music to convey emotion, it took away from the verisimilitude of the story. This includes the ending, which fell flat for me. This is not a movie of drama. The reality of it, the fact that it actually happened, makes it fascinating.


I'm still distraught as to why Melvin Purvis ended up killing himself. Will have to look that up or read the book.