Collegiate Times

Ever go into a movie expecting one thing and the movie you watch is completely different? "Public Enemies" is that kind of movie.

The film is advertised as a gangster film with action and romance based on the real life of John Dillinger, played by Johnny Depp.

The actual movie is more of a drama with elements of action and romance that use a broad outline of Dillinger's life as a reference.

 The film tries to be several things at once and it doesn't fully work. The movie attempts to blend drama, action and historical events into one film, but each of these elements gets in the way of the other.

The action cuts into the drama, making the movie feel emotionally shallow. It focuses on unfolding plot to get to bank heists and jailbreaks which cut into the character development of John Dillinger and his interactions with his girlfriend and friends around him.

The action also cuts into the historical aspects of Dillinger's life by oversimplifying the story.

Events that took place in his life are mashed together for a quicker, more direct sequence of events for the sake of the movie. Even with this simplification, the movie still runs for a long two hours.

The movie never claims to be historically accurate, but an attempt would have been nice. Several historical facts like breaking out of jail twice are treated as bones for the movie to be constructed on.

These flaws wouldn't be nearly so bad if there were bountiful amounts of action, but there truly isn't. The gunfights are fairly brief and leave room for long periods of downtime.

The way the movie was filmed is interesting, as parts of the film feel like a high-quality home video rather than a big budget Hollywood film.

This gives the film a slight documentary feel, but no jumpy camera movements like "Cloverfield."  The filming technique used makes viewers feel more like they are in the middle of a 1930s gunfight as well.

A lot of work was also done to keep the time period historically accurate. Cars, weapons, environment and clothing were all kept in accordance with the mid-1930s time period.

The clothing might have been historically accurate, but my problem with the attire was that everyone seemed dressed for a photo shoot. All of the FBI agents resemble models for 1930s clothing lines, rather than agents. This gives the film a great look, but cuts away from the realism.

The pacing and style of the movie reminded me a lot of "The Good Shepherd." The major difference is "The Good Shepherd" was more concerned about the CIA; this film describes the catalyst for creating the FBI.

This movie is almost as much about the start of the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover's career as it is about John Dillinger. Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) is given command of a special crimes unit created by Hoover that would be later known as the FBI. Bale gives a convincing performance in the film that is different for him.

The film also briefly portrays the strange mannerisms J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) possessed in real life, from the way he spoke to his utilization of shady methods that made him notorious in American history.

With a lack of action and slow progression, the movie is definitely geared toward appealing to mature tastes, as opposed to those interested in traditional action-packed mobster movies.