Public Enemies stars Johnny Depp(Sweeney Todd, Finding Neverland) as John Dillinger and Christian Bale(The Dark Knight, Rescue Dawn) as FBI Chief Melvin Purvis. The film revolves around more or less the latter part of Dillinger's life as Purvis attempts to bring him down along with Baby Face Nelson. The film is directed by Michael Mann, the man behind such films as Heat and Collateral. He really knows how to put on a gun show but those will only carry a film so far.

Both Depp and Bale do very well in their roles and it's a shame they did not have more to work with. Depp brings an interesting feel to Dillinger, he makes it easy to root for the notorious bank robber. If I had a complaint about Depp's presentation it is that Dillinger seems a little bit too nice. Bale does a good job as Melvin Purvis and seems genuinely concerned with bringing these criminals to justice. For what the actors are provided with they do a good job but the screenplay does not allow them to really show off their acting chops, more on that later. Marion Cotillard(A Good Year, Big Fish) joins them in this problem as she does a fine job as Dillinger's love interest but their relationship never feels sincere or real. The supporting cast is great all around the table and includes Stephen Doriff, Billy Crudup, Giovanni Ribisi, and other recognizable faces.

It is a shame that with all the star power on display here that the screenplay is so weak. The film begins toward the end of Dillinger's life so for those who is not familiar with his persona, they will feel a little bit lost the entire running time. We have a name of the his character but no story behind it. The first half of the film jumps from one gun scene to the next without anything carrying it to those points. When Dillinger meets his love interest, it just kind of happens and the relationship between the two never displays any real emotion until perhaps the latter part of the film. It feels forced and it's existance seems to be there as a small plot device. I found that it was the last hour of the film that really shined. It slowed down and had more of a focus on the characters even though the emotional aspect was still missing. It seemed that this film existed almost for the purpose of having some nice displayed shootouts.

Shootouts are what Michael Mann does best. One of the most famous of these was seen in his film Heat. I do believe that the sequence in Public Enemies tops that and for many reasons. There is a shootout sequence that occurs in the woods with no musical score just pure gun fire. It's very interesting and enthralling to hear nothing but gun fire and when it stops we hear pure silence until it begins again. This was easily my favorite part of the film as I'm sure it was set out to be. There is more gun action in the film but nothing compares to what is on display here. The camera work in the film is also great. There is much controversy surrounding the use of using digital as opposed to regular film. I really do not see what the fuss is about as the film looks great and the era is really brought to life.

The film is worth seeing for the performances and the numerous action scenes but the rest of it feels empty. The direction is top notch and the latter part of the film does have more of a focus but the glass still seems half full. What could have been a great experience is a mildly involved and entertaining one.

7 out of 10