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Public Enemies [DVD] [2009]
enlarge	Director: Michael Mann Actors: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale Studio: Universal Pictures UK Category: DVD List Price: ~~£19.99~~ Buy New: £8.98 as of 21/11/2009 20:23 GMT details You Save: £11.01 (55%) New (12) from £8.98 Seller: Amazon.co.uk Rating: 19 reviews Sales Rank: 39 Format: Anamorphic, PAL Languages: English (Audio Description), English (Unknown), English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 134 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5050582713282 ASIN: B001N2MZSO Theatrical Release Date: 2009 Release Date: November 2, 2009 (New: Last 30 Days) Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review Since crime auteur Michael Mann, like his protagonists, plays by his own rules, emPublic Enemies/em eschews back story and motivation for a closely-observed, action-packed examination of men at work. FBI supremo J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) kick-starts a nationwide manhunt when he proclaims John Dillinger (Johnny Depp, in top form) Public Enemy #1. Hoover taps Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to bring the Tommy Gun-toting bank robber in by any means necessary (the agency also targets Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson). If Dillinger had split the scene then and there, he might have enjoyed a happier fate, but he falls for beautiful coat-check girl Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard, whose open-hearted performance makes her the most sympathetic character in the film). In the end, though, Dillinger is the captain of his own destiny: his loyalty to his girl and his gang overpowers his desire to live free. Though the director also set his first film, emThief/em, and third series, emCrime Story/em, in his native Chicago, emPublic Enemies/em plays more like emHeat/em in Depression-era garb. In that L.A. empolicier/em, Al Pacino's cop develops a grudging respect for Robert De Niro's criminal, but letting a lawbreaker go free isn't an option. In this case, however, the tight-lipped Purvis never develops the same sort of esteem for Dillinger--or Hoover--making him the more tragic figure. If emPublic Enemies/em is less overtly commercial than emThe Untouchables/em or emBugsy/em, it's still the best mainstream gangster epic in ages and ranks among Mann's finest works. em--Kathleen C. Fennessy/em

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 19 1 2 3 4 Next » "My name's John Dillinger...and I rob banks!" July 11, 2009 Mr. Rwj Nixon 7 out of 11 found this review helpful Michael Mann is a director who is known for his crafting of truly exquisite movies and his unrelenting attention to detail. With such gems under his belt as Last of the Mohicans, Collateral, and the crime movie to end all crime movies Heat, it would seem that his approach reaps rich rewards. Thankfully, Public Enemies is another feather in his cap, being one of the most absorbing and beautiful films I have seen in a very long time. br / Public Enemies deals with a very specific time in the history of America. The year is 1933, and the country has been in the grip of the Great Depression for nigh on 4 years. Unemployment is rife, and this great upheaval in society has given rise to a new kind of criminal, the violent bank robber, the "Public Enemies" of the title. The film zooms in to show us the final thirteen months in the life of John Dillinger (a genuinely screen icon status performance by Johnney Depp), a time when he lived his life to the fullest at every available opportunity. Opening with an audacious prison break out in which Dillinger actually breaks into the Indiana state pen that he has only been released from months before in order to free the men who would go on to form his gang (including David Wenham as Harry Pierpoint and a terrific Stephen Dorff as Homer Van Meter), the film then goes on to detail Dillinger's subsequent crime spree that saw him win the dubious accolade of America's first "Public Enemy Number 1". br / In tandem with the story of Dillinger is the story of the fledgling FBI, an unpopular organization that is seen by many as a threat to state law, and the attempts by its first and most infamous director J Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup giving Hoover a charm that is conniving, manipulative and very believable) to obtain the powers he believes his organization needs to turn it into an effective countrywide law enforcement agency. Hoover decides to use the Public Enemies as his way to show everyone just what his agency can do, and details FBI poster boy Melvin Purvess (Christian Bale at his most intensely enigmatic) to bring down Dillinger. At it is this game of cat and mouse that forms the core of the film, coupled with Dillinger's on screen romance with hat check girl Billie Frechette (the luminous Marion Cottilard of La Vie En Rose fame, who actually manages to become more beautiful in every scene). That the couple are clearly meant to be together is never in doubt, with Depps winning screen image and cocksure portrayal of Dillinger making the electricity between the two of them both convincing and very compelling. br / Whilst no one in this film turns in anything less than a very good performance, with Depp in particular cementing his role as a superstar and Christian Bale never attempting to make his role into anything like showy, something that works very well indeed, the real star of this film is the film itself. Part romance, part procedural thriller, part action movie, it is on almost every level an unqualified success. With a level of detail that is both minute and stunning, the film feels as much like a historical document as it does a slice of Hollywood entertainment. But that's not to say that it is not entertaining, far from it. Clocking in at a hefty 140 minutes, the film sucks the viewer in to such a degree that its simply whizzes by, rarely pausing for breath before giving us incredible scene after incredible scene, in particular John Dillinger's arrival by plane in Indiana which is simply beautiful, and an intense extended shootout at a forest hideout between Dillinger's gang and the FBI led by Purvess that is almost the equal of the now famous LA gun battle in Heat, as well as numerous small moments within the film that are almost to numerous to mention (except Depps vault over a counter during an early bank robbery that is followed lovingly in slow mo). br / To say that Michael Mann has done it again would be to do this epic and beautiful movie a disservice. Whilst some will see the films lack of a wider scope as something of a let down, the focus on a very specific period in America's past gives the proceedings an immediacy that makes the bigger picture superfluous. Utterly riveting, simply stunning to watch and surprisingly light on its feet given its running time, this is that rare thing, a movie that is both intelligent and entertaining. A great film if you're interested in the period, in film making or great gun fights July 23, 2009 John Tuite (london) 4 out of 6 found this review helpful Michael Mann's Public enemies will unfortunately be for ever compared to HEAT. And of course, heat will come up on top. Not because Public Enemies is bad (cause it isn't) but because heat is a film worthy of gods. br / br /Now, that's over and done with: PUBLIC ENEMIES. This is a powerhouse of a film, with great performances from Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. The soundtrack is awesome (I've been singing the theme song for about two weeks now) and the gunfights, ahhh, the gunfights. Almost orgasmic. The period detail is fantastic and the quality of the cameras they used really shows through. I loved this film. I've seen it twice at the cinema and will definatly be buying the DVD. masterpiece! July 23, 2009 Mr. R. W. Graham (Lincoln, U.K.) 1 out of 2 found this review helpful wow! what can i say about this truly great movie? michael mann is back on form here after the dissapointing and average miami vice. great performances. i know it's very early, but surely johnny depp must get an oscar nomination for this film and christian bale must be in with a shout for best supporting actor though he has good competition from billy crudup as j.edgar hoover and stephen graham as baby face nelson. i think michael mann made the wrong descision in making this a summer blockbuster. he should have released this at christmas or the new year so it could be an oscar contender as let's be honest, most oscar winners, and nomminees get released then. this is a truly classic film. don't let the length put you off, this flies past. a well acted well made movie and one of the best of the year. perilous partisans and pure emotion September 9, 2009 Dr. U. L. Khawaja (hornchurch ,london) 1 out of 2 found this review helpful Ultimately American cinema has coughed up an instant classic ending the drought for quality and quintessential stylised artistry which was a landmark for Hollywood in the 40s -60s,and it is rather surreal this exquisite endeavour is set in the post-depression america translating the story of the master criminal Dillinger ,his half breed lover BILLIE and the FBI agent on their trail across the sweeping midwest vistas which are turned into mellifluous montages of spectacular and harmoniously measured gunfights which are composed with a remarkable calm and assured style by the masterful execution of mr.Mann. br / br /mr.mann inititiates his violently romantic saga with two operatic gun battles one with depp and the other with bale and he then steps into a cinematic haven that is sheer poetry in motion with spewing bullets and ecstatically romantic interludes between depp and coutillard ,while bale is plotting a cat and mouse game where vintage cars and authentic set pieces bring a bygone era to vivid life . br / br /the sequences between bale,marion and depp are memorably etched and will be going down in cinema history particulary a torture scene where marion is abused by a FBI thug and finally rescued by bale in an emotionally brilliant cascade of dazzling cinema. br /this is dark yet intimate and tyrannical yet passionate with a spirit that feeds your conscience rather than appease your violent instincts . br / br / br / br /This is as much about the spectacle of gratuitous violence as it is about the execution of crime and punishment with each sequence seeped in almost esoteric beauty immersed in realistic technique which transports you into the hearts and minds of each character . br / br /marion Coutillard must be the greatest actress in cinema today as she sets a standard of acting which will be difficult to match ,yet both Depp as dillinger and Bale as the rather stolid introverted purvis are hypnotic to watch . br / br / br / br /This is a fecund facade of imagination and talent that you can view as many times as you wish with equal joy and emotional satiety which is a tribute to the thirties hollywood where Gable ,Powell and Myrna loy are paid homage by a great director yet in doing so with the spectacular Selznick monochrome images he redeems modern American cinema and brings time into a full circle as every grand slam in the universe enters a cycle to repeat their rendezvous with greatness . br / br / br / br /A modern masterpiece with motion that weaves magical spells with eloquent frames that cannot be praised enough for either their expressive potential or their potent emotion . br / America's first war on crime. July 8, 2009 Sam (Ireland) 6 out of 8 found this review helpful In an interview for "Public Enemies" writer/director/producer Michael Mann discussed how John Dilinger "exploded onto the scene", a feat that Mann seems to have left out in his movie. Having just left a screening of "Public Enemies" I'm surprised at my own sense of indifference at a film that looked like one of the years very best. The players involved couldn't be of a higher calibre, Michael Mann a much celebrated filmmaker whose works include "Heat", "Collateral", "The Insider", "Manhunter", Johnny Depp who is incapable of giving a bad performance, and the reliably excellent Christian Bale as special agent Melvin Purvis the man charged with brining down John Dilinger. It sounds, and a times feels vaguely like "Heat" with two of the best actors of their time going head to head, albeit with little screen time together, an epic tale of cops and robbers with some elaborate shootouts and two devoted men working on opposite sides of the law. br / br /At the beginning of "Public Enemies" we see Dilinger pull off an audacious prison break for several members of his gang, including his mentor Walter Dietrich. The Dilinger we are introduced to here isn't romanticized, he's efficient, calculating and undeniably intelligent but he's never portrayed as a hero and the opening at the prison shows the importance of his relationship with Walter Dietrich and how he treats the man responsible for his death. As far as folk heroes go (I think Depp mentioned Jesse James was Dilingers idol) he never stole and gave back to the poor but he cared deeply enough about his public image to turn down jobs that may dissatisfy the public, such as kidnapping. Johnny Depp plays Mr. John Dilinger in a very restrained performance, not so much of a charismatic folk hero but rather a straight up, highly impressive outlaw who probably knew his wild ride wasn't going to last. The film encapsulates the thirteen months that according to Michael Mann was when Dilinger enjoyed life enough for several lifetimes after getting out of prison having been incarcerated much earlier in his life for nine years for petty theft. Among the various familiar faces playing small roles as members of Dilingers gang and associates are David Wenham (Harry Pierpont), Stephen Graham (Baby Face Nelson), Giovanni Ribisi (Alvin Karpis), Stephen Dorff (Homer Van Meter), Jason Clarke (John "Red" Hamilton) and for such an infamous bunch only Jason Clarke and Stephen Graham are given significant screen time to leave an impression which is disappointing as a host of colourful supporting characters have little more than cameos. Dilinger may have been head-honcho but the likes of Alvin Karpis and FBI agent Purvis (Christian Bale) could have entire films devoted to their stories. br / br /Watching "Public Enemies" I felt like the story never really got off the ground despite an excellent cast, top class director and production values of the highest order. Dilingers romance with Billie Frechette (played by Marion Cotillard), feels rushed though that may very well have been the case in reality as it is presented in Manns film, the shoot-outs lack the intensity of that legendary Los Angeles shoot-out in "Heat" perhaps because most of the people watching may know who's time here is up and when and we never see what happens to more than half the Public Enemies. As an audience member who was largely uninformed about the time and the Public Enemies, I don't feel like I found out a great deal or at least enough about Dilinger (strange for a two hour and twenty minute picture devoted to his legacy), his gang, and his girlfriend Billie or Melvin Purvis to really feel anything strongly about any of them and Dilinger as a person in this medium doesn't come off as grand or as richly as say, in recent biographical pictures, Howard Hughes, Muhammad Ali (Mann produced "The Aviator" and co wrote, produced and directed "Ali"), Jesse James or to a slightly lesser extent Frank Lucas in Ridley Scott's "American Gangster". Bale and Cotillard are both solid in their respective roles but neither appears to be given a great deal to do. As Purvis Bale makes several speeches to agents in relation to getting Dilinger and he does have to deal with several deaths of his own men that could and maybe should have been avoided, he also has one rather brief and under-whelming scene with Dilinger. Also the dynamic between Purvis and his mentor J Edgar Hoover, played brilliantly in a small but absolutely pivotal part by Billy Crudup, isn't touched upon here. Purvis and his own personal downfall would make an interesting film if anyone out there wanted to make it. As for Marion Cotillard she ends up being the love interest who gets swept off her feet by Dilinger but their relationship isn't fleshed out enough in the film to give it the heart the story needs, though Depp's performance provides it's soul and his final scene is one of the few truly great cinematic moments in the film. br / br /I've rambled along quite a bit more than I initially intended and I am aware that this is extremely schizophrenic assessment but I think anyone with even a passing interest in cinema should check this out, three out of five stars is not really a fair rating, three and a half out of five would represent a more even score. Solid with a few moments of greatness and as shot in digital high definition gorgeous to look at, as was Collateral, though I felt it distorted the authentic period look and as a result doesn't feel as a gritty as one might expect a depression era set period piece should, though that's a very marginal complaint. Go see "Public Enemies". br / br / br / Showing reviews 1-5 of 19 1 2 3 4 Next »

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