UNFOCUSED, UNINVESTED MANN: a review of "Public Enemies"

As I prepare my list of my favorite and least favorite films of 2009, I am posting reviews from the archive.

The following review was originally written July 3, 2009.

"PUBLIC ENEMIES" Directed by Michael Mann
** (two stars)

The slow, deliberate, methodical pacing of a Michael Mann film is often something to behold (especially now, in a "Transformers" world). I can easily recall the very first time I saw his 1981 film "Thief," starring James Caan as a safe-cracker. The quiet intensity, augmented with stunning visuals of rain soaked and nearly hallucinogenic nighttime Chicago streets which pulsated to the groundbreaking electronic film score by Tangerine Dream, created an experience that was nothing short of mesmerizing. His 1986 film "Manhunter," based on the Thomas Harris book series featuring the infamous Hannibal Lector, was so extremely chilling the film became defiantly hypnotic and in my mind, the more widely seen and celebrated "Silence Of the Lambs" pales dramatically. Also, while in high school as Mann's own "Miami Vice" ruled the airwaves, Mann created a subsequent series entitled "Crime Story." Set in 1960s Chicago, the series detailed the Major Crimes Unit's intricate police proceedings of a manhunt for budding crime lord Ray Luca. Led by the severely unrelenting cop Mike Torello (played by the great Dennis Farina), each week focused on the intricate steps that would bring Luca to justice by taking ample time to present the allure and inner workings of the mob, the conflicted inner workings of the police department and the brutality of violence while attempting to bring it to justice.

The series also brought into blinding focus the concept of a person's relationship to their work and their inner sense of duty to that work even--and especially-- if it is illegal. This is a frequent theme for the infinitely meticulous Mann, who showcased it to an epic degree in 1995's three hour masterpiece, "Heat" as well as his more visceral thriller "Collateral." He revisits the theme again with his latest crime epic "Public Enemies," the tale of famed bank robber John Dillinger, his pursuit and ultimate downfall. Unfortunately for me, this film was a rare disappointment from Michael Mann, especially since this material is simply tailor made for his sensibilities and talents. This is not a bad film by any degree. Just a surprisingly uninvolving one, with a ragged sense of storytelling, character motivation and execution.

To be fair, Michael Mann has always presented a left-of-center take on material that is rooted in real world events. He will never go for the predictable, Hollywood route as his excellent and controversial biopic "Ali" showed. I knew going in that he probably wouldn't delve into Dillinger's childhood, upbringing, formative years and anything else that would go to certain lengths in "explaining" this man. That said, I was frustrated with the fact that there just wasn't much to hang onto for me to become invested with. Yes, we are able to see the aforementioned concept of a man and his work and we are also able to see the sense of celebrity Dillinger attracted and which also made him an attractive figure during the Depression. He is defiantly a rock star and he knows it by consistently testing the lengths of his invincibility.

This is especially paramount during a stunning sequence where he casually strolls through the police department and the specialized unit that is in pursuit of him. Great stuff but beyond that, there's not much else and I found myself losing interest rapidly and repeatedly. Johnny Depp, truly one of our finest actors as well as being a deeply skilled chameleon, immerses himself in the role once again but it left me cold. It all felt superficial and shallow--not Depp's fault but for the scarcity of actual weight to the role itself.

Even making less of an impression is Christian Bale, an actor of continuing impressive range and strength, in the role of Melvin Purvis, the officer assigned and appointed by J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup in a strong performance of prissy intolerance) to bring Dillinger to justice. As with the depiction of Dillinger, I struggled with trying to see the inner workings of a man who came off like a 1930's gangster/cop film cliche and after a while, he seemed to be somewhat interchangeable with all of the other tough talking men in trench coats, ties and wide brimmed hats. There wasn't much to distinguish him in this telling and for me, Bale ended up fading into the scenery.

Also, fading into the scenery was the sumptuous production design, which is a staple of Mann's work. For his last few films, Mann has turned his cinematography over to high definition cameras, which essentially gives a sharper sense of focus to night scenes but still have a certain video camera look, here and there. I felt the technique worked extremely well in "Collateral" and his 2006 reinvention of "Miami Vice" but with 1930's crime, I found the technique distracting to a hurtful degree. Of course, I didn't think Mann would make a lushly operatic film like Brian De Palma's 1986 update of "The Untouchables," and perhaps his aesthetic decision was a way to make him film de-glamorize the era and story by making the proceedings grittier. But, somehow, I found the look sloppy (the dreaded "shaky-cam" is in overuse here) and at times, the film felt like a 1930's episode of "Cops."

Even with all of my criticisms, there were elements I enjoyed. The bank robbery scenes were well staged and delivered and Dillinger's final moments inside and outside Chicago's Biograph theater were undeniably powerful. But, as the final credits began to scroll, I felt that the film was sadly not much more than a sluggish and repetitive loop of robbery, capture and escape. It seemed as if Mann just didn't feel as invested this time around and likewise, neither was I.