Public Enemies- Movie Review

For some months now, Public Enemies has been named as the thinking person's event movie. It's neither a sequel movie nor spin-off, features no giant robots; rather, this is a crime epic of the type that polymath Heat director Michael Mann specialises in – set during the Great Depression to boot, giving it a further, timely nobility.

Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies” has never lacked for interest, or interesting information. Back in the 1930s, we all were knowing, the FBI was simply called the Bureau of Investigation before it was being formally Federalized. Mr. Mann has make the best use of the movie to conduct his own investigation of an era when Edgar Hoover and his agents were locked in self-promotional conflict with self-mythologizing criminals. This Hollywood New Releases gangster thriller, starring Johnny Depp as Public Enemy Number One, the bank robber John Dillinger, and Christian Bale as Dillinger’s G-Man scourge, Melvin Purvis, is nicely detailed and flawlessly crafted, an elegant evocation of Depression-era America and its fascination with crime. What the movie lacks is any sense of exaltation- it’s joyless by choice—although moments of passion burst through the prevailing foreboding like muzzle flashes in the night.

Mr. Depp’s performance sets the idea. This time the actor gives himself, heart and head, to a portrayal of a tightly disciplined not-so-bad guy who speaks in collision (“What’s on your mind?” his lawyer asks. “The electric chair,” he replied), who comes to enjoy the public’s commendation, and struggles to reconcile the risks he runs for money, plus a generous measure of fame, with the love he feels for his beautiful girlfriend, Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard). It’s an impressive performance, rather than an exciting one, and for a while Mr. Bale’s work is of a piece—his Purvis seems to be Dillinger seen darkly in a mirror. All too often, though, the G-Man sounds and even looks like the Dark Knight, voice stuck in ideal talks, eyes burning beneath a fedora carapace.

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What movies are you looking forward to in 2009?

1. 'Fanboys'
(Kyle Newman, 2008)
It's 1998 and four Star Wars fans can't wait to see "Episode I." So much so that they concoct a plan to break into director George Lucas' pad, the legendary Skywalker Ranch in California, and steal the film for their own enjoyment. Additional fanboy kudos for a cameo by William Shatner as himself.

2. 'Coraline'
(Henry Selick, 2009)
One afternoon, mischievous and bored Coraline stumbles upon a secret door. It leads to a crazy parallel dimension where anything is possible and her parents are more caring and fun. But as ever, such good luck comes at a price. This quirky stop-motion animation is based on a dark novella by acclaimed fantasy author Neil Gaiman.

3. 'Blood: The Last Vampire'
(Chris Nahon, 2009)
Even Buffy might have a few problems competing with Saya, a 400-year-old demon-hunting vampire whose weapon of choice is a lethal Samurai sword. When she is sent on an undercover mission to an American military base in post-WWII Tokyo, she finds the perfect opportunity for a grand showdown against the highest-ranking vampire on Earth. The original 2000 Japanese animation was almost entirely in English, and its release on DVD was a hit in North America.

4. 'Watchmen'
(Zack Snyder, 2009)
This comic-based movie resurrects 1985 in an alternate universe, where the law has driven most superheroes into either retirement or vigilantism. But when a murdered man is revealed to have been a government-hired superhero, the superheroes uncover a terrifying conspiracy to eliminate them all, amidst heightened political tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

5. 'Dragonball Evolution'
(James Wong, 2009)
Fans of the original 1984 Japanese Manga series "Dragon Ball" and its spin-off TV series have had mixed feelings about this live-action American adaptation. No doubt that the original simple premise will be preserved -- protagonist Goku journeys to seek the advice of a wise martial arts master, to gather the seven magical Dragon Balls before an alien villain can use them for his evil plans -- but will Hollywood be able to pull it off?