Public Enemies looks great but doesn't feel great

"Public Enemies"
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotilliard, Billy Crudup
Grade: B

If I'm right about Public Enemies, most Michael Mann enthusiasts will agree that it's up step up from his last film Miami Vice. However, Enemies isn't the knockout that was Heat, Collateral, and The Insider. Enemies is a depression era epic in which the beginnings of the FBI are mirrored with the golden age of bank robbers. A strong cast leads this glamorous and glassy tale of fame, crime, and justice.

Depp has the charisma to play any role, the act this time is legendary bank robber John Dillinger. The film opens as Dillinger is busting his fellows out of an Iowa prison. Dillinger asn't much depth to him, but Depp's star power alone is what makes the character breathe life. On the other side of the coin is straight arrow agent Melvin Purvis who has been assigned to take down Dillinger personally by J.Edger Hoover, who was the pioneer of the FBI. Hoover is played in a showy, but solid role by Billy Crudup. Bale brings the focus and cold gaze to Purvis, creating an aware and honest character.

Michal Mann has gone fully digital this time around, creating a muddled, but beautiful picture. His aesthetic is one that will cause debate among critics and audiences, but it helps the film more than it hurts it. No complaints here. Mann not only re-creates an era, but his attention to detail in astonishing.

Marion Cotilliard plays the Billy Frechette, Dillinger's love interest who must keep thinking to herself why she remains with this criminal. Cotilliard is a star in the making, and holds her own in every scene. The film justifiably lags when she is off-screen. Her chemistry with Depp is crucial to buying their attraction to each other.

The era in which the film takes place resembles the down-trodden times us Americans are in now. Mann's commentary is light, but with notice. He litters the film with at least 15-20 noticeable actors that audiences will recognize from films past and present. Most notable are Stephen Dorff, David Wenham, Giovani Ribisi, and others. Most of whom are entwined with Dillinger.

While the film does have its highs and lows, its painful to say that the highs are few and far between. For every breathtaking action set piece, there is a lag in the narrative. The pacing is fine enough to not distract us, but its noticeable at times. The most obvious aspect of the story is its semi-flawed script. I wasn't enthralled or nearly as interested as I thought I would be at certain points. Mann's technical grace is all well and good, but doesn't hide the scripts faults. The film reminds me in a lot of ways of Ridley Scott's American Gangster. An epic crime story that had nothing memorable about it. Enemies and Gangster lack the dramatics of films like Heat, or even Collateral.

After months pass, Public Enemies will be remembered as a film not as good as the sum of its parts. Mann has clearly made a solid picture, but the buck stops at a mid-level script, no matter how good the directing is.