Public Enemies

Starring Johnny Depp as bank robber John Dillinger and Christian Bale as G-Man Melvin Purvis I knew Public Enemies would be a great way to spend a few hours. Yes, there were the obligatory gun battles (bloodless), car chases (not quite Keystone Cops), and jail escapes, but this film is really a love story. Dillinger is portrayed as a charismatic "Robin Hood" (during a bank robbery he gives a man his few dollars back and tells him he doesn't want his money, just the bank's) who falls for a call-girl of mixed race who has seen the harsher side of life. I hadn't heard of French actress, Marion Cotillard who played Dillinger's girl friend, Billie Frechette. Beautiful, seductive, and yet naive and sweet, you can see why Dillinger was almost obsessively protective and in love with her. I think we'll be seeing more of Mme. Cotillard. Christian Bale was great as the staid and earnest Melvin Purvis, when he had a scene. I wouldn't have minded seeing more of him. And one scene at the beginning of the film had an very interesting take on the character of J. Edgar Hoover. Of course the shining star was Depp, as always the consummate actor. Depp plays Dillinger as the egotistical, methodical, deluded and violent criminal I imagine he was in real life. Definitely put this on your "need to see" list.

Check it out..."Official and Confidential : the Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover" by Anthony Summers (B HOO), or "The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the F. B. I." by Barry Denenberg (J 353.5 DEN). The Nesmith Library also has these films starring Johnny Debb: Benny & Joon (DVD BEN), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (DVD CHA), Chocolat (DVD CHO), Edward Scissorhands (DVD EDW), Finding Neverland (DVD FIN), The Ninth Gate (DVD NIN), Platoon (DVD PLA), Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (DVD SWE), and all three Pirates of the Caribbean (DVD PIR), or Christian Bale: 3:10 to Yuma (DVD THR), Batman Begins (DVD BAT), The Dark Knight (DVD DAR), Henry V (DVD HEN), Little Women (DVD LIT), The Prestige (DVD PRE) Rescue Dawn (DVD RES), and Swing Kids (DVD SWI).

Poster courtesy of MSN Movies