Public Enemies

So, I know this isn’t a video game or anything (at least not yet (please please do not even try it video game makers, I beg of you)), I felt the need to express my feelings toward this recent film. Some people asked me practically the day of the Transformers release if I had seen that heap of flaming shit…to which I immediately responded “no,” and the main reason is because I know a bad movie even without having to go see it. I mean come on, didn’t the fact that Michael Bay had his name of the project give any sort of indication as to the quality of the product? Regardless, instead of seeing Transformers I went with my dad to go see Public Enemies, a movie which I knew was going to be great for a few reasons: the cast, and the director. When you have both Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in the same sentence, you can only assume that whatever follows must be pretty kick ass. Despite this praise, Christian Bale plays a practically non-existent role in the film which, honestly, isn’t a shame because his role is very flat and one-sided. Johnny Depp, on the other hand, is again at the top of his game in a performance which I believe most people will not understand or appreciate to its fullest.

You see, he portrays the historical depression era bank robber John Dillinger in such a convincing and powerful way that it is almost blatant the subtle nature of his character. Here is a man who, on the surface, is an extremely normal man and yet you (or at least I) can tell that there is just so much more than what is told by just the dialogue given. It is the emotion, the shifting of the eyes, the restrained nature of the delivery…in every way this man is a mystery. And who better to direct this mystery than the wonderful Michael Mann. Now although he has made a dud here and there, the man directed two of my favorite films of all times: Heat and Collateral. He has the ability and skill to tame and mold his actors into the grand scheme that he has all laid out in his head. And what does he have to show for all of his glorious efforts? Not a single oscar. Talk about a big “fuck you” to the man. And how does he respond? Well besides making Miami Vice (whoops) he releases this newest film in the middle of the summer when it is obviously a fall type movie (the time of the year when most oscar worthy films come out). So what does this all indicate to me? Mr. Mann is looking to make some serious money by banking on the large movie sales of the summer regardless of the fact that Transformers came out just a week earlier. So, for most studios, this sort of a move is used to push out some crap movies in order to make large sums of money so that they can make sequels and all of that jazz. But, even when Micahael Mann is given this task to create a movie to make money, he STILL makes a damn good movie. Should it get nominated for best picture? Meh…maybe. It is hard to say this early in the game but I can still say that it was a great movie which deserves the hard earned dollar of every honest American. Do your part; support good movies.