We ended up watching Public Enemies after we tried to get into a showing of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince but it was sold out. I realized then that should have ordered my tickets online ahead of time, but I didn’t have my thinking cap on so like a ‘dumas’ I thought we could just roll up to the window and get tickets – however, apparently not. Gangster movies are not my genre of choice but I was open minded because Johnny Depp is in it – and anyway since gangster movies are such a significant influence on American pop culture, I figured it couldn’t hurt to watch as part of my ongoing “understanding cultural influences” project.
If you’re like me and fuzzy or clueless about depression era gangsters, here’s a very brief breakdown from the John Dillinger entry on wikipedia seems close enough to the movie. Dillinger and his gang were depression era bank robbers. The FBI had not previously investigated non-federal crimes, however under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover declared war on gangsters like Dillinger calling them “Public Enemies”. These FBI operations lead to the evolution of the modern day FBI.
Before there were gangster characters in American movies, music and tv, such as the Godfather, gangster rap and the Sopranos, real life gangsters were media celebrities. After Dillinger’s death his girlfriend Billy Frechette (played in the movie by Marion Cotillard). was interviewed by popular magazines of the day. She also traveled with Dillinger’s family as a part of a performance act.
This movie is directed by Michael Mann and was similar in appearance to Miami Vice with lots of night shots. There is a lot of gunfire but no particularly gruesome blood and guts scenes so this is a movie even oddball squeamish types like me can watch without ever really having to look away. I will say that the first part of the movie did not hold my attention. I couldn’t keep up with the cast of characters even though it seemed as if they were supposed to be notables. I had trouble following the plot and I kept dozing off. I was alert for the final third of the movie in which the FBI closes in on their targets. One of the key elements of the story is Dillinger’s romance with Billy Frechette. By accounts of the time this was a “true romance” and perhaps made an impression on some young people of the time – in the same way that http://omg.yahoo.com/;_ylt=AgFbfgN4ig6mij2vzWTVM1bGphx.;_ylv=3 couples do today. The costumes and set designs seemed to be accurate for the era (no I wasn’t around in the 1930s but I’m reasonably knowledgable about the history of fashion and design). In short, while I didn’t get to see Harry Potter as intended, “Public Enemies” is not a bad movie. Even if gangster movies aren’t your thing you won’t walk away from this one wanting your money back.
Stylishly Bookish 