PUBLIC ENEMIES

PUBLIC ENEMIES - Michael Mann’s Heat was the culmination of many a cinema buffs dream, finally pairing two legendary actors in the same frame for the first time. The fact that Pacino and DeNiro only shared about 2-minutes together didn’t seem to matter much. And Mann follows the same formula here, managing to cherry-pick two of the best actors working today (Johnny Deep and Christian Bale), casting them as dramatic rivals (bank robber John Dillinger and federal agent Melvin Purvis respectively), and only allowing them to interact for a fleeting moment. That may have been how the real story behind John Dillinger’s capture, escape, and eventual comeuppance went down, but it doesn’t make for very dramatic filmmaking. Depp, sporting the long-awaited return of his 21 Jumpstreet hairstyle, mumbles through his role. And Bale doesn’t fare much better, recycling his pent-up Batman rage for yet another tight-lipped performance. Public Enemies feels very much like Miami Vice as a period piece, minus the bitchin’ soundtrack and sockless loafers. Only without the style there is no substance, leaving Mann’s project high-and-dry as a gangster film and a historical document. Last year’s Oscar winner Marion Cotillard is the only one who doesn’t come off as a wax figure. Universal’s DVD sports a commentary by Mann plus several featurettes on Depp and Bale’s historic pairing. More interesting is the background info on Dillinger himself and visits to his old stomping grounds.