Public Enemies [Blu-ray] [Region Free]

What Michael Mann has done with the crime genre is nothing short of phenomenal. He raised the bar with the likes of Thief and Heat so hopes for Public Enemies were high but they do not meet the criteria this time.Not to say it's a bad film because its not, its just not a Michael Mann film. Has its moments but as a whole loses itself far to often to be thought of as a classic like his previous ventures.The picture quality is not great but I think this was intended. Extras are good and kept me satisfied but overall the whole affair is a missed opportunity. Don't think Mann will reach the heights of the past again but theirs parts to still enjoy including a yet again stellar performance from Johnny Depp.

I watched this on Blu-ray disc. The first thing I noticed was that the dialogue was at times nearly inaudible, whilst the gunfire was absolutely deafening. Ridiculous, all that money and they can't get the sound balance right, unless you really want to hear deafeningly loud gunfire. The picture quality is superb, sharp, possibly the best Blu-ray disc I've seen. Unfortunately after a promising start, the film proceeds sluggishly. And it is far too long. The script should have been sharpened up a good deal. The acting is OK, no more. I became more and more bored as time went on. I've seen old black and white films depicting this era of Chicago gangsterism that are far more engaging (and shorter), and made on much smaller budgets than this. Beautiful cinematography, but that's not enough in itself to recommend this. A disappointment.

As a fan of Mr. Mann, I was expecting something more imaginative. This is stylised as ever, but perhaps he should stick to contemporary LA rather than the mid-West of the 1930s, because here the visual flair is missing. Or rather, there is an attempt at visual flair, but without any engagement with the characters or plot one is left with an empty procession of sepia toned images, rather than a sense of action and drive.The film tells the story of John Dillinger, but Depp seems miscast - perhaps he would make a better 'Pretty Boy' Floyd? The action sequences are predictably bullet ridden, but seem mechanical and derivative, albeit of the director's own best work; notably Heat. Amoral and shallow, this is not a film that lingers much in the memory.

Johnny Depp at his finest and best. The action starts from the very start and you will be glued until the end of the film. The story line is excellent. This doesn't just contain gratuitous violence for the sake of it but has a story to tell.An excellent portrayal of the typical 1920's gangster. The supporting cast are brilliantly portrayed too.I liked it so much I have watched it again many times since purchasing it!

Do not buy this film....directed and acted by wooden tops...story didn't know in which direction to go....even Johnny Deppe struggled to give any realism...wasted a good evening of viewing.

public enemies makes you realise what a balancing act is it to make 'a michael mann' movie. i always felt he takes risks taking time and making space not normally found in a hollywood movie to build the tension to get the most out of a crucial scene or two around which the rest of the film pivots.the obvious example is, of course, 'heat' which positively flirts with the viewer in leaving huge gaps of nothing much between the action, or so it appears, before the bangs and explosions. he even throws in the iconic teasing deniro-pacino conversation-in-the-diner scene, on paper an anti-climax, on screen it fizzles with surreal tension. the result is you feel you've had a full meal of a movie with some gorgeous city cinematography thrown into the bargain.sadly public enemies has none of this build up and release. no teasing, no toying, just things happening. there's little plot movement, zero character development and the muted acting comes across as sleepwalking. depp has the odd moment, mostly in the love sub-plot when he finally shows some intriguing charisma and as a result you're left wishing there was a lot more smooching and a lot fewer gunfights. bale is blank - such a shame when he can often do the inner-turmoil/explosion thing so well.i was left wondering how so many good actors and so much action could be so flat on screen.

Underrated for sure. So was director Michael Mann's equally brilliant 'Heat' when it was first released in 1995. This 2009 offering is often reminiscent. We are however placed lovingly back to an era of primitive mob rule and a young J. Edgar Hoover. Johnny Depp' s ventures into movies of this type also tend to bear fruit. It's a tense cat and mouse thriller that rewards repeat viewings. Good soundtrack too.

As in 'Heat', Michael Mann puts a cop and a criminal into conflict each with a different code for living. While Johnny Depp as Dillinger has little thought for the future and few moral boundaries except supporting his pals, enjoys his notoriety and has a cold technical knowledge of what he does for a living, Christian Bale's Melvin Purvis is an upright member of the establishment who finds himself caught up in a new world of mass surveillance and technology combined with a sensation hungry press which is used adeptly by his boss J Edgar Hoover. Dillinger finds himself out of time, betrayed also by the Mafia whose own grasp of new technology for profit makes Dillinger a vanishing species, maybe like the Wild Bunch in Peckinpah's film. However, Peckinpah's male romanticism of death as something chosen is replaced here by the execution of Dillinger achieved through blackmail and subterfuge. Once again, Michael Mann is the master of atmosphere, place and convincing fight scenes. This film didn't do so well on release but it grows on you. Highly recommended.