Clearly Michael Mann hopes to recreate the success of Heat by throwing two major actors against one another in Public Enemies. The attention to detail and recreating the period is impressive, with epic sequences and gun-play in this huge production. What holds back Public Enemies from the heights of Heat and its rivals is the director himself. A sprawling, obese script threatens your interest levels. Mann also makes dubious use of handheld shots that feel out of context and badly implemented. In the hands of Martin Scorsese, Public Enemies would have been a much better film than this, which is way off target.
The film is long and fairly dull but my biggest issue with it was the audio which made their drawling dialogue even less comprehensible.
I've almost never resortd to subtitles before but found them necessary here.
What on earth has happenned to Michael Mann? From the heights of Manhunter, Heat and the Insider - he now seems unable to make even a half decent film. Although this is not as bad as Ali or Collateral, it is seriously underwhelming. Yes - it looks great at times, the suits are sharp and the film has the feel of many of the great gangster films of the 30s. But it has nothing to say - and the two leads look completely uninterested. I think Christopher Biggins would have made a more menacing gangster than Johnny Depp - and he has no chemistry whatsoever with Marion Cotillard. If you want a proper gangster film get the original with James Cagney or White Heat - then see how it should be done.