Public Enemies (2009) - Mann heads to the 1930s

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Star Johnny Depp looking tough in layered period clothing and a semi-automatic riffle on this poster for Michael Mann's Public Enemies

The story of the legendary John Dillinger, who escapes prisons, murders and robs banks, becoming America's public enemy #1 in the 1930s - as well as the young FBI's greatest early catch.

Public Enemies is written by Ronan Bennett (Lucky Break (2001)), Ann Biderman (Copycat (1995)) and great Illinoisan filmmaker, co-writer/co-producer/director Michael Mann (Thief (1981)). It is based on Bryan Burrough's (Forget the Alamo (2021)) same-titled 2004 non-fiction book.

Mann gives himself free reins to experiment with digital photography, (the film was his first fully digitally shot, done by cinematographer Dante Spinotti (Black and Blue (2019))), giving the film a documentarian, minimalist distinction that can definitely (regrettably) also be experienced as; 'it looks like crap.' 

The soundscape is characterized by the same minimalism; mostly only a bit of jazz and besides that totally deafening salvos of cool firearm discharges, (what remains of the film is often hard to hear at all.)

Johnny Depp (Mortdecai (2015)) is stiff and distanced as Dillinger. Christian Bale (Amsterdam (2022)) and Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises (2012)) do what they can, but Public Enemies is a strangely unengaging, unexciting 'modern' period crime thriller.

 

Related posts:

Michael Mann: Top 10: Best drama-thrillers reviewed by Film Excess to date 

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Collateral (2004) - Great, urban, digital age thriller from Mann in his right element

1995 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Heat (1995) - Mann's superb masculine thriller showstopper 

Manhunter (1986) - Perhaps the best criminal profiling picture ever 

 

 

Watch a 2-minute clip from the film here

 

Cost: 100 mil $

Box office: 214.1 mil. $

= Flop (returned 2.14 times its cost)

[Public Enemies premiered 18 June (Chicago, Illinois) and runs 140 minutes. Burrough had first attempted to write the story as a miniseries for HBO, failing at the discipline and instead writing it as a non-fiction book. Shooting took place from March 2008 - ? in Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Illinois and Indiana. The film is believed to be fairly historically accurate. It opened #3, behind holdover hit Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and fellow new release Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, to a 25.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#4), grossing 97.1 mil. $ (45.4 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 12.9 mil. $ (6 %) and the UK with 11.3 mil. $ (5.3 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. Mann returned with Luck (2011, TV-series) and theatrically with Blackhat (2015). Depp returned in Alice in Wonderland (2010). Public Enemies is fresh at 68 % with a 6.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Public Enemies?

Primal Fear (1996) - Hoblit's law thriller works due to a strong plot and great performances

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+ Best Shooting Star Actor of the Year: Edward Norton

Richard Gere is a defense lawyer caught in the shadows of what he does on the poster for Gregory Hoblit's Primal Fear

Primal Fear is the screen feature debut of Texan filmmaker Gregory Hoblit (Hart's War (2002)), an adaptation of William Diehl's (Sharky's Machine (1978)) same-titled 1993 novel by Steve Shagan (Gotti (1996)) and Ann Biderman (Copycat (1995)).

We follow Chicago's leading defense attorney, as he takes a high-stakes case pro bono: A young altar boy who claims amnesia is captured and suspected of the gruesome killing of the city's archbishop.

Primal Fear has an air of reality to its plot and characters, and together with the complex protagonist, - who is not at all a good guy, but more of a guy who's trying to justify to himself (and a reporter who follows him around) that the stuff that he does for a living is alright, - this makes for a compelling film.
The primal fear of the film's title I take to refer to the lead character's dilemma as a defense lawyer: How can I be certain you're telling me the truth? And in extension of that question; how can I make sure that I am safe from you, and everyone out there? (The primal fear being that we can't, of course, make sure that we get the truth from anyone, or that we're safe, ever.)

The details:

While the photography and score is alright craftsmanship but not inspired or memorable in any way, the acting performances are strong, and they heighten the suspense and entertainment value of this rather dark neo-noir treat:
Richard Gere (Pretty Woman (1990)) is great as our capable but morally questionable hero, and so is Laura Linney (Mr. Holmes (2015)) as the equally capable prosecutor, whom he has had an affair with. Their chemistry and seriousness are admirable. But for many it is Oscar-nominated Edward Norton (The Score (2001)), in his screen debut, who shines in Primal Fear and steals the movie as the sheepish alter boy. Predicting the outcome of this thriller is a major part of its attraction. And even if you guess right (as I did), it's a good film.
The cast is also adorned with such good actors as Frances McDormand (Olive Kitteridge (2014), TV-miniseries) as a psychiatrist, Alfre Woodard (Annabelle (2014)) as the boozing judge, and John Mahoney (Frasier (1993-04)), who, however, is sort of too nice to portray the power-mad character he is given here.
SPOILER The dual identity/personality disorder theme was hot in the 1990s: Norton would go on to portray someone who seriously suffers from it in Fight Club (1999), and another of the decade's most memorable thrillers, The Usual Suspects (1995)) also relies on the device.

 

Related post:

 

1996 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Watch the trailer for the film here

Cost: 30 mil. $
Box office: 102.6 mil. $
= Box office success
[Primal Fear opened #1 to a 9.8 mil. $ opening weekend in North America, where it stayed #1 for a total of three April weeks, before The Quest (1996) took over. It grossed 56.1 mil. $ (54.7 % of the total gross) domestically. Norton lost the supporting actor Oscar to Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire (1996). Primal Fear is fresh at 74 % with a 6.7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Primal Fear?