Friday, January 8, 2010

Public Enemies

Public Enemies was released in Canada on July 1, 2009. It has a million member cast, but the names worth mentioning are Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard and Christian Bale. Michael Mann, who has previously been nominated for four Academy Awards, is the Director.

Public Enemies is the true story of John Dillinger, a notorious bank robber who made his name in the early 1930s. Handled by Depp, we watch Johnny et. al. rob banks, kill cops, and escape from jail a time or two. The film is not entirely listless, but it is quite long and near misses several targets. The character development is too weak for the viewer to truly feel conflicted about Dillinger's lifestyle and the impact upon those around him. Without that twisting of the conscience, there is not a lot left. The Directing is sketchy... the throwback effect is a little too contrived. The screenplay is immediately forgettable.

That said, there are a couple of areas in which the movie may get some attention because of the acting. Johnny Depp was good as Dillinger, but will not likely compete in the Best Actor field this year. Cotillard was brilliant again, and may be this movie's best shot at a nomination. That said, the Supporting Actress category will be tight this year, and she may have to compete against herself (Nine) to get a nomination. Otherwise, I'm not sure this film belongs in any Oscar discussion.

This time of year, there are movies I usually wait to confirm as nominations before I bother seeing them. I wish Public Enemies had been one of them.

2 comments:

  1. Wow! Public Enemies is simply too good to explain man! This movie impressed me so much that I am fan of everyone connected with this movie. It is a complete package of fun and entertainment. Bingo! Keep it is up. You all may download The Hangover movie from this website.

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  2. Having seen all of the contenders for Best Supporting Actress, I would have loved to see Cotillard get a nod in that category.

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