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Johnny Depp stars as legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger, in a scene from, “Public Enemies.” |
Raging machine-gun battles – explosions of flame and thunder followed by the gentle tinkle of falling brass cartridges – provide the excitement in “Public Enemies,” but the story belongs to the faces.
Marvelous, wonderful, perfectly cast faces.
From the pixie-like countenance of Baby Face Nelson to the rubbery expressions of Chicago beat cops, the faces of “Public Enemies,” captured in ultratight, revealing close-ups, carry as much of the narrative as the dialogue.
Chicago-born filmmaker Michael Mann directs “Public Enemies” as an aesthetically accomplished and painstakingly accessorized gangster film based on the exploits of infamous bank robber John Dillinger, gunned down in 1934 by the Feds as he exited Chicago’s Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue. (Read more…)