BuzzSugar

Public Enemies: Depp Shines Through a Shower of Bullets

BuzzSugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:30:31 -0700

The reason to see Public Enemies is the same as the reason to see any Johnny Depp movie: Johnny Depp. The story is engaging enough - there's plenty of sputtering machine gun shoot-outs and exciting escape plans and dashes of romance - but the actual enjoyment of watching this movie comes from Johnny Depp in a role he's naturally gifted at playing: the dark, mysterious rebel.

Depp plays John Dillinger, a bank robber who has gained a certain celebrity status with the public. His charm and calm cleverness have made him and his gang quite rich and have kept him from being permanently captured. Soon, however, J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) focuses his attention on Dillinger, his "Public Enemy No. 1." Hoping to use Dillinger's capture as a way to elevate his Bureau of Investigation into the national police force, Hoover puts his dashing agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) on the case. The majority of the movie is a back-and-forth dance with Purvis pursuing Dillinger and Dillinger eluding Purvis's grasp. Consistently thwarted by the sly criminal, Purvis's desperation to catch Dillinger leads to some extreme measures. Violence, gunfire, and bloodshed ensue as Purvis and his team start to close in on their enemy. For more of my thoughts on the movie, read more.

It's mind-boggling to see how relatively easy it is for Dillinger and his gang to pull off these crimes. In our era of constant surveillance and advanced technology, these guys wouldn't get three feet without someone snapping a picture or video with a camera phone. The movie is set during a more trusting time period, and one that is - for better or worse - far behind us. At the same time, we may have more in common with that era than we think. As we experience a recession, we watch a story in which the protagonist robs banks in the midst of the Great Depression - should we be rooting for this guy? Depp makes us want to, that's for sure, but what with all the bloodshed, it's hard to always think that what Dillinger's doing is cool. Public Enemies actually makes us think about this stuff, and making us think is more than most of the big Summer movies can boast.

The movie also features good performances by an impressive cast, with Marion Cotillard standing out as Dillinger's lady love, Billie Frechette. She is perfectly paired with Depp, her bright eyes and lively charisma nicely complementing Depp's dark and intense steadiness. The two make a sexy duo and their scenes together are some of my favorite of the whole movie. They're both soulful actors, interested more in substance than style. Some scenes that don't include either of these actors are all shiny cars, slicked-back hair, and terrible accents, making me yearn for Depp or Cotillard to be back on screen.

The actual filmmaking, however, made me queasy. I know Michael Mann is an intense director but I hate the herky-jerky camerawork and the random close-ups on things in this movie. The other distracting element is the actors' makeup, their faces clay-like, their lips bright pink. It's hard to become immersed in this world when the streaks of blush constantly remind us that this is all make-believe. But aside from these things, the film overall is an intriguing thrill-ride with a little bit of heart and the sharp, intelligent Johnny Depp leading us through it.

Photos courtesy of Universal Studios

Movie Preview: Public Enemies

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:30:31 -0800

Stuff that we probably could have predicted about the trailer for Michael Mann's gangster movie, Public Enemies: This film will be intense, Johnny Depp is an awesome actor, and this cast overall is absolutely gorgeous (Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard? Yes, please). Michael Mann has proven that he works quite well with crime/action movies and Public Enemies is, of course, all crime and a lot of action. The trailer alone got my blood pumping.

As the story description goes, "the Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s." Depp plays Dillinger, Channing Tatum is Pretty Boy Floyd and Stephen Graham plays Baby Face Nelson. Bale plays top FBI agent Melvin Purvis while Cotillard is Dillinger's lady, Billie Frechette.

Public Enemies opens July 1. Though the story is dark, something about this trailer just makes me grin. You can check it out and tell me what you think if you read more.

Photo courtesy of Universal Studios

Buzz News Roundup, 6/4

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:32:44 -0700

Leelee Sobieski is the lucky actress who will play Dillinger's girlfriend in Public Enemies, writes Variety. Dillinger, mind you, is being played by Johnny Depp.
Actor, filmmaker and one-time husband to Audrey Hepburn Mel Ferrer has died at age 90, Zap2It reports.
Variety has the news that Bruce Willis will star in a film adaptation of the video game Kane and Lynch: Dead Men.
Showtime has picked up Diablo Cody's TV show, The United States of Tara starring Toni Collette, writes TV Week.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Scarface director Brian De Palma will spearhead a film about the Boston Stranglers.
Billboard has some details on the new Calexico album, which hits stores in September.
Andre Braugher has been cast in Ray Romano's TNT pilot about 40-something men, writes Zap2it.
According to ComingSoon, Ed Helms has landed himself two new movie roles - one in the Night at the Museum sequel, and another in the indie comedy Manure.
Pushing Daisies has topped an AOL poll of the best new TV series of 2007-08, writes Reuters; Gossip Girl was second.

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Buzz News Roundup, 1/28

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:30:45 -0800

Hollywood Reporter has news that Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy) is in talks to direct the Hobbit films that Peter Jackson will produce.
The FCC is fining ABC $1.4 million for nudity in an NYPD Blue episode that aired more than four years ago, Zap2it reports.
According to ComingSoon, five more actors (Marion Cotillard, Channing Tatum, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Dorff and Jason Clarke) have joined Christian Bale and Johnny Depp in Public Enemies.
Starz is planning a TV series based on the Oscar-winning film Crash, with its writer/director, Paul Haggis, on board, TV Week reports.
Billboard reports that R.E.M. has recruited Modest Mouse and the National as opening acts for its upcoming tour.
Joel and Ethan Coen took top honors at the Directors Guild of America awards, and Mad Men and Pushing Daisies nabbed television awards, the Associated Press reports.
Julia Roberts will produce and star in Hothouse Flowers, a film adaptation of the upcoming novel by Margot Berwin, writes Hollywood Reporter.
There's another dancing reality show coming: Lifetime will air Your Mama Don't Dance, a series pairing professional dancers with their two-left-footed parents, Variety reports.

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Bale and Depp Are Public Enemies

BuzzSugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:29:29 -0800

Does it really get much better than this duo? I think not.
Variety is reporting today that Christian Bale will play opposite Johnny Depp in the crime movie Public Enemies. Michael Mann (Last of the Mohicans, Heat) will direct.

Buzz, what does "public enemies" refer to?
Funny you should ask! Depp will be playing John Dillinger, a bank robber from the early 1900s who was "considered by some to be a dangerous criminal, while others idealized him as a latter-day Robin Hood." According to Wikipedia, "His exploits, along with those of other criminals of the 1930s Depression era, such as Bonnie and Clyde and Ma Barker, dominated the attentions of the American press and its readers during what is sometimes referred to as the public enemy era, between 1931 and 1935, a period which led to the further development of the modern and more sophisticated FBI."

So, how does Christian Bale factor in?
Mr. Bale will be playing Melvin Purvis, "the legendary FBI agent who led the manhunt for John Dillinger." So, now a question for you: How psyched are you for this manjoyable combination?

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Buzz News Roundup, 12/7

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:33:35 -0800

The James McAvoy-Angelina Jolie action flick Wanted has moved release dates from March to June 27, writes ComingSoon.
Johnny Depp will star in a Depression-era crime drama titled Public Enemies, Variety reports.
Some scheduling notes: Fox has renewed Don't Forget the Lyrics, writes Zap2it; Medium is headed to Monday nights, according to Variety; and The Futon Critic says ABC will start airing a tournament-style game show called The Duel.
A group of documentary directors will team up to make a documentary based on the bestselling book Freakonomics, writes Variety.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Zach Gilford will star opposite Alexis Bledel in the comedy The Post-Grad Survival Guide.
Reuters has the news that Michelle Williams will play the wife of Leonardo DiCaprio's character in Scorsese's film Shutter Island.
ComingSoon reports that five more actors have joined the cast of Judd Apatow's next comedy Year One, including David Cross and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Want Reba McEntire's Valentine's Day album? You'll have to buy it at Hallmark, Billboard reports.
Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson will star together in a wedding-themed comedy Bride Wars, according to Zap2It.

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