After watching Public Enemies tonight, I am sorely missing my 11 dollars. The movie was a mish-mash of bad camera work and bad script writing. The camera was constantly shaking and moving rapidly, so there was no opportunity to focus or figure out what was going on. I think the director was going for that kind of frenetic, fast-paced, gangster feel for the film so he made the camera very jumpy, but it seemed like amateur hour(or two). The camera also featured numerous close-up views of the characters,to the point of it becoming extremely irritating.
Public Enemies also stars Christian Bale, doing a southern accent. The accent is reminiscent of Foghorn Leghorn if you're familiar with Looney Tunes(I made sure I made everyone aware of that), and it was inconsistent throughout the movie. The accent got heavier or lighter at times, almost as if Bale forgot his character place. Bale was one of the most disappointing things in the movie.
The plot was convoluted, and many scenes were extremely drawn out and didn't contribute to the progression of the film. There were scenes of rival gangsters plotting against Dillinger, but to no end. There was no point for any of that.
There are some redeeming qualities to the movie, Depp's performance was good (although forgettable), and some of the shootouts were enjoyable to watch. Depp's Dillinger was very mundane and boring, but I do credit him for being the only redeeming aspect in the movie. He did the best he could with the suave and laid back Dillinger, but my friends and I were dissapointed at the fact that the "fearsome" Dillinger never killed anyone or showed a hint of anger for 2 and a half hours! I will blame the bad screenplay and camera work for the mediocre end product. This movie wanted to be great, but just fell way short.
I would advise people not to see it in theaters, but I'd recommend renting it. 6/10
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I felt basically the same way, except I HATED all of those negatives, whereas you seem just a bit peeved by them. Expect a full review of this film by me shortly. I'm coming out of retirement!
ReplyDeleteI figured Nick would be annoyed, as he practically drooled all over Bale in a previous posting. I heard some very positive buzz about this film, so I'm surrpised you hated it. However, the reviewer said it was an anti-genre film, so it's possible you youngsters may have missed something, not having been brought up on Bogart and Cagney, and then seeing Bonnie and Clyde in the early 70's. I plan to see it.
ReplyDeleteI'm eager to hear what you think of it, but I think it will probably be more of a disappointment than anything else.
ReplyDeleteI saw it last night and I liked it. THe camera work was annoying at first, but I got used to it. I tried to place the film in a context, one of making period pieces that are purely stylistic. The film was utterly empty, as you fella's point out. Yet, it makes everything look so incredibly beautiful that it is hard not to watch. The fact that the beauty being portrayed is utterly sordid crime makes it all the more discordant.
ReplyDeleteThe Godfather began this sort of thing, with one incredibly artistic rendering after another of the most sordid and ugly happenings. A recent example was "The Road to Perdition" which I found much more boring than "Public Enemies."
THe Godfather had the benefit of great story-telling and great characters, which this film does not. As Benny mentions, we will forget it all within minutes of leaving the film.
But, I think you guys were too harsh. I thought it was entertaining, and visually interesting. The nuanced references to state power, torture, lying to the public etc. were also plusses, though not fully developed.
What makes Public Enemies unique is it's film style, because it's unlike many out their. Instead of you're typical action film it's more of a motion picture documentary, if that makes any sense. Instead of telling the story of Dillinger your following the character, hence the shaky camera makes the film feel more raw and realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and think it's probably one of the best films I've seen so far this year.
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