A cat and mouse game is played by Purvis and Dillinger, with Billie caught in the middle. The two men vying for glory and fame try to outdo one another continually. It’s fascinating to watch. People may find Michael Mann’s raw filming style hard to adapt to. The entire film was shot digitally and has a look that can only be described as “home-movie-ish.” It looks like the reenactments you see on the History Channel, probably because Mann chose to film it in a higher frame per second rate than the standard twenty-four. Some points in the film do suffer from too much “shaky-cam” making what’s onscreen blurry or unrecognizable.
People going to Public Enemies expecting a rock ‘em sock ‘em thrill ride may be disappointed. It does have its intense shootout scenes, but they have a different feel to them. Even when tommy guns are going off left and right, Public Enemies doesn’t feel like an action movie. It plays out more like a melodrama chronicling Dillinger’s life and eventually his death.
I’m always amazed when a director takes on a historical account and can still make it exhilarating. Dillinger dies, everyone should know that. It’s in the history books; you can look it up anywhere. But, that scene leading up to his execution on that busy road is a thrilling climax to this film.
Dillinger was a force. He thought he was untouchable. When his world started to collapse in around him he had nowhere to turn, but he still kept his cool. That’s the kind of man he was. That’s the kind of man the nation actually adored.
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