Shoot 'em up

Michael Mann directed three of the best crime movies I ever saw (Thief, Heat and Manhunter), and one of the best historical epics based on American literature (Last of the Mohicans). A rule of thumb that works for me when choosing movies to see in theaters is to follow directors with a consistent track record, and Michael Mann has one. Which is how I ended up in the neighborhood cineplex at 11:15 am today to see Public Enemies.

Public Enemies probably won't be at the top of the list when major film awards get passed out next spring, but it's a hell of a good genre picture. It's based on the criminal career of John Dillinger and his pursuit by Melvin Purvis and the FBI. The story was told in the 1970s by John Milius in his film Dillinger, starring the late, beloved Warren Oates in the title role and the late, beloved Ben Johnson as Purvis. Harry Dean Stanton played a gang member, who spoke my all-time favorite movie line: "Goddammit, things aren't working out for me today."

I thought the Warren Oates version of the Dillinger story was as good as any gangster film I'd seen up to that point, but in its own way, Public Enemies matches up well against it. The movie was apparently shot using high-definition digital video cameras instead of film, and the photography features incredible amounts of minute detail. Johnny Depp plays Dillinger, and in some shots you can count the hairs on his head and the pores in his skin.

Like Hilary Swank, Johnny Depp has grown on me. It seems like he devoted his early career to playing bizarre characters in strange movies but as he's aged, he's begun to deliver restrained, low-key performances that I've admired. I think Finding Neverland was the turning point for me.

Since this is essentially a cops-and-robbers movie, a lot of ammo gets burned, especially since most of the characters are carrying Thompson submachine guns. The violence is realistic, without the excesses of the usual summer comic book movies. The last scene was poignant enough to put one of those lumps in my throat. All in all, I recommend Public Enemies for theatrical viewing.