Public Enemies - Depp is Dillinger

This is a film that came out a few years ago and has been on my LoveFilm list for almost as long. I would have got it earlier but for the vagaries of copyright law meaning that LoveFilm weren't allowed to make the film available for rent until very recently.  You could buy it from them, but no renting. I am not entirely sure why this changed recently, perhaps a new agreement between the companies, or perhaps the distribution company realising that their real competition is now from services such as Netflix and so allowing 'traditional' DVD rental more freedom.

Which reminds me, Netflix is rubbish. It has an unbelievably poor selection of sub-par films and although it does have quite a lot of TV series available it doesn't live up to its promise. It seems that we are still a little bit away from completely 'on demand' TV and film over the internet.

Whatever the reason for Lovefilm's delay, it was Sunday evening during a self-imposed break from Mass Effect 3 that I cracked the DVD out and watched 'Public Enemies'. The film is a biography of the later portion of the life of notorious US fugitive and bank robber John Dillinger. Dillinger - as you can read for yourself on Wikipedia - was a serial bank robber and prison escapee who became something of a celebrity in a troubled USA during the great depression. The film portrays him as a relentless in his pursuit of his goals (money and his girlfriend Billie - played by by Marion Cotillard), but at the same time a man of the people. The film shows him as a man who would never steal from the poor, would never kill and is loyal to his friends.

Johnny Depp plays Dillinger. Depp is a fantastic actor who proves himself every time he gets to play a proper role in a film. Yes he's great at playing Edward Scissorhands-like characters for the nth time, but proper acting surely has to be the way forwards for him as he gets older. He can't keep on playing the fool for the rest of his career. Christian Bale plays the hard-nosed FBI agent on the case to catch Dillinger. It's a role that doesn't require a lot from Bale, and he looks like he's operating on autopilot as he gives stern glares delivering his tough-guy talk.

It's quite a good film, one in which I learnt a little about the history and culture of the USA in the early 20th century. It has several vicious gun battles and when people get hit by gunfire it isn't pretty. All good points in my opinion. One question I have is this: is the film trying to make a political point about the role of an uncontrolled banking sector? Even though the central character spends his time stealing from banks - he isn't portrayed as the bad guy. Is the film saying that it's ok to be a criminal as long as you go after the rich in society? If so then it's a very relevant film in the modern age. The banking crisis of the last 5 years closely mirrors the one that went on during the great depression of the 1930s. After all the banks have stolen from us, why should the ordinary citizen worry if a bunch of criminals try to rip them off? Would we in current times line up to cheer on a modern day John Dillinger? Perhaps not, unless it was actually Johnny Depp doing it of course.