Just saw "Public Enemies" with Johnny Depp.
I will watch anything he does even if the story line does not appeal.
Did some research on John Dillinger and point directly at his upbringing and the incident where he was gaoled for 20 years for a robbery as a young chap. As he said he was going to get out of prison being the hardest darnest man alive. That is what prison does/did.
Now....the movie was fine...Depp as usual did a stellar job. Christopher Bale was very good too and I like the costumes and the look of the times.
I did not like:
Firstly the use of the camera!
Horrible horrible, distracting and made me feel like I was the actual camera person! I was looking at a movie being made down a lense so it broke the sense of place and pace for me.
Secondly the editing!
Shocking, sloppy, psuedo neauvo claptrap. Out of focus and preemptive on some entrances by characters. Bad stuff.
Thirdly ( and hence because of the first two) the directing.
Not the direction of the actors, but direction of the camera movement, focus, preemptive sight lines.
Not good.
However Johnny is always worth watching.
The blurb from the director Michael Mann saying that Dillinger was a complex character was pure bullshit.
He was not. He was a damaged person trying to be someone else. He had a dream and he wanted to live in the moment. Full stop.
I don't care if you watch it or not. I am not recommending nor not recommending it. Watch it for Johnny Depp. Full stop.
