In Michael Mann's period crime drama Public Enemies, Johnny Depp plays John Dillinger, the Depression Era bank robber who became the top target of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. Christian Bale plays Dillinger's nemesis, investigator Melvin Purvis; Marion Cotillard is Dillinger's gal, Billie Frechette; and Billy Crudup is Hoover the (Gay?) Man. (Previously, Leonardo DiCaprio had been connected with the project.)
Also in the cast: Channing Tatum as Pretty Boy Floyd, plus Leelee Sobieski, Emilie de Ravin, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Dorff, James Russo, and Lili Taylor. (And I'm assuming that Myrna Loy will be spotted in Manhattan Melodrama somewhere in the film.)
Previous versions of Dillinger's story, include those starring Lawrence Tierney (1945, directed by Max Nosseck) and Warren Oates (1973, directed by John Milius). Both were appropriately called Dillinger.
Screenplay by Michael Mann, Ronan Bennett, and Ann Biderman, from Bryan Burrough's book Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34.
Public Enemies opens in the US on July 1.
Photos: © 2009 Universal Studios
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Similar to the above comment two friends and I went to see Public Enemies on July 3rd. It was a hot Texas day and we went to "get some refrigeration" as is said by "Dillinger." We all really enjoyed the film. There were few complaints. The romance was a nice break from the violence. Afterwards we discussed the film and it truly effected me and made me ponder the way that gangsters are glamorized. We cannot wait until it is available to purchase to add to our collections.
I bought a movie ticket to see Public Enemies July 3rd. The person I went with left after an hour and I left soon afterward. It is hard to believe an actor as talented as Johnny Depp could not even pull this movie up. It had no real story and just dragged from scene to scene. It is a shame as I really looked forward to seeing it.