Public Enemies

"Die like you live: all of a sudden."

Who knew that freshmen year of college and 21 Jump Street on television would end up propelling Johnny Depp into one of the finest actors of my generation. Seriously. His performance in Public Enemies is definitely engaging. Any role he takes on seemingly is a winner.

The trailer:

However, the storyline in this film leaves me wanting. There's so much more! It's 2 hours and 25 minutes long. And I mean "long". It dragged. If you didn't know the backstory, I fear some nuggets are lost. Sure, Dillinger was a beloved public icon. But why??? (Besides the one line: "We don't do kidnapping. The public doesn't like kidnapping.") He was driven to a life of crime. But why??? I wish the film dealt with some of the intricacies of his background; his reason for being. They had the time! Why not go into WHY?

Christian Bale portrays the FBI agent set to bring in Dillinger. Are they, Dillinger and the G-Man, seemingly similar? Focused. Driven. Goal-oriented. Cat and mouse. Intensely contested.

But if you don't know at least a smidge of the history, I fear some motives and background are lost.

It disappointed me. Matinee only.

Underwhelming.