Well, the hype was ecstatic, the cast excellent, and director outstanding. So what went wrong?
Okay, that may be a bit harsh, but the feeling with this film is that it sails by having not really said much at all. For those not in the absolute know, the story is about 1930s bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) who became a bit of a media star as he robbed banks throughout America, but never stealing people’s money, only the banks. So you could say he is a robber with a heart, well, apart from the killing people.
Hot on his trail is the fledgling FBI set up by J Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) who assigns agent extraordinaire Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) the task of bringing down Dillinger and his cash hungry crew.
And so the stage is set for an ultimate showdown of the whole hunter/hunted variety, with a bit more depth and social comment. However it never really takes off the ground and the best scenes are undoubtedly those featuring Dillinger’s relationship with his girlfriend Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard). Oh and some ferociously brilliant gunfights pepper the film with their violence. The media’s sensationalism of Dillinger is never really given much attention though.
Performance-wise the movie is a mixed bag. Johnny Depp is brilliant as Dillinger, and makes for decent viewing. It’s by no means a mesmerising performance but is certainly watchable. Less impressive is Christian Bale who just seems to turn up and do his job. But in his defence, his character needed a lot more fleshing out and the pressure of having to hunt the country’s biggest criminal is never really explored. A shame, because when given the chance, Bale is a stunningly intense actor. Instead, we are left with hints of his brilliance, but what brilliant hints they are. Marion Cotillard does do a great job though and as said before, it is her scenes with Depp that are among the best.
More victims of underdevelopment include Dillinger’s gang of associates. Not only is it often hard to tell who’s who but they are hardly given much of an introduction or characterisation. Such a case is Babyface Nelson( Stephen Graham) who’s erratic menace only really comes to fruition near the end of the film. Annoying, because Stephen Graham does an excellent job with what he’s given. Granted, obvious exposition would be irritating, but at least something.
This movie had the opportunity to be truly brilliant, but instead loses its way, and is, to a certain degree, a bit too similar to Heat. Worth watching though, for there are some scenes that are simply stunning in their execution. ***