Public Enemies (2009)

Michael Mann shot a 1933 gangster epic in crisp, jittery digital video, and half the time Public Enemies looks like a very expensive local news report. The fedoras are perfect. The image fights them. The bigger issue is that nobody gets an inner life. Johnny Depp’s Dillinger is all cool posture and quick smiles, Christian Bale’s Purvis is a starched collar with a badge, and the gang members blur into one long overcoat. At 140 minutes, that’s a lot of handsome men squinting. Marion Cotillard is the one who breaks through. Her Billie is funny, wary and tougher than anyone expects, and a late interrogation scene is the most human moment in the film. The prison break and a nighttime shootout at a lodge in the woods are pure Mann, loud and precise. Billy Crudup plays J. Edgar Hoover like a man who practices his handshake. A 6.0 because the craft is impressive and the people stay behind glass. $61.42 says you pass an old movie theater marquee this month and slow down to read every word.

What works: Marion Cotillard is excellent, and Michael Mann stages the gunfights and the prison break with real precision.

What doesn’t: Dillinger and Purvis stay blank, the gang members are hard to tell apart, and the digital look clashes with the period.

Who it’s for: Michael Mann fans and anyone who loves old-school bank robbery stories more than character studies.