Public Enemies (2009)

Public Enemies
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In the action-thriller Public enemies, acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Academy Award-winner Marion Cotillard in the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) - the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J Edgar Hoover's (Billy Crudup) fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public. No one could stop Dillinger and his gang. No jail could hold him. His charm and audacious jailbreaks endeared him to almost everyone - from his girlfriend Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) to an American public who had no sympathy for the banks that had plunged the country into the Depression. But while the adventures of Dillinger's gang - later including the sociopathic Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Alvin Karpis (Giovanni Ribisi) - thrilled many, Hoover hit on the idea of exploiting the outlaw's capture as a way to elevate his Bureau of Investigation into the national police force that became the FBI. He made Dillinger America's first Public Enemy Number One and sent in Purvis, the dashing "Clark Gable of the FBI". However, Dillinger and his gang outwitted and outgunned Purvis' men in wild chases and shootouts. Only after importing a crew of Western ex-lawmen (newly baptized as agents) and orchestrating epic betrayals - from the infamous "Lady in Red" to the Chicago crime boss Frank Nitti - were Purvis, the FBI and their new crew of gunfighters able to close in on Dillinger.

Member reviews

Reviewed by: Sunet N.   |   20 December 2009

Really enjoyed it. Depp, Bale, Cotillard and even Dorff are all excellent. It's splendidly filmed and directed. Nothing over the top, quite rare for a Hollywood flick. Easy to compare with Bonny

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Reviewed by: Ann   |   18 December 2009

It is with heavy heart I write this review, I was so looking forward to seeing this new movie as I'm a huge Johnny Depp fan from '21 Jump Street' to 'Sweeney Todd' BUT I was terribly disappointed in this film, I found it boring, bland and slow there was just nothing about it to talk about, my Husband thinks it may be because it is taken from a true story and not the usual 'large than life' characters that Johnny Depp plays, not a bad movie just left me feeling disappointed.

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Reviewed by: Tracy-Lee   |   15 December 2009

I love Depp but what the? YAWN

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Opinions expressed by members are those of the author, and are not necessarily the opinions of Quickflix .

* We always endeavour to ensure that our content data is accurate. Please note that on occasion, studios and distributors may issue more than one version of a particular title, and detail such as extra features, subtitles, formats and so on may differ between versions.

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