I have always enjoyed Johnny Depps Films, this was in my opinion in the middle of 6 and seven... Depp was Dillinger in my eye's, but, Dillinger was somtimes not what I was hoping, yes he was a bank robber that knew what he was doing, but the movie started to get slow in the middle, to about 3/4's in... It did start back up and in overal i though it was a good film...

Lets just kiss Michael Mann's ass, even though the man has indeed made one decent film in years because its Michael Mann so it obviously must be great. Formula, then get 2 big name stars, the flamboyant but good actor Christian Bale and the increasingly eccentric oddball Johnny Depp. The film is average at best and the cheap grainy look of the film looks like it was filmed in somebody backyard like a cheap home video. There is nothing revolutionary or groundbreaking in this film and it is overlong, pretentious and feels like it has something to say that we have already seen in countless gangster films that have preceded it. Overall it is an exercise of style over substance, glossy production values taking center stage over coherent storytelling and background of character motivations.… Expand

Dull and way too long. Wait for it on video.

it was a good movie on the boarder line with great but not quite

completely missed the mark from the supposed master filmmaker. Choppy. Some might call Depp enigmatic but it's the nice way of saying that Michael Mann never knew who this character was or why he should make this film.

I didn't know what to expect despite waiting a year for this film. Very surprised and pleaed with the results. Simply put, Depp IS Dillinger.

This is a perfect gangster-movie !! Mann is a great director and Depp will win a Oscar for his performance !! Exelent !!!

S L O W, tedious, boring, no character depth, very little story, could have been a 20 minute selected short.

Intriguing, well acted, and great visuals

Excellent film. Johnny Depp is pitch perfect as Dillinger with a wicked gleam in his eye. Christian Bale is toned down and tightened up, as the G-Man with a conscious. The romance between Dillinger and Billie is both sweet and passionate. You may not agree with her decisions, but you certainly understand why she fell so head over heels for the gangster, and why he loved her from the moment he spotted her.… Expand

Interesting that the lowest review score here is 50. Even the highest rated movies here have some scathing reviews. I think this movie was a bold move on Mann's part - it's being packaged and presented as a summer fun movie, but it's something much deeper. Mann didn't compromise at all on this, he brought his unique vision to the screen - those who understand it, think it's brilliant; the rest of them can't say any worse than 2 of 4 stars. If you have any expectations whatsoever of a lush, Hollywood period piece like Road to Perdition, leave those at the door. This is like a 40's gangster movie remade by Paul Greengrass. We're simply spectators watching events unfold in the last months of Dillinger's life. This is not about backstory or the typical screenwriting devices. Just watch this beautiful, documentary-like vision unfold. The final segment (even the naysayers agree) is profoundly well done and worth the ticket price alone. The shootout at Little Bohemia comes close. Depp, Cotillard and Bale are excellent. Bale's character was a boring guy in real life - read the book - so Bale's restraint is appropriate here.… Expand

Michael Manns frantic technique is no substitute for solid storytelling. Style undermines substance and results in a messy and lifeless movie with no real center, and few surprises.

I should have loved this movie. I like and appreciate many of the actors and I love crime dramas and heist movies. This wasn't either of those things. This movie was boring, plain and simple. Performances were wooden, facts were implied rather than explained, and I wasn't rooting for either side. Depp never felt like the anti-hero he was supposed to; I didn't care whether or not he was caught. And Bale didn't inspire me as the hand of righteousness he was supposed to represent; I didn't care whether or not he captured Dillanger. And story and acting aside, the film itself looked like it was shot on a handheld digital camera, which often took me out of the movie theater and made me feel like I was watching the homework assignment of a film student. Plus, the movie was more than two hours long. Had I not been with a group of friends, I would have walked out and saved myself an extra hour of my life. All in all, it wasn't the worst movie I've seen, but I expected more that what was delivered and as an avid movie-goer, I was pretty disappointed. I would have much rather spent my $10 seeing Star Trek again.… Expand

Can't think of a single Mann, Depp, or Bale film that rises above this. The viewer's intelligence is respected; his expectations as a film goer are indulged . . . everything I could have hoped for and more. Depp nailed Dillinger - what a performance - what a cast - what a truly entertaining film!

Reduce this movie to the simpliest of terms, best movie of the year so far!

I was sorely disappointed in this film. I didn't come in expecting the next Untouchables or Godfather, but I did come in expecting a nice piece of entertainment. Instead I was presented with an exceedingly long mess of footage thrown together into a film. The story left me and my friends wondering "what is going on?" after only an hour, a question that never went away. As well, the digital footage didn't feel right, as it blurred movements and made the film feel more amateur, with some shots looking like they came off of my consumer HD camcorder. Problems with dialogue levels and the overall sound (including a blunt score) only worked against any success this film could muster. All in all, not worth your money.… Expand

A unique masterpiece. Depp impersonates dillinger in a unique way and gives an academy award worthy performance.

I really hope everyone who is interested in this movie goes to see it this weekend. It's a very well-done crime saga that will reward a patient, thoughtful viewer. Please show Hollywood that not every movie-goer is a young child (Ice Age 3) or has the mentality of a 14-year-old boy (Transformers 2).

Depp is mesmerizing; the performances first rate all around. thought-provoking and incredibly realistic while touching and heartbreaking. I must see.

The best way to describe it is that it's interesting. Johnny Depp has an air of mystery about him. You feel like you never really got to know him.

Visually stunning, with a fantastic performance by Depp.

Johnny Depp gives a stellar performance, despite a less than stellar script. The movie is great - it's not just as perfect as it could have been. Still a must see movie this summer.

Ridiculously violent.. dialogue too muddled to hear. What a waste of 140 minutes.

The best summer film so far. One of those films were you can't help but root for the bad guy.

[***SELF-POLICING SPOILER ALERT*** With "Goodfellas", filmmaker Martin Scorsese had fire and ice on his hands too, in which the gangsters played by Ray Liotta(Henry Hill) and Joe Pesci(Tommy DeVito) were studies in contrast, as are John Dillinger(Johnny Depp) and Baby Face Nelson(Stephen Graham) in "Public Enemies". Unlike the hot-headed Tommy, an honest-to-goodness sociopath, Henry was a pretty cool customer, reticient even, much to Tommy's mother's irritation, who complains to her scumbag son that his friend doesn't say much, in the scene where the mafiosos sit down(along with Robert DeNiro) for an after hours meal. In "Public Enemies", Dillinger, the way Depp plays him, is so in control of his emotions, it's easy to forget that he robs banks for a living. The gangster needs to go beserk, just once, to prove he has a pulse, like Henry, who pistol-whips a guy when the neighbor gets fresh with his girlfriend Karen(Lorraine Bracco). Does Dillinger love Billie Frechette(Marion Cotillard) enough to bash in a guy's head with his gun? It's hard to tell because Depp's performance is way, way, way too modulated. This ain't a Jim Jarmusch film, right? Dillinger is no James Cagney, and that's the filmmaker's point(case and point, the gangster watches a gangster film: in the bijou, W.S. Van Dyke's "Manhattan Melodrama" is playing); he was just a man. But these are the movies, so although the reluctance to mythologize Dillinger was a mature decision("Public Enemies" docu-dramatizes him), the potential for an engrossing anti-hero was sacrificed in the process. Baby Face Nelson, on the other hand, now that's our Cagney(he does an imitation of him to some bar patrons in one scene), that's our spark plug, but alas, Graham's rendering of Dillinger's right-hand man is sadly underused. It's the "Dead Man" who gets to quote the Hollywood legend, in a scene where Dillinger tries to put Billy's mind at ease about his dangerous occupation, boasting that he's on "top of the world", just like Cagney did in Samuel Fuller's "White Heat". Too bad he sounds so unconvincing.… Expand

Screenplay, character development, plot development. Atrocious, insulting and laughable.

Pretty boring. I spent drifting into my mind and then back to the movie. By the last half hour I was wondering if leaving would be a better idea.

It's a mix between Miller's Crossings and Heat. That being said, in every aspect it isn't as good as Heat. Surprisingly, Depp's acting is rather bland and Bale is his typical no frills and no emotion robot.

I thought it was very good entertainment. Depp, as usual, is awesome. However, the movie still lacks a bit in storytelling and the origins. Dillinger's history isn't explained.

I think it could have been better, but for what it was, it was pretty good. Sad that the public can't recognize a decent film when they see it...

On the way to nowhere in a boring slow car. Unfocussed. Great scenery, but poor writing, directing and just average acting. A big snooze!

Beautifully shot and well-acted, I still found this movie strangely uninvolving. It seemed more like a museum piece than a movie. Even the action segments iin the film seemed cold and distant. Actually, I was bored and disappointed.

Mann had the daring to invent a visual vocabulary for the gangster film, and it pays off with the best film of the genre since Bonnie & Clyde. The camera takes in actors and action alike with unhurried deliberation, more or less in real time, and it brings the human scale of both into sharp relief. As slickly stylish as the film is visually, it doesn't get in the way of a great gangster film that is also a great love story.… Expand

This movie is ok, its very similar to a movie called the newton boys which i actually liked better..the movie is well made and the cast solid but it is kind of long and very predictable. i would recommend it because even though it was long i wasn't bored at any point.

Wow. Really mixed feelings on this film. I'm a huge fan of Michael Mann and his movies are kind of events for me but that can also be frustrating because his work is all over the place. He's been in a period of extremely strong visual stylization that is almost its own art form - Miami Vice and Collateral would almost work better with the sound off. I prefer when he is just being a really good storyteller, though, i.e. Heat, Ali and The Insider. The biggest problem with Public Enemies for me was that it is shot in a really ugly digital format. I know that Mann probably thought it would lend immediacy and reality to the story - which it does in some ways - but it's also distracting. The association in our minds of hi-def to reality is a modern, technological connection that we get from watching documentaries shot on a budget. That effect can be simulated in a modern setting more smoothly for this reason, for instance in 28 Days Later. Here, used on a 1930s historical drama, it stands out like a sore thumb. I was never really able to get lost in the film. There are other problems, particularly the muffled audio that makes Mann's already pithy scrip even harder to follow and the script itself, which is somewhat vanilla. Depp is sweet. Bale is Bale - one note, complete intensity at all times. The smaller parts are played by great actors who sometimes come to life more than the leads. But there is a blunt energy to the movie that is affecting and kind of addicting. I've been thinking about the movie all day since seeing it last night. I think it has soul. I would like to see it again. I really hope that Mann goes back to film, or to another format that is equally beautiful. But I'm also glad he's working as much as he has in the past 10 years.… Expand

The movie begins with a good action scene, but it never settles down to give some historical background of the 30s or Dillinger himself, aside from a few quick lines. The scene in the Wisconsin woods at night starts well--the night forest looks really interesting, but what follows is just rapid cutting of vague action. The movie just didn't grab me, and Dillinger was an interesting person in history. I'm gonna rent the 1973 version called "Dillinger" since I haven't seen it since then. Oates actually looked like Dillinger.… Expand

Johnny Depp gives depth to Dillinger. His love interest was completely believable. We should see more of her.

Very well done; I agree with many who said that it was very good, but not great, that there was some element missing there. I can't place it, but it's still a must-see in my book.

Another classic to add to your collection of gangster flicks. I'm not sure about the actual story of Dillinger--some parts i know were inaccurate--but the film is front-to-back remarkable.

Oh, how the mighty Michael Mann has fallen. Outside the theater, I ran into the great writer/director Robert Towne who, when I asked if he liked the film, said: "No. And I have to take some time to think about what's happened to movies." I volunteered that I thought it had something to do with the making of a virtue out of dispassion. In any case, this movie is dull. Johhny Depp is not at all suited to play this kind of part, and I found myself during his scenes much more fascinated that the filmmakers would think, shot as it is in High Def video, that it would be acceptable for us to plainly see he's wearing make up. Christian Bale is dreadful. I'd love if he could perform in anything with a pinky's worth of the intensity of feeling he shows when going after a crew member or his mother and sister. The action had very few touches, just lots of Tommy guns blasting without much effect, and, all around, was pretty much pointless: nothing about how hard economics evokes a certain personality trait, or that some men take badly to authority or they love thrills or that even if we want to see those old days as quaint, they were in fact brutal. Just blah, blah, bang.… Expand

This movie is just a modern day depiction of glorified violence. The strength of the movie should have been its focus on the characters, and finding a connection to their basic humanness, which happens pretty well in the first half of the movie. Seeing John Dillinger among every day folk just a little while after robbing a bank is fascinating! Seeing an everyday girl take on the challenge of dating a John Dillinger is fascinating! That said, the blood and gore that becomes a focus in the second half is a unnecessary distraction that just brings the movie down to a subpar level, and leaves you wishing the movie had done something more.… Expand

My wife and I both enjoyed this movie although she liked it better than I did. My only objection was its length, how many bank robbers and shootouts do I need to make a point? Minor criticism, overall, I believe Michael Mann did an excellent job of capturing the time period(i.e. depression) and our hero worship of criminals.

Flat and emotionally uninvolving. The film lacks a point of view and interesting narrative line. Christian Bayle is a disaster; his characterization is empty and pointless. The Lawrence Tierney version [1945] still rules. LT in a boater and shades can't be beat.

While this movie was entertaining, it was... the same old movie. Not only has cops and robbers been done a million times but mob vs. cops has been done almost as much. This movie felt like it followed the same old pattern.

Without any real focus on some aspect of the film and just a hodgepodge of rather uninteresting action scenes interspersed with bland dialogue and equally uninteresting and bland characters, it just doesn't feel like anywhere near what it should have been. Because the characters are boring, there's no good reason to root for anyone in particular. Neither Depp nor Bale manage to salvage the writing and put any flavor into their characters, and the thrill of the cat-and-mouse chase isn't there, which is surprising for a Michael Mann film. Disappointing.… Expand

Thin story, some odd casting choices and pretty poor dialogue make for a heavily stylized, but ultimately empty gangster picture: a gangster picture where all the joy and fun has been sapped out of it.

Great movie - different, interesting, exciting.

With the actors and storyline they had, they could have made this movie great...but there were too many pointless scenes, they could have made this much shorter and more interesting. they left out many interesting aspects of dilingers robberies (like the fact that he used to go into the banks pretending that they were shooting a movie so when they went in to rob it the people outside thought it was a movie shoot...but this was not shown in the movie). overall, not a horrible movie, but i expected more..i say wait for the dvd.… Expand

Horribly shaky camera work. Half the time couldn't recognize the characters because of shakiness. No characters got my sympathy or emotional connection. Nice representation of '30s styles and environs.

This movie was pretty horrible. Drawn-out, dull, poor transitioning between scenes, and truly terrible camera work. I was not emotionally invested in any of the characters, and Christian Bale in particular was very miscast. This may have all been redeemed had the movie actually been entertaining, but at no point did I think it was. I'd strongly recommend avoiding it, despite positive reviews from the professional media.… Expand

Epic Movie, great to watch, you won't be disappointed.

Shot like a television show, with no scale or scope at all, a bloated two and a half hour masturbatory rehash of gangster cliches. With no discernable dramatic through-line, except a by-the-numbers "and then, and then" retelling in excruciating, boring detail, this is more evidence of Michael Mann's arrogance and mediocrity. The only truly amazing thing is that Mann was able to make robbing banks boring. The best thing about this movie was the font.… Expand

Shocking. Boring throughout. Not enough actions scenes and never got going.

Beautifully crafted, emotionally void, an inevitably doomed figure lurching toward his end, accompanied by gunfire and grave chordal progressions. Chorus toward an end.

I was really looking forward to this movie, but the incredibly distracting camera-work, and the fact that it was shot at 30fps in digital makes it almost unwatchable and feels like it was shot on a home camera. I didn't feel any connection to the characters, and there was absolutely no feeling of suspense, excitement, or sadness during any part of the movie. It really felt like everyone involved - from writers, to director, to actors - just phoned it in. And don't even get me started on the horrendous sound and film editing. Even the music felt amateurish. All in all, a movie that should have been great ends up being painfully unwatchable due to some ridiculous production choices (which will probably be defended as "artistic choices").… Expand

Very disappointing given those involved.

I left the theater not quite sure whether or not I liked this film--there were some brilliant moments, but at times it felt quite scattered and clumsy. Like one critic said above, there seemed to be no reason to make this film--I kept catching glimpses of that, but it's like Michael Mann tried so hard to make everything so subtle that the whole film ends up getting lost. It really just made me want to watch The Assassination of Jesse James again, as that is a brilliant artsy gangster film, and this was just kind of rambling and lost in its own seeming profoundness.… Expand

An absolute classic. Great film. Historically accurate, amazingly told. Only problem is it's a bit slow. If it was half an hour shorter it would be the best film this year.

The movie was just okay nothing special. It would have been so much better if we could have looked into the life of the boy and then the man to understand what made him unique. Not enough character development on all the other characters either.

It's a great movie!Johny Depp was really good and the plot really interesting.Good scenes with lot of actions.i believe it would be one of the best movie of 2009!

Film’s extremely historically inaccurate even to the level of an insult to the viewer.

For me, the film failed to deliver so much that was promised by the reputable cast. A meaningless concession of gunfights does not constitute a storyline.

I so wanted to like this movie. I went to it hoping to see another "Bonnie and Clyde." The film I saw was slow, lacking in tension, "artsy" to a fault and ultimately disappointing. I was particularly disappointed with Depp's interpretation of Dilliinger. Depp captured the smoldering anger in the man, but none of his well-documented, rock star charm that beguiled the press, public and police alike. Was there any other bank robber in history who gave chairs to women during hold-ups? Who else but Dillinger would return to the scene of a robbery an hour after the crime, casually chat up the police and then leave on a city bus? These and other extraordinary true incidences were not in "Public Enemies" and the film is poorer for it.… Expand

An excellent Mann film! Reminds me alot of Heat.

2 1/2 hours of boredom, blurry film, empty dialogue, shaky handicams, undeveloped characters, incoherent plot development, and disgraceful audio quality. Home movies have been made with better quality. Other than that, it gets five because it did have SOME good shots and some interesting scenes. Not to mention the actors Depp and Bale who kept the thing afloat.

I really enjoyed this movie. It’s a refreshment after the disappointment I received last week from Bruno. It’s a great action movie. As well, the plot is good, and the characters interesting. If you like movies based on mafias and gangs such as Goodfellas, then this may be a film for you.

This has to be the dullest, and probably the worst gangster film I have ever seen. After the first hour, I wished that I had rented The Untouchables on video rather than waste 20 bucks on this piece of crap. Poorly edited, poorly paced, and long, the movie utterly fails as a gangster film. Especially given that everybody knows how this movie ends, Mann somehow manages to drag the finale out a full hour past when the film should have reached its natural conclusion. So how does it do as a character study? Not much better, actually. I didn't care about any of the characters, either the cops or the criminals. Depp is horribly miscast as Dillinger, and you never get beyond the cool veneer to understand what drove this man. The love story between him and his girlfriend is similarly pointless and uninvolving. Finally, the contrast between Dillinger and Purvis also falls flat, with only one scene where the two characters are on screen together. So for all of those who have not yet seen this film, ignore the positive reviews - these critics are either horribly misguided, or maybe they hang out with Mr. Mann. Whatever the case, it is hard to see this movie as anything but an unmitigated disaster.… Expand

Without question the best movie I've seen this summer. Very well written and executed. It starts off a bit slow but definately picks up after the first 30 minutes or so. Sound was a little off - not the best editiing in the world but over all two thumbs up on this one!

All the energy seems to have been put into research. The movie is a bore. The cinematography looks like it was shot with a cellphone, the dialog is alternately too low or too loud, the music is dreary, the shootouts have been staged with no choreographic imagination, just bang bang bang, no gags or pieces of business. It's lazy, with just one good scene: when Depp walks into the police station.… Expand

One character, very drunk, makes just about the worst James Cagney impression I’ve ever heard. That’s what this movie is. It’s a Universal film pretending to be a revisionist rendition of the Warner Bros. Gangster films. It’s a bad impression of William Wellman’s film The Public Enemy, starring Cagney. If only it had been more homage than revision. This film could have used the other’s gritty realism, instead of the fantasy world in which Public Enemies comfortably resides. I also wouldn’t have minded if someone had shoved a grapefruit in Billie Frechette’s face when she began to cry. … Expand

Outstanding acting and set.

I hated this film. The cinematography was poor, the acting nothing special, the script horrible, the whole movie was a complete waste of time. Very big disappointment.

Public Enemies is a strange film, a hodgepodge of melodrama, crime, action and romance. In trying to juggle all these elements, the audience ends up seeing the film’s individual parts rather than its sum. This is unfortunate, seeing as Public Enemies was poised to be one of the best films of the year. I really wanted to like this film, being that gangster films are my favorite genre of films. But alas, it was not to be. Public Enemies qualifies for a gangster picture for the sole reason that the main character robs banks and shoots police officers with Tommy guns. Finding neither the beauty of The Godfather, nor the tragedy of Bonnie and Clyde, nor the grittiness of Gomorrah, Public Enemies can’t find a consistent rhythm. For a film about a bank robber, Public Enemies spends relatively little time inside of a bank. Don’t get me wrong-there are a few scenes of Dillenger and his crew cleaning out banks- but by the second hour those scenes pretty much disappear. What we’re left with are short scenes featuring Dillenger hitting on, and subsequently dating a woman (Marion Cotillard) he met at a nightclub, and scenes of fighting the cops. The former are accompanied by the most over-the-top string music that sucks any drama from them. Michael Mann seems to realize that he needs to show all sides of Dillenger in order to convince the audience to care about a murdering bank robber. Yet for such a long film, this attempt has clearly failed. For even halfway into the film, the character of John Dillenger is still a mystery. Where did he come from? What is his ultimate goal? What does he want out of life? Dillenger comes off as simply a bank robber who happens to love this one woman. As a result, the audience has a hard time making the strong personal connection that drives a film like this. Director Michael Mann uses a lot of handheld camerawork, much of it to success, but the combination of the stark and sharp cinematography with the handheld camera gives the film a certain home movie feel. Public Enemies is also quite confusing. We are never introduced to his associates and thus when they die or become a major part of a scene; they seem like ways to get John Dillenger out of tricky situations. To the film’s credit, Depp is a very convincing Dillenger and his chemistry with Marion Cotillard’s character keep the film from falling completely apart. However, Christian Bale’s character is as stale as week-old bread. His entire purpose in life is to kill John Dillenger. The real problem with Public Enemies is that the lack of depth and lack of character development make the rest of the film distant and uninteresting. If only the filmmakers cared about the characters, then perhaps Public Enemies would be worthwhile.… Expand

Very entertaining and an appropriate film given the current financial crisis, and our rather low impression of banks. Dillinger was folk hero in his time and I can relate to it :-). Stick it to those evil, greedy banks. It's hard to believe that this is the same guy as in the Pirates of the Caribbean. The film does an excellent job depicting the times with sets and costumes. What I didn't like was the Depp doesn't come across as a sympathetic character, nor does Christian bale for that matter. You almost immediately forget about what you saw once you leave the theater.… Expand

I thought this movie would suck. Miami Vice? Lame. Collateral? Ditto. The trailer to Public is not too motivating, and the reviews are rather blah. Nonetheless, I decided to see this anyways. Good film. I do not care about gangsters. Never liked the Godfather. I loved this film. The HD cameras made this fascinating. No, it does not look likea home movie nor a History Channel flashback. It looks great. The story is simple, yet it is also complex. Is it historically accurate? Who cares. Remember the Titans (junk-fest) was far from accurate, but that didn't stop critics from liking it. This is simply a good film. What matters to me in a film is the hidden theme, or atmosphere, and if that film can hold it throughout. This film has great atmoshpere. I never once thought of gangster cliches or hollywood splurge. It was engrossing and full of frenzy. It had a momentum which is rare these days. This is one of the only films where the digital camera actually adds to it. Mann, great job.… Expand

Depp's Dillinger is exciting character to watch. The robbery scenes are intense I thought the over all movie was worth paying the movie ticket price

Really dug this film. Only film I ever saw where the digital filming actually made the film better, or at least more interesting. One big gripe: Goldenthal, fantastic composer...sadly, every time his music came in it did not fit, likely due to the HD camera. The composed music seemed forced, and distracting. Yet, great film.

Rubbish, should've walked out.

An unfortunate waste of time and disappointment considering it's actors. No real purpose to the show other than to detail the idiocy of the characters.

An absolutely brilliant film. The style, the direction, the camera, the acting talent. It was all there. Johnny Depp was once again brilliant in his portrayal of Johnny Dillinger, whilst Christian Bale, usually disappointing, provided a sturdy opponent. Michael Mann directs the film with a brilliance which one rarely sees, and in my opinion anyone who gave this film below a seven simply cannot have understood the proceedings or failed to appreciate the artistic beauty of the film. It could be said that this is one of the greatest films in the genre.… Expand

At last - after the stifling summer blockbusters and sequels comes something almost like an indie (compared to others released around that time). Great job, very tense, very exciting, and I have more respect for Depp actor-wise.

It was a nice movie and it had some of the most awesome action scenes... but there were also parts that were boring.. the movie as a whole really drew me in and made me want to see more but the ending wasn't what I would have like it to be and I know it was based on a true story of something like that so they had to keep it to a strict course but maybe thats what limited what this movie could have been… Expand

Wow. How boring was that? To sum it up: The police chase Dillinger, he gets away, robs a bank, gets caught, escpaes, the police chase him, he robs something else, repeat.. Oh, and there's a girl involved, but it doesn't help. For over two and a half hours, this movie fails to engage you in any way. In Mann's masterpiece Heat, he made you root for both villains and cops. Watching Public Enemies, you end up not caring about either. The reason I don't give this the lowest possible rating, is of course the shooting scenes, which are great, but Mann can do that blindfolded by now. Too bad he kept the blindfolds on for the rest of the movie, though.… Expand

Overly long and generally underwhelming. Depp is the only bright spot in a film which has surprisingly little to keep you engaged considering the nature of the subject matter.

All my hopes dashed by odd camerawork (though moments were really cool) and a wretchedly horrid soundscape. whoever did the soundFX and mixing really screwed the pooch, the producer that paid them is worse, and needs to be told about the filtering that can be used to make the picture look good and not like a digital short.

I'm impressed only by how boring this film managed to make the subject matter, and how fake it managed to look (which I guess is because of it being shot in high def digital). It's a shame, because there is a great cast, but they're not given much to work with.

Boring but the acting is well done. Rent it. see if it's your taste.

Not bad, but a bit unnecessary. Depp is fine, Bale slightly less so. Lots of machine gun fights, some dull car chases, lots of mildly interesting gang interactions which lead nowhere in particular, and (of course) the obligatory OTT torture scene that every American crime movie seems to have these days. But it is a french/native american woman that gets tortured by brutal fat FBI agents, so no harm done! All in all, vapid narrative, but well directed.… Expand

Loved it! Johnny Depp was perfectly cast as Dillinger and very believable. Marion, who played Billie Frechette, his girlfriend had an ethereal look about her that you just couldn't take your eyes off her. They were absolute magic on screen. Though it was bloody and violent, it was not overly so since this is a gangster movie about bank robbers and a man who was and lived a very violent life. Loved the charm and brashness that Depp portrayed in the role. And loved the original Chicago scenery.… Expand

Sound on or sound off, it is the same movie. Visually exciting, but that is about it. Dull uninteresting characters. Are we really to believe that John Dillinger never laughed or had a good time! Although it gives an accurate historical timeline, it fails to connect on any emotional level. All style, no substance; on balance a mostly forgettable film.

Unexpectedly good film...a little bit uneven though because the ending was not as good as the other parts of the film.

Johnny Depp is on my Oscar-watch.

Watch it for Depp's acting and the movie's realistic feel

The production and acting were amazing; it's just too bad that the whole thing is portrayed as a series of events, and not so much as a plot. It also manages to get repetitive.

Expect some Oscar awards coming from this film.

Very disappointing. I had high expectation for this movie, but it just lacks the excitement that it was supposed to deliver.

Too boring.

I like very much Depp´s interpretations, but in this movie. I liked more the second part of the movie, but i bored a lot.