PUBLIC ENEMIES (2009) - Michael Mann

I’ll start this off by saying this- Michael Mann is one of my all-time favourite directors. He consistently makes quality, intelligent films, and even his weaker films are streets ahead of most of the competition. I really enjoyed Miami Vice. Despite the negative reaction to it from some people, it’s still a very good film. And Heat is one of the greatest heist films ever. So, in a summer that has so far proven absolutely abysmal, the prospect of a new Mann film had me pretty excited. Public Enemies brings together two great modern actors playing out the story of 1930’s bank robber, John Dillinger.

It’s the 1930’s, and the depression has hit America hard. A wave of crime spreads across America and the criminals are becoming celebrities in their own rights. The leading name amongst the bank-robbers is John Dillinger. J Edgar Hoover is struggling to create the Federal Bureau of Investigation in order to investigate crime across the United States. His primary goal is to take down Dillinger. In order to do this, Hoover gives the task to Melvin Purvis, a young agent who has just taken down Pretty Boy Floyd, another notorious bank robber. Dillinger wants one last job in order to disappear off the map with his girlfriend, Billie Frechette. And Purvis is determined to bring the criminal to justice. At any cost.



There are similarities that can be drawn between Heat and Public Enemies. Both films focus on two men, from different sides of the track. One a master criminal, one a lawman. Neither film paints the criminal as a simple bad guy. And both films have kick-ass gun fights in them. However, Public Enemies is by far the weaker film for a number of reasons. The main problem with Public Enemies is that none of the characters in the film are explored enough. The film is a presentation of facts that misses that very important to film detail, character development. Perhaps it was Mann’s desire to stick to the facts, but the lack of character development unfortunately leaves the film without much in the way of emotional impact.

Mann has recently decided to make the move to digital filmmaking. His first major foray into digital came with Collateral, a contemporary thriller about a hitman. He shot Miami Vice in digital. And in both those films, the digital worked very well with the story. Both were glossy films set in modern day, and the realism that digital brings complemented the stories. However, it for some reason fails in Public Enemies. At times, the digital works very well. At other times, it is a little to jarring. In one particular shoot-out, set at night, the action jumps from a wood, to inside a hotel. While outside, the digital works. However, when we cut to inside, the film looks like it was shot by somebody with a digital camcorder. It’s moments like this that confuse the viewer. And while the scene is action packed, it still takes you out of the film momentarily.



One thing that’s great to see is Johnny Depp finally acting again. After the rubbish pantomime performances in the appalling Pirates of the Caribbean series, Depp finally goes back to what he does best, acting. He’s cast very well as Dillinger. Dillinger was somewhat of a celebrity in his time, so it makes sense to have one of the most famous actors of our time playing him. While the character could have had more depth to him, Depp takes what he’s given and makes the most of it. Which is something that can’t be said for Christian Bale. Don’t get me wrong, Bale has delivered some great performances. But I’m beginning to have my concerns about his acting. After Terminator Salvation, and quite honestly, a flat performance here, I hope that it’s just the scripts that are letting him down. He’s not terrible in Public Enemies, but he’s just not as good as you’d hope.
Marion Cotillard, however, probably delivers the strongest performance in the film. Again, there’s not much for her to do. And after her lengthy enough introduction, she disappears for a great deal of the film. But in the second half of the film, in one scene in particular, she steals the show.

Public Enemies isn’t the great film I’d hoped it would be. But it isn’t terrible either. When measured against the likes of Heat, The Insider, Manhunter and even Miami Vice, it’s not close to Mann’s best. However, Michael Mann’s weaker films are still far better than other filmmakers’ best. And after weeks of what can only be described as shit, it’s nice to have a film that isn’t ludicrously bad. 2009 is proving to be a stinker of a year. But Public Enemies is one of the better films so far.


7/10

THIS IS ENGLAND (2006) - Shane Meadows

Shane Meadows is quickly becoming one of the top writer-directors in the industry. His films are imbued with a reality that is very reminiscent of films of Ken Loach. After making the brilliant 2004 film, Dead Man’s Shoes, Meadows gets personal with the film This Is England, a semi-autobiographical account of a twelve year old’s experiences of 1983 Britain and the skinhead culture that was prevalent at the time. It was a time where Britain was struggling with crises both at home and abroad. Crises that made many people question their national identity and their position in society.

This Is England opens with a montage of television images from the early 1980s. Unemployed miners, National Front marches, royal weddings, people playing with Rubik’s cubes and Space Invaders and images from the Falklands War set up the era we’re being transported to. We meet Shaun. An only child, he lives with his mother. His father recently died in the Falklands. Shaun is bullied in school, he’s picked on for his hand-me-down clothes, a symptom of his family’s poverty. Shaun falls in with a gang of skinheads who accept him as one of their own. He immediately finds a place with the group of misfits. However, the situation turns sour when Combo arrives on the scene. Having been recently released from prison, Combo has learned some pretty controversial views while locked up, views he shares with the gang. While giving one particularly racist speech, he invokes images of the soldiers dying in the Falklands, something that really hits home with Shaun. Shaun becomes somewhat of a protégé for Combo. However the volatile nature of Combo, and deep insecurities in him put him, and those who associate with him on a course for tragedy.



While I’m sure it wasn’t Meadow’s intention when making This Is England to make a film that reflects the state of society today, there are definitely parallels with attitudes of the time and the attitudes of some now. However, this film isn’t some sort of moral lesson. It’s an incredibly personal account of Meadows’ experiences during a time of great social upheaval. These experiences are documented brilliantly by Meadows’ script and direction. There is rarely a moment in the film that doesn’t feel incredibly authentic. As Shaun is accepted by the group of skinheads, you do really feel the loyalty and friendship that exists between the friends. Even when Combo appears, you still have a sense of the loyalty that existed before he went to prison for Woody, the ‘leader’ of Shaun’s friends. As Combo delivers his state of the nation speech to the young, impressionable youths, the tension is palpable. The scene reminded me of a similar one in American History X, however, Meadows direction creates a far more believable scene.



Meadows’ cast is also outstanding. Newcomer Thomas Turgoose is instantly believable as Shaun. He’s an angry, volatile, impressionable child and Turgoose perfectly captures his innocence when he’s with a girl for the first time, and the rage he exhibits when attacking Combo for mentioning the Falklands or instigating a racist attack on a shopkeeper. Credit must also be given to Stephen Graham (Snatch, Gangs of New York) as Combo. It would be very easy for someone to play the racist bad guy as a one-dimensional caricature, spitting national pride and racism in equal quantities. Instead, you can see Combo’s a very damaged character. Rejected by a girl he was infatuated with and searching for something to cling to, racism is his outlet. The rest of the cast, made up of unfamiliar faces are all excellent as the people inhabiting the era.

Few films capture reality as convincingly as This Is England. From the script to the cast and the direction, there is very little to take away from the film. It’s clear from the film that the events in it come from a very personal place for Shane Meadows. While the film doesn’t tackle the social questions on a large scale, it’s a story about people from a small town, Meadow’s definitely touches on the highly questionable ideas raised at the time. Questions that are being asked once again by some due to the volatile politics in the world right now. But at the end of the day, This Is England is a film. And as such, it needs to entertain. And there’s no worry there. Meadows is a brilliant writer and director and This Is England confirms this.


9/10