When Everything Works

I chose Public Enemies to close my crazy week at the movies, because a film starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale sounds like a sweet deal to me. The movie, directed by Michael Mann, is based on a book by Bryan Burrough, and tells the story of legendary bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and the FBI agent trying to capture him, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale).

I liked the movie, but I'm still trying to figure out why I didn't love it. The acting is solid, the direction competent, the characters interesting (but not compelling, and maybe that's the problem), and even though the movie is two and a half hours long, it never dragged or bored me in the slightest. As I said, it was an interesting story with interesting characters, yet I wasn't invested on it. I wasn't rooting for either Dillinger to escape or for Purvis to catch him. I wasn't dying for Dillinger to reunite with his girl (played by the French actress Marion Cotillard with a really great American accent), or for the FBI to come up with the perfect plan. So what's my problem? Everything in the film was top-notch, and I simply wasn't moved. It's true that I have a weakness for comedy, but I must confess that I enjoyed The Ugly Truth a lot more. So doctor, what's wrong with me?

At any rate, let me know what you think if you go see the movie. Maybe you'll love it and call me crazy. Maybe you'll agree with me and we'll be able to figure out why. After all, it is a Johnny Depp movie, therefore you could do worse than checking it out.