There are two small moments - one involving a patron during a bank robbery who offers up what change he has on him, and a female teller who is taken hostage - but for the most part we never understand why so many folks fell for him. Mann has said that it was the Robin Hood aspect of John Dillinger that fascinated him, but there is precious little of that in the film. As someone who has read about that era and its most notable criminals, I caught myself filling in the blanks on more than a few occasions. With Public Enemies, it's thanks more to the charisma of Johnny Depp, his chemistry with Marion Cotillard, and the sheer intensity of Christian Bale rather than Mann's storytelling that the viewer is even remotely interested in the people this story is about. We often don't get to know or truly care about his characters ( Miami Vice being the most recent example, and Heat and The Insider the biggest exceptions). I suspect Mann believes that it is, but this speaks to another shortcoming of his: he tries to engage viewers cerebrally rather than emotionally, and that keeps us at arm's length. He famously trains and educates his cast in their characters' background and professions, but much of that fascinating information related to backstory and procedure is never related to the audience. I love Michael Mann's work, but what makes him such a fascinating filmmaker - his encyclopedic knowledge of his subjects and his slavish attention to the most minute of details - also makes him frustrating even to his fans. But despite his cunning and resourcefulness, Dillinger's days are numbered as the FBI - and the Mafia that fears the federal heat Dillinger has brought down on all criminals - inches closer to finally getting their man. While on the lam, Dillinger falls for pretty coat check attendant Billie Frechette ( Marion Cotillard), who quickly learns exactly who and what he is and loves him regardless. Purvis and his agents fail more often than not in their pursuit of Dillinger, resulting in Hoover pushing them to their ethical boundaries in order to bring down Public Enemy No. Hoover tasks ambitious young lawyer-turned-agent Melvin Purvis ( Christian Bale) with capturing or killing Dillinger. Edgar Hoover ( Billy Crudup), to spearhead America's first war on crime. The headlines and public adulation generated by Dillinger's exploits prompts the (later Federal) Bureau of Investigation, led by young administrator J. Along with his gang - Harry 'Pete' Pierpont ( David Wenham), Homer Van Meter ( Stephen Dorff), John 'Red' Hamilton ( Jason Clarke), and later the trigger-happy "Baby Face" Nelson ( Stephen Graham) - Dillinger raids a slew of banks in the country's heartland at the height of the Great Depression. Just out of prison, Dillinger is hellbent for all life has denied him while inside, whether it's money, excitement, or romance.
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