Public Enemies delivers inflammable cars, squeaky shoes and mixed review

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The Trav & SHE movie of the week: Public Enemies
"Public Enemies" is playing at the Malco Cinema 12 and the Carmike 14 in Fort Smith, and the Malco in Van Buren. Link here for ticket info and show times.

Trav: We rebelled against most of the movie attending masses this week. While everyone else was checking out “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” or “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” we refused to watch any movie with all that fancy punctuation.  Has anyone noticed the use of the colon has been in full force in this summer’s movie titles? Instead, Trav & SHE picked “Public Enemies” starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale.

Directed by Michael Mann, “Public Enemies” features Depp as John Dillinger, the infamous bank robber/jail-breaker from the 1930’s, and Bale as Melvin Purvis, the tough G-Man out to catch all the depression era criminals wanted by J. Edgar Hoover’s soon to be FBI.

SHE: In my line of work I have to deal with fancy punctuation all the time – sometimes unsuccessfully. So, for entertainment purposes it was refreshing to pick a film with a clear, no nonsense title. That’s of course once I realized it wasn’t a documentary about one of the greatest groups of all time because you know It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back! However, I was not disappointed. Hello, Mr. Depp! Hi there, Mr. Bale!

Trav: I think I’ve seen every Depp movie since “Benny & Joon” and I wasn’t going to miss this one. Even though I’m a Depp fan, the rest of the cast really helped push my choice to view the 1930’s gangster biopic. Depp and Bale are the big names in the main roles, but the supporting roles were an added bonus. To my surprise, Billy Crudup was great as J. Edgar Hoover and Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as Dillinger’s love interest, Billie Frechette, steals every scene she’s in. My only complaint with the casting was that Giovanni Ribisi, who plays Alvin Karpis, didn’t have a larger role.

SHE: Marion was gorgeous and heart-breaking as Billie. I see why Trav thinks she steals every scene. I wish she would have worked on her accent a bit more. It took me a while to stop flashing back to her ridiculous 2008 Oscar acceptance speech, “You rocked my life!” Crudup was great as J. Edgar Hoover. But would it have been too much to give us some male bonding scenes between Crudup as J. Edgar Hoover and Chandler Williams, as Hoover’s constant companion, Clyde Tolson? A girl has to ask …

Trav: The pull to root for Dillinger and his gang to make it through the movie was an expected moral challenge. You find yourself wanting them to somehow survive being hunted down by Hoover, Purvis and the G-Men. Rooting for the bad guys just doesn’t click for me; I can’t seem to do it with a clear conscience. I’d never root for Lex Luthor, Hans Gruber, Shooter McGavin, the Cylons, or Ganon but, I kept finding myself semi-rooting for Dillinger to make it to the credits alive even though I knew it wasn’t going to happen. Maybe that’s what happens when you have a strong actor like Depp with his charisma, charm and coolness.

SHE: The strength of the story was in the writing of the John Dillinger and Melvin Purvis characters. Sure, it’s a story of the good guys vs. the bad guys but there was a battle within each character that made the story compelling. Dillinger and Purvis were struggling with good and evil within themselves. We may know how the story ends but it was a gripping story nonetheless. The bad guy is not all evil and mean and the good guy? Well, he’s trying to do only good but the pressures of getting the job done sometimes overshadow doing what’s right.

Trav: There’s enough action for the dudes and even a touch of romance for the ladies.  It was nice to watch a movie where a car would get riddled with tommy-gun bullets and never blow up. Maybe movie cars weren’t as flammable in the 1930’s?

SHE: The music was fantastic. Sure, I have eclectic tastes but I think the music and sound really added to the story and the overall 1930’s Depression feel. The details in the movie – the editing, cinematography make for an even more captivating story-telling. Purvis is in the office, slightly pacing while briefing his G-men. Pay attention! What’s that sound? Yes, it’s Purvis’ shoes squeaking because those are the kind of shoes G-Men would wear. Love it!

Trav: All in all, this is a good film. It was a little long with a run time of 2 hours and 20 minutes, but I never caught myself checking my watch. Unless you’re a huge Johnny Depp fan, I don’t think there is any reason to go to the theater for this one.  It’s a 3.5 out of 5 for me; I’d recommend renting this or adding it to your Netflix queue.

SHE: I had no idea about the running time of this film but having said that, I may be the biggest fan of this film that I’ve run across so far. If you’re a regular moviegoer and you are looking for an entertaining film with good writing, excellent cinematography, interesting costume and set design, and captivating characters played by gorgeous, talented actors, this movie is recommended. It’s a nice break from the summer blockbusters focused on kids, science fiction or comedy. Public Enemies is 4 out of 5. Maybe the Director’s cut will have those scenes between Purvis and Tolson and then I can give it a 5.

The Previews
• Where the Wild Things Are (Oct. 16)
Trav: Yep, this movie is based on the children’s book with the same name. I cannot wait for this one. When a trailer features music by Arcade Fire the movie has to be good, right?

SHE: I am so excited about this! I want this movie now!!! Love the book, loved the trailer! Have I jinxed it?

• Amelia (Oct. 23)
Trav: Yawn. I have no interest seeing Hilary Swank as aviatrix Amelia Earhart with Richard Gere as her husband. I’m sure the Oscar buzz will be all over this, but that doesn’t make me want to see it.

SHE: Y’know yawns are contagious. But no problem because I slept through this trailer. Please don’t come and takes my feminist card. If you do, I’ll have to stab you with my stiletto.

• Couples Retreat (Oct. 9)
Trav: This looks like a chick flick disguised as an unfunny comedy. The cast looks great, you get Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Kristin Davis, Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell and Jon Favreau. I’m just worried this could be one of those movies where all the funny parts are in the trailer.

SHE: Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau. Love them! But, not enough to sit through this trash. Yep, I said it. Straight up garbage.

• Bruno (July 10)
Trav: From the creator of “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest big screen feature is about Bruno, a gay Austrian fashionista on the hunt for fame. I’ve been telling myself I don’t want to watch this, but I keep hearing about how funny this is. As most of you know, a portion of the movie was filmed in good old Fort Smith. We’ll let you know our thoughts next week.

SHE: WHAT??? “We’ll let you know our thoughts next week?” SERIOUSLY!? Great.

Feedback
Trav can can be reached at [email protected]

SHE can be reached at [email protected]