Public Enemies (2009)

July 1, 2009 (US) • Crime, History, Drama • 140m

Overview

Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger's charm and audacity endear him to much of America's downtrodden public, but he's also a thorn in the side of J. Edgar Hoover and the fledgling FBI. Desperate to capture the elusive outlaw, Hoover makes Dillinger his first Public Enemy Number One and assigns his top agent, Melvin Purvis, the task of bringing him in dead or alive.

Director

Michael Mann

Writers

Ann Biderman, Bryan Burrough, Ronan Bennett, Michael Mann

Top Billed

Johnny Depp

Keywords

escape gun gangster machinegun horse race biography prison guard prison escape bank robbery surveillance tied up cops and robbers handgun pocket watch escape from jail 1930s manhunt vicious killings 1900s sex fbi agent tied to a tree tied semi-automatic rifle

Where to watch

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Top Billed Cast

Johnny Depp

John Dillinger

Christian Bale

Melvin Purvis

Marion Cotillard

Billie Frechette

Jason Clarke

'Red' Hamilton

Rory Cochrane

Agent Carter Baum

Billy Crudup

J. Edgar Hoover

Stephen Dorff

Homer Van Meter

Stephen Lang

Charles Winstead

John Ortiz

Phil D'Andrea

Giovanni Ribisi

Alvin Karpis

David Wenham

Harry 'Pete' Pierpont

John Michael Bolger

Martin Zarkovich

Bill Camp

Frank Nitti

Matt Craven

Gerry Campbell

Don Frye

Clarence Hurt

Christian Stolte

Charles Makley

Spencer Garrett

Tommy Carroll

Peter Gerety

Louis Piquett

Shawn Hatosy

Agent John Madala

Stephen Graham

Baby Face Nelson

John Hoogenakker

Agent Hugh Clegg

Branka Katić

Anna Sage

Domenick Lombardozzi

Gilbert Catena

Emilie de Ravin

Anna Patzke

Leelee Sobieski

Polly Hamilton

David Warshofsky

Warden Baker

Carey Mulligan

Carol Slayman

Channing Tatum

Pretty Boy Floyd

John Judd

Turnkey

Michael Vieau

Ed Shouse

John Kishline

Guard Dainard

James Russo

Walter Dietrich

Wesley Walker

Jim Leslie

John Scherp

Earl Adams

Elena Kenney

Viola Norris

William Nero Jr.

Toddler on Farm

Madison Dirks

Agent Warren Barton

Len Bajenski

Police Chief Fultz

Adam Clark

Sport

Andrzej Krukowski

Oscar Lieboldt

Casey Siemaszko

Harry Berman

Peter DeFaria

Grover Weyland

Jonathan Macchi

Tellers

Jeff Shannon

Angry Cop

Michael Sassone

Farmer

Brian Connelly

Officer Chester Boyard

Ed Bruce

Senator McKellar

Geoffrey Cantor

Harry Suydam

Chandler Williams

Clyde Tolson

Robert Brooks Hollingsworth

Hoover Reporter #1

David Paul Innes

Hoover Reporter #2

Joe Carlson

Hoover Reporter #3

Ben Mac Brown

Hoover Reporter #4

Diana Krall

Torch Singer

Duane Sharp

Doorman at Gold Coast

Richard Short

Agent Sam Cowley

Randy Ryan

Agent Julius Rice

Kurt Naebig

Agent William Rorer

Adam Mucci

Agent Harold Reinecke

Rebecca Spence

Doris Rogers

Danni Simon

May Minczeles

Don Harvey

Customer at Steuben Club

Shanyn Leigh

Helen Gillis

Laurence Mason

Porter at Union Station

Randy Steinmeyer

Cop Eyman

Kris Wolff

Deputy

Lili Taylor

Sheriff Lillian Holley

Donald G. Asher

Reporter #1

Andrew C. Steele

Reporter #2

Philip M. Potempa

Reporter #3

Brian McConkey

Photographer

Alan Wilder

Robert Estill

Michael Bentt

Herbert Youngblood

John Lister

Judge Murray

Jim Carrane

Sam Cahoon

Joseph Mazurk

Guard Bryant

John Fenner Mays

Deputy Blunk

Rick Uecker

Edward Saager

Craig Spidle

Reporter

Jason T. Arnold

Other Jr. G-Man

Andrew Blair

Other Jr. G-Man

Mark Vallarta

Harry Berg

Daniel Maldonado

Jacob Solomon

Sean A. Rosales

Joe Pawlowski

Stephen Spencer

Emil Wanatka

Patrick Zielinski

Doctor

Gareth Saxe

Agent Ray Suran

Guy Van Swearingen

Agent Ralph Brown

Jeff Still

Jimmy Probasco

Lance Baker

Freddie Barker

Steve Key

Doc Barker

Jerry Goff

Captain O'Neill

David Carde

Special Agent

Aaron Roman Weiner

Special Agent

Keith Kupferer

Agent Sopsic

Turk Muller

Other East Chicago Cop

Tim Grimm

Other East Chicago Cop

Martie Sanders

Irene the Ticket Taker

Robyn LeAnn Scott

Ella Natasky

Jordan Lawson

Prisoner (uncredited)

Angelina Lyubomirova

Coat Check Girl (uncredited)

Joel Thingvall

FBI Agent (uncredited)

Crew

Paul Rubell

Editor

Avy Kaufman

Casting

Michael Mann

Director

Jane Rosenthal

Executive Producer

William Ladd Skinner

Art Direction

Robert De Niro

Executive Producer

Ann Biderman

Screenplay

G. Mac Brown

Executive Producer

Colleen Atwood

Costume Design

Bryan Burrough

Novel

Bonnie Timmermann

Casting

Nathan Crowley

Production Design

Rosemary Brandenburg

Set Decoration

Kevin Misher

Producer

Ronan Bennett

Screenplay

Elliot Goldenthal

Original Music Composer

Jeffrey Ford

Editor

Michael Mann

Screenplay

Michael Mann

Producer

Vicki L. Fischer

Makeup Artist

Tom Lowell

Stunts

Max Daniels

Stunts

David John Adamson

Stunts

Darrin Prescott

Stunt Coordinator

Theo Kypri

Stunt Double

Hank Amos

Stunts

Jimmy Hart

Stunts

Darren Wiczek

Stunt Driver

Tracey Ruggiero

Stunts

Brian Duffy

Stunts

Wade Allen

Stunts

Jane Galli

Makeup Department Head

Natalie M. Meyer

Utility Stunts

James Logan

Stunts

Patty York

Makeup Artist

Jenne Lee

Art Department Coordinator

Don Parsons

Special Effects Coordinator

Jay Cheng

Set Costumer

Lois J. Drabkin

Casting Associate

Christine L. Cantella

Assistant Costume Designer

Set Costumer

Visual Effects Producer

Lauren Ritchie

Visual Effects Producer

Jackson Yu

First Assistant Editor

Jeannie Vanko

Set Costumer

Robert Stadd

Visual Effects Supervisor

Syd Dutton

Visual Effects Supervisor

John Roesch

Foley

Bryan O. Watkins

Sound Effects Editor

Tom Lalley

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Jeremy Peirson

Supervising Sound Editor

Brian Scott Olds

First Assistant Editor

Peter Mountain

Still Photographer

Dominic Napolitano

First Assistant Camera

Roberto De Angelis

Steadicam Operator

Robert Krzeminski

Rigging Grip

Chris Cuevas

First Assistant Camera

Ken Blackwell

Visual Effects Editor

Camera Operator

Bruce Tanis

Sound Effects Editor

Laurent Kossayan

Supervising Sound Editor

Alicia Accardo

Script Supervisor

James W. Apted

First Assistant Camera

Catherine Sudolcan

Visual Effects Producer

Mike Chiado

Digital Intermediate

Nick Monton

Digital Intermediate

Steven Rosenblum

Additional Editing

Patrick Lumb

Supervising Art Director

Nancy McCrumb

Stunts

Allen Kupetsky

Second Assistant Director

Bryan H. Carroll

Second Unit Director

Michael Waxman

Second Unit First Assistant Director

Eric Richard Lasko

Second Second Assistant Director

Michael Waxman

Second Unit Director

Bob Wagner

First Assistant Director

Traci M. Lewis

Second Assistant Director

David Kelley

Second Assistant Director

ADR Editor

Mike Hopkins

ADR Editor

Mike Hopkins

Dialogue Editor

Matthias Gohl

Music Producer

Matthias Gohl

Orchestrator

Maria Norman

Associate Producer

Linda Perlin

Utility Stunts

PJ Fishwick

Production Secretary

Ben Grossmann

Visual Effects Supervisor

Reviews

Filipe Manuel Neto

⭐ 9/10

June 2, 2024

**Dillinger, an iconic bandit in a respectful and well-made film.**

There is no shortage of quality films about Prohibition and the many notable criminals of this era in American history: Al Capone, Bugsy Siegel and others form a kind of “golden age” of organized crime. John Dillinger is among them, occupying a top place on the list of great criminals of this era.

After a rebellious and delinquent youth, Dillinger deserted the Navy and ended up being sentenced to almost twenty years in prison after a grocery store robbery. The sentence was considered excessively heavy and left Dillinger resentful. From then on, he made the Indiana State Penitentiary his school of crime until he was released in 1933. With his freedom, he formed his first gang and began the bank robberies that made him famous. In 1934, he was arrested in Arizona and sent to Crown Point, Indiana, from where he made a spectacular escape, using a fake pistol made from a bar of soap or wood. His escape, the notoriety he had already acquired and the interstate nature of his crimes led to the involvement of the recently founded FBI. Meanwhile, Dillinger formed a second group of criminals which included the equally famous “Baby-Face” Nelson, and resumed his robberies, while trying to elude the authorities. Months later, and after almost being arrested on several occasions, he was betrayed and denounced, and murdered outside a cinema.

The film is quite good. It is faithful enough to the events and to Dillinger's life, but mixes things up a bit, changing the order of events in order to increase dramatic tension (for example, the death of “Pretty Boy” Floyd is shown well before Dillinger's death , but it happened months later, in a corn field). Furthermore, the film exaggerates things. However, these are concessions that I accept because the film, in addition to being a fictional piece, is reasonably respectful of historical facts. I don't accept the poorly explanatory narrative so easily: anyone who doesn't know Dillinger and his life well will have some difficulty following the film. This may help to understand why this film was a failure outside the US, where John Dillinger is little known.

Michael Mann is a very competent director, thorough and respectful of the past. We saw these characteristics in “Last of the Mohicans” and “Collateral”, among other quality films. The director does a very good job in this film, which follows well the adventures of the criminal's life and his tricks to elude the police. The cinematography is magnificent and makes wonderful use of light and color, especially in scenes filmed at night, and the filming locations, props, vehicles, costumes and sets are convincing and quite realistic. The film's biggest flaw, for me, is the dispassionate way it approaches everything. Considering that the protagonist is an outlaw and that nothing he did was acceptable, having managed to like him would have been a bonus. In fact, what stood out to me the most was the extremely thin line that separated the agents of the law and the criminals they pursued: think about it, Dillinger was not detained to be present at a trial, he was executed in a public square and surrounded by hundreds of people who could have been injured if things had gone out of control. Who is hero or villain? The waters are murky, in the film as in life itself.

All I can do is talk about the cast, which is confidently led by Johnny Depp, an actor who has a special talent for complicated and unusual characters, and who gives us a very competent interpretation. Christian Bale, another talented actor for impactful characters, played the federal agent in charge of arresting Dillinger, and he is extraordinary in his effort. Marion Cotillard does what she can in the role of Dillinger's girlfriend, but the truth is that the film did not need any attempt at romance, even though the character was necessary to understand the life of the heartthrob criminal, and that's why she doesn't add much to the product. Final. There are also notable additions to the cast, including Stephen Graham, David Wenham and James Russo.

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