Depp and Bale Shine in "Public Enemies"

Johnny Depp may well be the best American actor of his generation, and Christian Bale has improved radically since he bumbled through the role of Anakin Skywalker in the "Star Wars" franchise. They have made a movie together that tells the story of Melvin Purvis of the FBI against John Dillinger, self-employed bank robber. "Public Enemies" may be one of the best movies of the year that has received some of the worst reviews.

What can one say about Mr. Depp that hasn't been said before? Whether he was Tom Hanson in "21 Jump Street," the title role in "Edward Scissorhands," or Hunter S. Thompson in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," every performance is a gem. As John Dillinger, he achieves exactly what the part needs, a handsome rogue with a heart. What everyone forgets is that Mr. Dillinger was a hero to a great many people suffering under the oppression of the banks in the Great Depression. Mr. Depp mixes charm and violence to achieve the exact mix needed to be a convincing and sympathetic John Dillinger.

Christian Bale plays Melvin Purvis, a very successful FBI agent, but who is handicapped by being restrained by the law. Mr. Purvis was involved in the deaths of Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson before he led the assassination attempt on Mr. Dillinger outside the Biograph movie house in Chicago. Like all G-Men in those days, he was an uptight, straight-laced goon, as per J. Edge Hoover's demands. Frankly, the SS had more relaxed entrance requirements, and in some instances, better human beings joined up.

The story begins with a prison break and ends with Mr. Dillinger's death. In between, there is enough Tommy gun fire to keep the biggest fan of the "Transformers" happy, as well as a plausible love story, and a bit of the "Sopranos" thrown in. The finale includes clips from the gangster film Mr. Dillinger saw in his last hours, "Manhattan Melodrama," that beautifully foreshadowed the killing that followed.

Mr. Dillinger was a murderer and a thief and deserved a long stretch in prison if not the electric chair. However, he proved to be tougher and smarter than law enforcement, and for that reason, the FBI never considered taking him alive at the Biograph. Mr. Depp's performance merely illustrates how desperate the authorities were to bring him down, and not to justice. Then again, he was the greatest threat to a failed system, far surpassing the Communist Party of the USA or any other red group. Mr. Dillinger simply proved to those with a radio or newspaper that the government was inept. That is something for which he couldn't be forgiven.

© Copyright 2009 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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