IMDb > Public Enemies (2009)
Public Enemies
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Public Enemies (2009) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 100 | slideshow) Videos (see all 50)
Public Enemies (2009) -- FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Bale) sets his sights on American gangster John Dillinger (Depp) and others in an attempt to curb a rampant Chicago crime spree during the 1930s.
Public Enemies (2009) -- Clip: The assault on the Little Bohemia Lodge
Public Enemies (2009) -- Cast and crew discuss Dillinger's use of the latest technology in cars and guns
Public Enemies (2009) -- 29th June 2009, London, Leicester Square: Red carpet interviews and clips
Public Enemies (2009) -- Johnny Depp and Michael Mann press conference, with clips

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   49,106 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 278% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Ronan Bennett (screenplay) and
Michael Mann (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Public Enemies on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 heinäkuu 2009 (USA) more
Tagline:
America's Most Wanted
Plot:
The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
7 nominations more
User Comments:
Well-Made Cinematically, But Shallow more (429 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for gangster violence and some language.
Runtime:
140 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Dillinger's quote "we're here for the bank's money, not yours" is based on a real statement he made during the course of a bank robbery in Greencastle, Indiana. Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde would later use a similar quote in one of his gang's robberies, as he reportedly idolized Dillinger. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: The bar at Little Bohemia where Baby Face Nelson does his James Cagney impression didn't exist in April of 1934. It was added on to the lodge in 1936. more
Quotes:
[last lines]
Billie Frechette: They say you're the man who shot him.
Charles Winstead: That's right. One of 'em.
Billie Frechette: So why are you coming to see me? To see the damage you done?
Charles Winstead: No. I came here because he asked me to. When he went down, he said somethin'. I put my ear next to his mouth, and what I think he said was this. He said, 'Tell Billie for me: Bye bye, Blackbird.'
[Billie starts to cry as Winstead gets up to leave]
more
Movie Connections:
References Little Miss Marker (1934) more
Soundtrack:
The Man I Love more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
292 out of 453 people found the following comment useful.
Well-Made Cinematically, But Shallow, 3 heinäkuu 2009
5/10
Author: eschete from Louisiana

Who was John Dillinger? We all know he was a flamboyant criminal who robbed banks, but who WAS he? The question of who Dillinger WAS is far more interesting than the question of what Dillinger DID, but this film, sadly, chose only to concentrate seriously on the latter and gave up almost immediately on the former.

This film goes out of its way--with a poor grasp of history's time-line, by the way--to show us what Dillinger did and who he hung around with, but it does next to nothing to explore who Dillinger was as a person or even as a criminal. It hints that Dillinger might be a passionate lover and loyal friend, but shows us little evidence aside from a few thrown-together seduction scenes (which make his girlfriend/heroine look like a dim-witted pushover) and an awkward love scene.

Even Dillinger's foil, Melvin Purvis, is a mystery in Mann's hands. Did he care about justice at all, or was he just a fascist on a personal crusade? Was he competent in the least or was he just a bumbling idiot? Squinty-eyed stares can only convey so much, after all.

Michael Mann seems to be in a terrible hurry to tell this story, as he is stuck between the rock of having to relate a relatively complete "crime-ography" of a notorious American gangster and the hard place of keeping the movie shorter than 2 1/2 hours.

As a result, a beautifully shot and edited movie that had a lot of promise ends up little more than a dumb, shoot-'em-up action movie wearing the fedora of "historical romance." Good for a date, but not a serious film.

Grade: C+. Things to look for: Mann's ham-handed and laughably obvious political commentary on the use of torture about 2/3 of the way through the movie; psychotically trigger-happy Baby Face Nelson well-played by Stephen Graham; cool old products (Zenth radio); great fashion sense.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Public Enemies (2009)
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Billy Crudup jennj_80
DVD Question - it says on the bacnk of the DVD cover jhog107
Hated It aswearengen
Any news about a director's cut? thric3
Baby Face Nelson and 'The Battle of Barrington' toric21
Why do people exactly like this movie? schellekens-1
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