Public Enemies

It is 1933 and the ambitious FBI Chief, J Edgar Hoover, (Billy Crudup) is waging war against Public Enemies, principally John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) who is embarrassing the authorities with a series of bank robberies. Hoover appoints the single minded Agent Melvyn Purvis (Christian Bale) to head the Chicago Bureau and to capture Dillinger, no matter what.

Depp, in a wonderful exhibition of understated cockiness, outwits the authorities time and again but Bale's character is certain the Bureau's scientific approach will win out in the end.

This is essentially a cops and robbers chase story told in a style I recall from my childhood Saturday matinee days. There is plenty of atmosphere and the movie has a great look although I could have done with a bit less of the hand held camerawork.

Despite the general simplicity of the story I found it difficult to identify the peripheral characters and work out who was who as they floated in and out of the film. An examination of the 'Goofs' section in Internet Movie Database to which I link above indicates that the factual events portrayed are well and truly astray but the movie makes for an enjoyable yarn anyway.