Viewed in
2009
Premise
Johnny Depp plays 1930's American criminal, John Dillinger, at the peak of his infamy.
Who should watch
Those who want a summer movie but with some human qualities.
Thoughts
Good but not great.
I liked the cast, as it was full of 'oh, that guy' actors. I'm glad to see Leelee Sobieski is still employed. The story-telling was pretty good, as it had a mix of action and drama that slowly ramped up the intensity to the climax. In addition, there were little historical tidbits, such as authorities learning new methods to fight crime.
One aspect I found fascinating was the film's observations of wiretapping and coercive interrogations. The film makers were not trying to preach in either direction, but just laid it out for the audience to think about.
Overall, I found it not memorable. With the pedigrees of Michael Mann, Depp, Christian Bale and others, I was hoping to get wowed in a sea of summer movies. While watching, I never felt fully invested in the characters nor the story. I actually knew nothing about Dillinger or his legend. Obviously, I was glad he did not single-handedly take on 200 agents and take 200 bullets while falling gloriously into his mansion fountain, but I thought this notorious crook would have been more larger-than-life.
Lastly, I wanted to point out Billy Crudup's puzzling, odd performance as J. Edgar Hoover. It was almost unintentionally funny. Then again, maybe Hoover was that weird; after all, he was simply just a cross-dressing, paranoid soon-to-be director of the FBI.
It was definitely a nice change of pace to watch an action/drama film that was realistic, character-driven, and sometimes thought-provoking. Maybe because of the diligent realism, I was underwhelmed to discover that the famous bank robber, John Dillinger, was not that interesting.
What I would change
No idea.
Random
In the credits, they give a special thanks to Hans Zimmer, but the score was done by Elliot Goldenthal.
