The Conversation

1. July 6, 2009 Tady said:

   I can’t wait to hear what you guys had to say about this film!!!

2. July 7, 2009 Rob said:

   This was actually the worst movie I have seen since my girlfriend made me watch Twilight with her last year. This was a bigger disappointment than T4. I’d probably even consider it a better movie.

3. July 7, 2009 Kytt said:

   I’m a huge Johnny Depp and Christian Bale fan but I couldn’t connect with any of the characters in this film. While there were a few good scenes, the movie seemed to drag on 30 minutes past when it should have ended. Overall, disappointing flick with two great actors whose talents were wasted on poor writing and directing.

4. July 7, 2009 Melissa said:

   Worse than Twilight?!! Rob you’re scaring me!

   I still want to see this movie just because of the Depp/Bale drool factor but maybe I’ll wait till DVD and drool in the privacy of my own home.

5. July 7, 2009 Melissa said:

   Oh wait, you said worst since Twilight, I guess that’s slightly less scary

6. July 7, 2009 Rob said:

   @Melissa:

   No. I meant that I would probably argue that T4 was a better movie. Twilight made me gouge my eyes out with a spoon.

7. July 7, 2009 Mike said:

   I was mixed on the first viewing of film, I liked it a lot better after a second viewing. I have a feeling this film, for all it’s flaws, is going to age well

8. July 7, 2009 Jimmy said:

   I agree with Mike. The film will age well and become a classic. I have to give it a second viewing…

9. July 7, 2009 David said:

   The film must be viewed as a study of two contrasting men and their differing views on honor and violence, not as a piece of Hollywood entertainment which is what the studios have pushed in their marketing campaign. The negative reactions to the film are only symptomatic of false advertising and on a deeper level, the deteriorating attention span of American society. It is rich with detail and depth of character, just not in the conventional, overblown way that Hollywood normally handles period pieces.

   People need to check their expectations at the door and put their thinking caps on.

10. July 7, 2009 Rob said:

    @David:

    Sorry man, good acting (or atleast good with what they were given to work with) nor a fancy camera filter, can make up for poor character development, HORRIBLE CINEMATOGRAPHY (in almost every aspect), disastrous writing, and poor flow. It’s just also just very disorganized and has overall lack of substance as opposed to, say, Road to Perdition.

    BTW, the movie isn’t intelligent, I could have left my brain at home and still understood what they were going for.

11. July 7, 2009 Sneaky Pete said:

    @David

    I agree with you 100%!

    I feel like everyone was expecting it to be as action packed as Transformers. If you intended to see explosion after explosion then go see Transformers. But if your into solid acting and a good movie then see Public Enemies.

    I’m also glad Depp didn’t go into his flamboyant 1 dimensional acting mode. I’m sorry but it was cool in Fear in Loathing but hasn’t been cool since. Not sure why all of America is constantly memorized by the usual Depp routine.

12. July 7, 2009 Pierre said:

    God, this hatefest on Bale is like some bad example of groupthink. It’s pretty stupid, like all of a sudden the guy is not worth anyone’s time. This performance wasn’t remarkable, but it wasn’t bad. The fact that Purvis killed himself showed something that was pulling the guy down. I’m glad he didn’t walk around all haunted-like.

    This wasn’t great Mann, but then again, it wasn’t Last of the Mohicans.

    The fact that Depp didn’t act like he was doing an “impression” of someone was a minor miracle and that was good.

13. July 7, 2009 JLong said:

    I had to see this film 1 & 1/2 times, the first time the theatre cut the film off @ the beginning of the little Bohemia shootout because a patron fell while walking down the aisle (the theatre I was at had a suprising number of elderly people) the theater gave us passes. 2nd time I am a huge Micheal Mann fan and I dig the way he does things, I know I wasn’t getting “Heat 2″ the shootouts were great especially in Little Bohemia with just how close the camera was set up where other hacks would’ve gone with set pieces and waited s few more beats before cutting to another shot. Other times the camera was distracting. The most distracting thing for me was Billie Fracette’s apartment seeing an El Train, that didn’t belong in 1933, whle a liked the majority of that sequence it was just distracting. Hey Michael Mann is living the dream, can’t wait to see what’s next.

14. July 7, 2009 delaranta said:

    @ David

    I think people shouldn’t pay so much attention to trailers in general. While some of them can show a hint of something better to come (The Dark Knight), many are misleading and have nothing to do with the actual film. I didn’t paranthesise an example because it is so frequent.

15. July 7, 2009 Chris said:

    I’m a firm believer that all trailers should be TEASER trailers only. We don’t need an extended trailer…we don’t need versions A, B, and C…we don’t need bonus, exclusive, bullshit clips.

    Just give us a hint…a glimpse…a TEASE.

    Also…just realized we recorded a whole episode about Michael Mann and didn’t mention “The Last of the Mohicans” once. Add that to my favorite list along with “Heat” and “The Insider.”

16. July 7, 2009 delaranta said:

    @ Chris

    That’s a much more concise version of what I was trying to say. That’s why you make the big bucks.

17. July 7, 2009 Curt said:

    Looks like the only way I’d see this now is if they were showing it at the Biograph Theater on Lincoln Blvd in Chicago, where Dillenger was…well…you know.

18. July 10, 2009 Max said:

    I personally loved this movie. I believe film is subjective. I thought the trailer was FANTASTIC, and for me, I got that trailer feel from the cool, contemplative, suave Dillinger.

19. July 13, 2009 ChrisM said:

    I’m such a Lameass I don’t know what Off Topic means in this context. Isn’t this On Topic? I mean, given the topic is Public Enemies? Am I thinking too much? Or, too little?

    Anyway, if I could shut up a minute, I started to read all the comments, but there are lots and frankly, I’m ADHD. But the main reason I have never wanted to see this is Bale. Sorry. I refused to see T4 because of Bale. The reason I can’t see Bale is not because he appears to be a creep, because what stars do in their real life is none of our business, but because he can’t speak out. I stopped watching 24 because Bauer can’t stop whispering, and the same with Bale. I mean, anyone can starve and then bulk up. What’s hard about that? The hard thing for this guy is apparently talking like a normal adult human being.

    Plus, Depp as Dillinger? Really?

    However, I loved the podcast. V. informative. And I love how Chris had the nuts to change his recommendation at the end. It didn’t make him seem like a wimp at all.

    That didn’t sound the way I meant it.

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