Opened: July 1, 2009

Directed by: Michael Mann

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, Stephen Lang, Michael Bentt, Stephen Graham, Jason Clarke, David Wenham, Spencer Garrett, Christian Stolte, Giovanni Ribisi, John Ortiz, Domenick Lombardozzi, Bill Camp, Rory Cochrane, Richard Short, Carey Mulligan, John Michael Bolger, Branka Katić, Emilie de Ravin, Shawn Hatosy, Don Frye, Matt Craven, Channing Tatum, Lili Taylor, David Warshofsky, Peter Gerety, Michael Vieau, Casey Siemaszko, Adam Mucci, Leelee Sobieski, James Russo, Chandler Williams, Ed Bruce & John Hoogenakker

Unable to find a balance between true events and altering timelines and characters, Public Enemies is an entertaining crime film but doesn’t hit as hard as it should.

Bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) is declared “Public Enemy No. 1” by the FBI. Director J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) assigns Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to lead the hunt for Dillinger.

Depp is fantastically charismatic as Dillinger, which history shows is true of his personality, though Depp is 15 years older than he was. Bale is barely memorable as Purvis and plays him one note – and six inches taller.

Though the film is set in the Great Depression and Dillinger robbed banks to give back to the people, we never see what life looked like for the common man at that time.

Final say: Gripping but historically inaccurate. ★★★☆☆