Public Enemies Review!

I had high hopes for this film. You would have thought that a film with such a high calibar cast with the likes of Christian Bale, Morian Cotillard, and the always great Johnny Depp as the famous John Dillinger, with direction by Heat director: Michael Mann would surely be a sure fire and a definite hit. I am sad to say that as a fan of Michael Mann's, Christian Bale's, and Johnny Depp's work and the legacy of the outlaw that was John Dillinger that this movie is just ok.

To start off with some of the positive aspects about this film. The acting is definitely good. Christian Bale did a suitable job as Pervis, and so did Marion Cotillard as Billie, but the standout of this film is definitely Johnny Depp as John Dillinger. Johnny was definitely the right person for the role of Dillinger. Depp captured the sagger and he definitely was the most well defined of all the characters. Depp is radiating charisma on-screen that you just can't help but cheer for him. He has such a scene stealing presence that you really want this guy to win. Depp was good as Dillinger, but not fantastic. The film also captured the vibe of the 1940's very well. I thought that it was represented onscreen and I believed the world that was presented. The shoot outs were cool, but flawed with the shakey camera. The sound is awesome in these sequences. The intensity is definitely there and is vivid in these sequences! The opening sequence definitely well establishes the mood for the film and it's definitely there at different points in the film.

Now onto the negatives...

First off, much of the blame for why this film just doesn't work for me has to go to the Director Michael Mann. I know Mann is capable of doing great things with a story, but here, he just feels very amateur and the film feels very anti-climatic because of it. The action scenes have no real payoff at the end of them. The Bank Robbery sequences almost feel secondary. My problem with the film has nothing to do with the talent at all, my problem is what Michael Mann decided to focus on in the story. What he chooses to focus on is the romanticized love story between Depp and Marion. Which can be fine, but Mann doesn't make it interesting for the characters or to the audience. The script for the film just isn't all that interesting. The love story to me, just didn't work here. It feels very underdeveloped by the climax of the picture and you have no sense of feelings for these two to be together. They miss certain aspects about John Dillinger that would have told a much more fascinating story. John Dillinger got into robbing banks for one reason: The People. He wanted to in some way show the rest of the country that they didn't have to take shit from the upper class and that everybody deserves a slice of that pie. He was there for the granduer. They briefly only hint at it at scenes, but that was the essence of Dillenger. Dillenger was a bad guy to begin with and Depp captures that well, but not to the full extent that it could have. The conclusion in which this character comes to feels out of character and not Dillinger. And what they decide to focus on in thr film in place of that just doesn't seem all that interesting. The dialogue has no real pop to it and the rest of the cast is just a bit underused.

One of my major gripes with the film is that just looks like crap and looks very amatuerish. This is not steming from the fact that it was shot on digital, its just the all the hand held stuff in the film becomes too much at a point and you just want Michael to stop fuckin shake the camera during a quiet 2 way conversation. I have no problem with shooting digital. One of my favorite films of last year (Slumdog Millionaire) was shot with sequences in digital, but those sequences were very climatic and definitely worked for that film well, and it looked gorgeous! The shakey camera sticks out like a sore thumb in a lot of this film and it becomes a distraction. Keep in mind, I loved Cloverfield, but the handheld stuff doesn't complement the narrative in this film. The editing choices in the film are also sometimes downright horrible. The editing is very amateurish at times. The cuts feel very unmotivated at times and pull you out of the experience of the film altogether. The looks of the film is very compromised due to the excessive use of the hand held altogether to where you really noticed the technical obstacles that this film just doesn't overcome. The pacing of the film is all over the place. It starts off strong, then it becomes very slow to a tortoise pace. Although I was able to stay awake through the film, I was only halfass engaged with the film at these slow points. I was more encompassed by Depp in this film than anything. Overall, much of the flaws this film has is stemmed from Mann's direction with the film.

Overall, Much of the film feels like a missed opportunity. This film could have been amazing, but it is hendered by a lot of the problems inherent in Mann's Collateral(2004) and Miami Vice(2006). I wanted to love this film. I wanted to say that this was the Mann that we were waiting for since 1995's HEAT. But it is unfair to comprare this to Heat because this is a radically different animal than that film was. Overall it was just ok, but definitely a missed opportunity that could have been fantastic. I'd give it a RENTAL at best. I know I am biased to a certain extent because I am very familiar with Dillinger and what the great depression did to lower class folks to push them to these limits. Not a total mis-fire. Sorry guys, but John Dillinger definitely deserved better.

Till next time, keep the films rolling!

Terminator Salvation!

Ok, so I have been waiting for a new Terminator film for the past 18 years of my life since the last one Terminator 2 came out in 1991. Note that I said Terminator 2 was the last one, not fucking Terminator 3 from back in 2003. Terminator 3 was a shit storm of an action movie that just didn't work. I couldn't connect to it or care about any of the characters. Terminator 3 left me speechless in the sense that now the franchise was going down and no hope of light at the end of the tunnel. I hated what the third film stood for which was sucking the tit from James Cameron's masterful creation. That movie just didn't work and it wasn't as deep as any of the films that had come before it and it just left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Now the news of the director of the Charlie's Angels movies was at the helm to direct the next Terminator film? I cried that this film was going to suck balls. Then I heard that my all-time favorite actor Christian Bale had signed on to play John Connor. Hook line and sinker, I was going to see this film no matter what. That was about a year and half ago. Which brings us to now! 

The trailers for this film got better and better. It showed that this had potential to be awesome. I got the see the film after much debacles and mix-ups, but I finally got to see it at a packed 10pm screening on Thursday night! Needless to say...I DUG IT ALOT! I thought that this film was spot on the action sequences. This one definitely has more action than T3, but T3's action set pieces seemed very forced and were terribly edited. Terminator Salvation's set pieces seemed to fit together in more of the grand scheme of the way the action fit into the first two films. Is it any better or as good as the first two? Not by a mile unfortunately. But that is not to say that this is a bad film by any stretch. Far from the turd that was T3.  

The basic premise of this film follows John Connor's search for Kyle Reese (true fans will know their relationship) and his rise in the resistance to attaining that symbol of hope for the future as was told in the last 3 films, while we also follow a death-row inmate named Marcus Wright, who was put to death in 2003 and wakes up in the post apocalyptic world. The plot of the film had more meat on the bones than did T3. T3 was just a rehash of T2 in every respect. Salvation feels like it's own thing now. It feels as if it is paying respect to the original films and it is merely trying to build upon those moments in the future that were only glimpses at. This is it's own animal. They are not trying to outdo Cameron, simply pay tribute to his films. The acting this ok. There are Three stand-outs from the film. Christian Bale as John Connor was awesome, but he was kind of one note. It seemed as if he played the role a bit too badass and rough. With that said, he was an awesome John Connor. He does not feel as weak as the previous ones and does a very suitable job with the role. This is the future and hard-edged John Connor and Bale pulls it off. But he wasn't my favorite role in the film. This is turning into Anton Yelchin's breakout summer with this and Star Trek. As he did in Star Trek, he nails a role that was loved by many and does an awesome job and gives a very loving and respectful portrayal of Michael Biehn's role in T1. You feel for this character as he is trying to survive and how he came to become who he was in the first Terminator.  

The real standout in this film and I guarantee he will be the next big thing is Sam Worthington! He fucking does a fantastic job with the role of Marcus Wright! I loved his character and the angle they decided to play it off with in the mid-point of the film. Marcus was the one character I connected to and just wanted to see more of and he steals this picture from Christian, and that is a tough act to pull as a newcomer. So kudos to Sam! He's got this, James Cameron's AVATAR (2009) due out in Christmas!, and the remake of Clash of the Titans coming out, it is no doubt that he will be the next big thing and all I can say is bring it on Sam!  

In terms of the directing, McG does a surprising job with the film. It is clearly lacking in the direction at times and it feels as if he could have helped tone his actors a bit more in some scenes, but he did a much better job with the film than Jonathan Mostow did with the last film as you can smell it from a mile that McG can handle himself with this material better and I am glad that he can, cause he made one badass of a Terminator Flick.  

Overall, this film was an awesome ride. This is on it's way to being one of my favorite films of the summer. It was badass! It was everything it needed to be to breath some life into this series that was flatlining after Terminator 3. Terminator 3 nearly killed the franchise, and this film Salvaged it. While the ending was a bit of a stretch, and seemed a bit off, I took it. This is the Terminator film that I wanted with Terminator 3, but it is not perfect. This film has a couple of flaws to it in terms of some of the acting and the script, but it was a thrill-ride and I had a shitton of fun with it! I'd give this one a HIGH FULL PRICE! Definitely a worthy entry into the franchise! This film is clearly made by people who love the Terminator Mythos and get it. Lots of references for the die-hard fans that will just eat this film up! I love the direction this series is heading with this arc. Fun time at the movies and killer summer action flick!

Till next time, Heres my 2 cents! Enjoy the flick and have a great memorial day weekend!