‘Public Enemies’ doesn’t do Dillinger justice

“Public Enemies”

Directed by Michael Mann

Starring Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard and… “Public Enemies”

Directed by Michael Mann

Starring Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard and Christian Bale

Distributed by Universal Pictures

Grade: B-

When people hear the name John Dillinger, two things might come to mind: bank robberies and his rumored enormous, ahem, endowment.

So it is only reasonable to make several assumptions when going into a Michael Mann movie based on Mr. Dillinger’s life, with Johnny Depp portraying Dillinger.

One: There will be a lot of violence. Two: There will be some good sex scenes. Three: We will see Dillinger like we never have.

Unfortunately, these assumptions are poorly translated to the screen, and the larger-than-life character of Dillinger deserves much better.

“Public Enemies,” based on the book of the same title, focuses on the star-like criminal activity of Dillinger in the 1930s.

Dillinger’s robberies make the best test subject for an experimental filming style involving high definition cameras. When the cameras aren’t moving so fast that the audience is getting a headache, it’s easy to forget that “Public Enemies” is a period piece, because everything is so real and crisp.

If anything, filming in high definition eliminates the novelty of a period piece — the concentration and focus on the setting — and allows more work to be done with the actors and the characters.

Unfortunately, the characters come across as just plain boring.

While Depp portrays Dillinger to the best of his ability — the cold stares, the subtle smiles and the determination of a professional — Dillinger inevitably becomes a mixture of past Depp characters. The first that comes to mind is Hunter S. Thompson from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”

It’s hard to blame Depp for this, though. If anything, the fault of the character lies within the writing. Dillinger can at times be too fluctuating with his moods, at other times too static.

Dillinger aside, the coup de grace that tramples upon “Enemies” is Marion Cotillard’s Billie Frechette, Dillinger’s love interest. It’s reminiscent of Sofia Coppola in “The Godfather: Part III.” As Coppola didn’t belong in the world of Italian mobsters, Cotillard is awkward in this world of 1930s criminals.

Cotillard has performed very well in her other films (“La Vie en Rose”), but she appears as merely generic and uninteresting. Even worse, her French accent has trouble hiding behind her annoying, canny Midwestern tone.

The rest of the supporting cast is almost namelessly identical, except for four other members of the cast — Stephen Graham as Baby Face Nelson, Branka Katic as Anna Sage (“The Woman in Red”), Billy Crudup as J. Edgar Hoover and Christian Bale as FBI man Melvin Purvis.

But these four probably stick out only because of their distinct accents.

Elliot Goldenthal, the composer for Michael Mann’s other hit film “Heat,” surprisingly disappoints with a generally bland score, except for one cool, recurring, bank robbery theme.

Of course, it’s this theme that alerts the audience when something interesting is about to happen. When there’s no cool theme, the plot is painfully slow.

Michael Mann is a director known for his cool style. From the masterpiece crime thriller “Heat” to his early work with the character story “Collateral,” his style has been copied extensively — most noticeably in the opening bank robbery scene of “The Dark Knight.”

But “Public Enemies” is by no means a crime thriller, and it certainly isn’t an insightful character study that attempts to redeem the “bad guy,” or Dillinger.

It’s stagnant, helplessly caught somewhere between the two classifications in a storm of Tommy Gun fire.