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Public Enemies [DVD]

Johnny Depp , Christian Bale , Michael Mann    Suitable for 15 years and over   DVD
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
Price: £5.14 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Public Enemies [DVD] + The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford [DVD] [2007]
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Product details

  • Actors: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale
  • Directors: Michael Mann
  • Format: PAL
  • Subtitles: English, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish
  • Dubbed: Hungarian
  • Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired: English
  • Audio Description: None
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Universal Pictures UK
  • DVD Release Date: 2 Nov 2009
  • Run Time: 139 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B001N2MZSO
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,524 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

From Amazon.co.uk

Since crime auteur Michael Mann, like his protagonists, plays by his own rules, Public Enemies eschews back story and motivation for a closely-observed, action-packed examination of men at work. FBI supremo J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) kick-starts a nationwide manhunt when he proclaims John Dillinger (Johnny Depp, in top form) Public Enemy #1. Hoover taps Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to bring the Tommy Gun-toting bank robber in by any means necessary (the agency also targets Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson). If Dillinger had split the scene then and there, he might have enjoyed a happier fate, but he falls for beautiful coat-check girl Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard, whose open-hearted performance makes her the most sympathetic character in the film). In the end, though, Dillinger is the captain of his own destiny: his loyalty to his girl and his gang overpowers his desire to live free. Though the director also set his first film, Thief, and third series, Crime Story, in his native Chicago, Public Enemies plays more like Heat in Depression-era garb. In that L.A. policier, Al Pacino's cop develops a grudging respect for Robert De Niro's criminal, but letting a lawbreaker go free isn't an option. In this case, however, the tight-lipped Purvis never develops the same sort of esteem for Dillinger--or Hoover--making him the more tragic figure. If Public Enemies is less overtly commercial than The Untouchables or Bugsy, it's still the best mainstream gangster epic in ages and ranks among Mann's finest works. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

A film inspired by one of the country's most captivating and infamous outlaws..John Dillinger.Dillinger engages in an escalating game of cat and mouse that culminates in an explosive showdown.


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 39 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great 17 Nov 2009
By Mr. Blu
Format:Blu-ray
This film stars a wonderful Johnny Depp who pretty much carries the film for most of its near 2 1/2 hours. It is visually stunning (with a few caveats, of which more later) often compelling, but there seems to be something missing. A lack of "back-story" is not the problem as Depp makes clear in his own mini auto-biography delivered to Billie "What more do you need to know?". It seems to be a problem with tempo and the development of drama. There are too many shoot-outs, too much of a concentration of the scenes dealing with character in the early part of the film, and too little organisation of the order of scenes, leaving the viewer with a film that lurches from one thing to another rather than allowing a dramatic line to unfold.

Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis plays a rather dull character, and Billy Crudup (who "Watchmen" fans might recognise despite his failure here to turn blue and expose his genitals) was more engaging and watchable, for me. But there is no real sense of a dynamic, dramatic conflict between Purvis and Dillinger. Marion Cotillard is quite good as Billie, without conveying much of what is supposed to make her relationship with Dillinger work. It is a film with lots of great scenes, which don't add up to a great whole. Most viewers will surely empathise with Dillinger (the aspect that he is more hated by much worse criminals than by ordinary citizens no doubt helps) but since towards the end he doesn't seem that bothered about what happens to him, it becomes harder for the viewer to care.

On the BD side, this film was shot on HD cameras (apparently the 35mm scenes were tests and did not make it into the film). This makes for outrageously good visuals at times. Winstead bending down to the pavement in close-up, or in the interrogation room with Billie are about as good as HD gets. Almost hyper-real in the sense of depth, plasticity and three-dimensionality. When Mann wants it so, the film showcases the format with natural colours, sharpness and brilliance of image. But at times there is quite heavy filtration, mainly yellow for darker, indoor scenes. And despite the much-heralded grain-free guarantee from going all digital, some of the night scenes have very aggressive digital noise which is more unsightly than most grainy night-time scenes I have recently seen. Audio quality, as another reviewer mentions, is a mixed bag. The soundtrack is 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio - DTS HD here appears to stand for Dialogue Towards Silence Hail-of-bullets Deafening. Every shotgun shell here would do duty for a nuclear explosion in many other films, while the dialogue is far too quiet. I was constantly adjusting volume, which was very annoying.

What remains is an entertaining but imperfect film which has a hollowness, the sense that something is missing and this prevents the film from being as great as Depp's performance deserves. As a BD the sound issue is annoying, but the picture quality is very good, bearing in mind the few caveats above. Worth a look, but don't put it top of your list.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Mmmmmm. 1 Aug 2010
Format:DVD
I don't know what it is that's missing from this film but there's definitely something, Johnny Depp's pretty good, Christian Bale does his stock U.S. accent and Michael Mann could've left 15 minutes on the cutting room floor but what is actually missing, I'm not too sure.
If you want to watch something about this era of gangster, I'd recommend De Niro and Costner in The Untouchables or go right back to James Cagney but Public Enemies is a bit of a so what film.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but no masterpiece 17 Nov 2009
Format:Blu-ray
An enjoyable gangster flick with a good cast, Mann's latest effort is however no Goodfellas (or even Heat for that matter). We do get wonderful, believable performances from all, although Christian Bale's hotshot FBI agent far outshines Depp's Dillinger in my humble opinion. Stephen Lane also excels as Bale's quiet, cold as ice, hard as nails, second in command (with a heart of gold too it seems by the end of the film). It was also nice to see Stephen Graham make good use of his perfectly cast role as Baby Face Nelson. In general, I believe this movie certainly has enough weight and quality to reward repeated viewings.

However, I don't like the digital video process Mann has used in some scenes, and think they clash rather severely with the standard film stock shots (particularly in the nighttime shootout in the forest - an action packed highlight). They lack the warmth of 35mm, and any bright light sources seem to burn unpleasantly across the screen whenever digital video is used. I have a feeling that we'll just have to get used to it, as we have done for CGI effects - another step back in movie making IMO.

Blu-ray presentation is strong; image quality is excellent with superb detail, although a little inconsistent (grain level can change from shot to shot, and not just because of switching from video to film stock either). Colours are well defined, although (deliberately) muted and slightly sepia toned. Sound quality is hit and miss; dialogue is clear, but the surround treatment lacks a sense of space. Bass extension is also a little disappointing; the horse race scene almost promises to bring the thundering of hooves into the living room, but doesn't quite deliver. Gunfire however, does have a realistic crack and pop in the action scenes.

I found the disk took AGES to load into my Sony player - the longest I have ever experienced. Subtitles (of which there is a good choice), cleverly appeared at the side of the screen where the dialogue (or sound descriptions) were coming from, this must have taken some care and deserves credit. Mann's commentary is also worth a brief mention, although he seems to dote too much on the historic facts of the story rather than his film-making. Ironic, as there are many important factual errors in this telling of the tale. Whatever, he has plenty to say and most of it is interesting - there are no embarrassing silences either for a change.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Best 30's gangster movie
The many reviewers of this movie are either too young, unfamiliar with the Midwest,or the depression atmosphere. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Esar Shvartz
1.0 out of 5 stars Poor
This film is not even a bit good. If you want to watch a gangsta movie don't buy this. By the end you don't even care about want happens to any of the characters. Boring.
Published 18 days ago by Mr. J. huie
4.0 out of 5 stars An Overlooked Gem
'Public Enemies' is a widely-overlooked 'true crime' biographical film that dramatises the classic conflict between hunter and hunted. Read more
Published 1 month ago by T. T. Rogers: Straight-To-Video
4.0 out of 5 stars goood
ok action film ... ... .. ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .. .. .. . ... .. ..
Published 5 months ago by psop
3.0 out of 5 stars Okay but There's Better Film of that Genre
This film tells the story of real life armed robber John Dilinger in 1930's America and the attempts to capture him by J. Edgar Hoover's team lead by Melvin Purvis. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Hagrid's Umbrella
2.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre Michael Mann movie
Disappointing biopic of John Dillinger, Public Enemy No 1 during during Depression hit 1930's America. Read more
Published 10 months ago by P.D.Nash
5.0 out of 5 stars Great,fun and exciting film
I think that this is a great film it is very exsiting and fun to watch,
It is quite vilont in some parts but not much language in it,
It also contains quite a bit of... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Chillz
5.0 out of 5 stars Didn't expect to like it this much
I didn't expect too much from this movie I must admit, but I was pleasantly surprised. A nice cast, with a great (if not unexpected) performance from Depp. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Ellinor
4.0 out of 5 stars ;)
It arrived on time as described, but as its a present i havent seen it so cant comment on the film itself. :)
Published 18 months ago by DrummerGirl
5.0 out of 5 stars public enemies
amazing film. depp makes you like and almost feel sorry for the villain in the end. really good cast and very good story.
delivered very quick and packaged well
Published on 10 Mar 2011 by Matthew Rogers
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Discussion Replies Latest Post
language besides english? 1 24 Mar 2011
Portuguese subtitles?? 3 24 Mar 2011
language besides english? 2 18 May 2010
Subtitles ? 1 18 May 2010
german language? 10 18 May 2010
sound issues 0 22 Nov 2009
Can't access BD Live content on this disc! 0 7 Nov 2009
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