Michael Mann deconstructed the gangster film in “Public Enemies”

Gangster cinema is one of the most famous and famous genres. From bank robbers to gangsters and everything in between, audiences have longed for cops and robbers since the dawn of cinema. Bank robberies increased sharply in the 1920s and 1930s, leading to an extensive FBI manhunt for notorious criminals such as: John Dillinger. Dillinger and many of his associates became celebrities due to the public nature of their crimes and the nationwide hunts that followed. This led to an increase in crime films about similar events in in the 1930s and 1940s, an era that is now considered the golden age of crime cinema.

In the recent past, filmmakers like Martin Scorsese And Michael Mann have continued to build on the legacy of crime cinema with films like… GoodFellas And heat. But in 2009, Mann revisited this classic era Public enemiesa film that documents John Dillinger's final years as the FBI got to the bottom of his criminal enterprise. Johnny Depp portrays Dillinger, during Christian Bale plays Melvin Purvis, the lawman tasked with hunting him down. With great lead actors and a solid supporting cast Marion Cotillard, Stephen LangAnd Jason Clarke, Public enemies features an extensive cast committed to bringing this era to life. Public enemies was positively received and is one of Mann's biggest box office successes. But like many of his works, it is a film whose reputation grows with time.

Mann is a director who is always one step ahead. So it's interesting to see him take a modernist approach to a crime genre film set so long ago. With Public enemiesMann acknowledged the archetypes, themes, locations, props, etc. that often appeared in old-school gangster films. However, Mann's approach to capturing the era in modern cinematic style brings the 1930s to life in high definition like you've never seen it before.

John Dillinger inspired several crime films before “Public Enemies”

During the period of American history when bank robberies were most common, many criminals achieved celebrity status through their notoriety. Dillinger was certainly one of the most famous criminals of his time. With snappy nicknames and larger-than-life personalities, people like “Pretty Boy” Floyd (portrayed by Channing Tatum In Public enemies) and “Baby Face” Nelson (played by Stephen Graham), became well-known personalities in the media.

Films of the time began to reflect the lives of these men. In 1932 Howard Hawks I made the original Scarfacethat became famous from Brian De Palma with Al Pacino in 1983. The 1932 film was partly inspired by the life of Al Capone, one of the most notorious gangsters who also had many ties to crime in Chicago, where Dillinger spent his final days. Scarfaceand many crime films of the time were strict morality tales. These are films that are intended to thrill while at the same time making it clear how little a life of crime pays off in anything other than suffering and tragedy. Even more closely related to Public enemiesa popular post from 1945 covered the same topic: DillingerIn the main role Laurence Tierneyand a film that has almost the same name: The enemy of the stateIn the main role James Cagney in 1931.

“Public Enemies” is morally more complex than previous films have had the right to be

The Dillinger Overlaps are obvious, however The enemy of the state The film also focuses on a criminal's rise in the Chicago crime world and his tragic fate. These films all have similar themes and character archetypes: usually there's a sophisticated, charming criminal who has a meteoric rise followed by a fall, and a no-nonsense lawman hot on his trail. Paranoia and distrust of other criminals are common. The films of the 1930s largely disprove the idea that there is honor among thieves. While real criminals like Dillinger achieved celebrity status in the culture, the images of the time shied away from this and showed trite heroes and villains that made it clear whose side you should actually be on.

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Mann's film is thematically more complex than the films of the 1930s had any right to be, particularly after 1936, when the Hays Code came into effect. These guidelines smoothed out almost any moral gray areas that could be considered in these films, instead calling for simple and straightforward stories with clear boundaries between good and evil that would not lead their audience into injustice. Making a 1930s gangster film in the 21st century gives a filmmaker more leeway to explore rich, complicated characters and more mature themes. Mann took this opportunity to heart Public enemies.

With “Public Enemies,” Michael Mann modernized the old-school gangster film

Public enemies is about looking back on this “Golden Age” and seeing it for what it was: a dark time in American history in which most of its most famous subjects were either shot or imprisoned and their methods of crime became obsolete. Mann completely strips the film of the glamor we associate with this era. The criminals wear nice suits and are quite charming, but there is an empty, sad quality that goes deeper than just “good” or “evil.” Just like The sopranos acts as a dark, depressing examination of our revisionist associations with the glamor and excesses of mafia culture. Public enemies gives us a fuller, more compelling picture of Dillinger that humanizes him while stripping away the iconography that comes with the life of a famous career criminal.

The older films that depicted this era were always quick to deliver simple, clear moral lessons about crime, law, and order. Mann's film is more complicated. Dillinger is certainly not portrayed as a flawless man, but his reputation lies somewhere between a violent criminal and a twisted kind of folk hero. The anti-hero nature of Dillinger's characterization reflects a more modern approach to crime storytelling seen in many recent crime films such as: The city. Of course, this is nothing new for Mann, with whom he began his feature film career Thief. This film is presented entirely from the perspective of a character who would have been explicitly labeled evil in a 1930s film about the same subject. Nevertheless, you find yourself standing up for it James Caan In Thief. Similar to Public enemiesThere's something undeniably exciting about standing up for the robbers.

“Public Enemies” contains Mann’s signature theme of technology

As much as Mann plays thematically with the story's relationship to 1930s crime, the film's visual style also reflects a more thorough examination of the subject. Public enemies continues a trend that Mann started The insider, and opted for documentary-style camerawork that really brings the viewer into the environment, alongside the characters. This film also continued a creative phase he had begun Ali by filming with digital cameras. The technological progress between MiamiViceis blurry, grainy footage and Public enemies shows a much sharper, cleaner image. It's eerie and strange to see the historical sets, costumes and props in this hyper-realistic lens. We're used to seeing this period depicted in grainy black and white, but the high-resolution, smooth photography of Public enemies reveals a completely new perspective.

Mann's increasing obsession with technology is also reflected in the film's story, as we see Dillinger's criminal ways made obsolete by new, more efficient methods of theft and technologically advanced surveillance to combat such crimes. Both sides of the law are leaving people like Dillinger behind. Public enemies It feels like a conclusion to the book about this era, a look back to the golden age to reveal that it may have been nothing more than the death throes of an older class of criminals. It's no wonder Mann followed up Public enemies with Black hata film that focuses solely on crimes that take place entirely in cyberspace.

Public enemies is a rich, demystifying portrait of a legendary figure. The film stands both alongside and in contrast to many of the great crime films of the 1930s and 1940s. Mann deconstructs the era from the inside out, gets to the heart of the details and gives us an exciting action experience full of dynamic heists, shootouts and escape attempts. While Public enemies Although it faces stiff competition from Mann's most famous masterpieces, it's a sophisticated, stylish film that deserves far more attention than it gets.

Public enemies is available to stream on Netflix in the US

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