BEFORE: You might have heard the cast of a recent Jersey-based TV show talking about their "GTL" schedule - gym, tanning, and laundry. I much prefer my weekend schedule of TLC - that's television, laundry (I'd prefer lounging, but laundry has to happen) and comic books. It seems that bagging comics, organizing them and keeping track of their values has taken a backseat to my movie project. It's a big job, and I've fallen behind - hopefully I can work on this a little each night until I catch up.
Sticking in the 1930's for this crime film, which I got off of premium cable last week - great timing! I've got more Johnny Depp films coming up in October, and I toyed with the idea of delaying this film until then, but I think it fits into this chain best.
THE PLOT: The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.
AFTER: This is a rich, complicated period piece - and it did a good job of capturing the feel of the 1930's. However, at 2 hours and 20 minutes, it's a bit too long, and in the end it doesn't really get into Dillinger's head, it just scratches the surface.
Johnny Depp (last seen in "Donnie Brasco") plays Dillinger, and the best parts of this film detail the cat-and-mouse game between him and FBI agent Melvin Purvis, played by Christian Bale (last seen in "The Prestige"). This is what I've been looking for, someone to root for - though I suppose if you want to root for Dillinger, that's your right. But since I knew who triumphs in the end (and that crime doesn't pay...) I'd rather back a winning horse.
Dillinger is stuck in the pattern of pulling bank jobs, then hiding out until the coast is clear - repeat as necessary. His associates all have plans to leave the country after their next big score, but Dillinger has no such ideas - either he never makes the big score, or he just loves what he does too much to leave the life of crime. We find out so little about his personality here - as he says to his prospective girlfriend, "What more do you need to know?" Umm...something, anything?
Why does he rob banks? Why not get a steady job, settle down? The film does OK with the WHO but falls short on explaining the WHY.
The movie suggests that Dillinger was able to hide in plain sight, either by wearing disguises, or by depending on the silence of people who viewed him as a modern-day Robin Hood. I guess those people didn't lose any money in the banks that Dillinger robbed... I suppose he was aided by the fact that the FBI didn't have sophisticated surveillance equipment yet, or DNA testing, or cell phones, or GPS locators. But Dillinger's crimes led to the formation of FBI task forces, and tougher interstate crime laws.
A few years ago, we went to Chicago and took this "Mob Tour", which I highly recommend. These two guys dressed as 1930's gangsters led a bus of tourists around the city, pointing out locations like the site of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and the Biograph theater, which is the place where agents took Dillinger down. (Not really a spoiler, since it's in the history books) Good times...
Also starring Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup (last seen in "Mission:Impossible III") as J. Edgar Hoover, Stephen Dorff (last seen in "World Trade Center"), Lili Taylor (last seen in "Say Anything"), Giovanni Ribisi (last seen in "The Postman"), Rory Cochrane (last seen in "Dazed & Confused") and Leelee Sobieski (last seen in "88 Minutes"). Oh, and character actor Peter Gerety (last seen in "Paul Blart: Mall Cop")
RATING: 7 out of 10 fedoras
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