Public Enemies Discussions

[lowbudgetblockbuster22]

I just started it here so we can talk about the episode and the movie so we don't have to make 2 posts.

I had MAJOR problems with this film.

1. Audio Differences
I think the only people that would notice this is filmmakers like us. There are scenes where some of the gangsters are shooting their tommy guns and there are shots where the gunshots are really loud, and then the next shot they are slightly muted. I can tell that they used different cameras with different booms for the same scene, and I think the cameras all had different audio settings, making the sound off. That is a HUGE mistake that they should have looked over. It is just . . . annoying! It's not that hard to check the settings!

2. The HD Camera
I think this style is a cool style of filming. IF it is done correctly. In the film, there are very little shots where the camera is still. The rest of the movie is on foot and I think lacks a steadicam. Now, normally with a camera shooting with film, that would be a cool way of filming. But with the HD camera, it gets confusing. It's hard to explain, but when you see the film, and the camera moves quickly, and it's hard to figure out is happening.

3. Character Development
I know that the characters in the film are famous and most people know about them. But when I was watching it I felt like I didn't know the characters! Dillinger was a cool guy but there were parts when I couldn't really relate to his character. And when other characters would bite the bullet I just didn't feel saddened at all! They did not set up the characters well enough.

I would give it a 7/10. Maybe a 6.5/10.

What did you guys think? Did you notice any of these things?

And great episode Grace! The man you talked to that was in the movie did a great job. That's one of the few I could relate to. Same with Billie's character. What is the main actresses name again? It's French right?

Anyway great job!

[Griffmo]

I hate to tell you it, but as for number 3, you completely missed the point of the film.

[lowbudgetblockbuster22]

I did get the point. John Dillinger was a bank robbing killer, but they tried to make you relate with him, which you started to, but they didn't have enough of him to make it where you would feel very saddened by his death, as they tried to do.

[chickenproductions]

I personally thought it was the best of the year so far (Taken not included since it was out in Europe in 2008). I loved the HD camera personally, it just felt more realistic for some reason. Audio was a bit jarring at times, but not as bad as you say. Depp did an excellent job, and Bale was mediocre. Overall though, another well made thriller from Michael Mann. 9/10

[lowbudgetblockbuster22]

I like the HD camera too but they just did too much movement in my opinion. I didn't know what was happening. It could be my eyesight too. I'm 20/40 and need to get glasses soon.

I think once I noticed the sound I just kept thinking about it. I am obsessive. lol.

And I thought Depp did a incredible job. It wasn't that he did bad, but the script just didn't include enough of his character. It's not his fault or Mann's fault.

[chickenproductions]

I like the HD camera too but they just did too much movement in my opinion. I didn't know what was happening. It could be my eyesight too. I'm 20/40 and need to get glasses soon.

I think once I noticed the sound I just kept thinking about it. I am obsessive. lol.

And I thought Depp did a incredible job. It wasn't that he did bad, but the script just didn't include enough of his character. It's not his fault or Mann's fault.
The quality definitely looked different from most other movies out, but I wouldn't exactly say I couldn't see, just that it was not what I'm used to in theaters. The shakiness was a bit annoying at times, but for the most part it did its job at keeping the movie tense.

Don't worry, I can get like that too, especially after I've been editing for a while, every movie after that I'll scrutinize every time they change angles.

What more did you want from the character? I think Mann was trying to do a gangster movie that didn't have all the backstory of how they got there, and just went straight to the height.

[lowbudgetblockbuster22]

The quality definitely looked different from most other movies out, but I wouldn't exactly say I couldn't see, just that it was not what I'm used to in theaters. The shakiness was a bit annoying at times, but for the most part it did its job at keeping the movie tense.

Don't worry, I can get like that too, especially after I've been editing for a while, every movie after that I'll scrutinize every time they change angles.

What more did you want from the character? I think Mann was trying to do a gangster movie that didn't have all the backstory of how they got there, and just went straight to the height.

Yeah, I get what your saying about the camera. I think it just got confusing at certain scenes but I just I have to get used to it.

Yeah, lol.

I just think they tried to push that sad ending but it just wasn't there. It just lacked.

[dkg productions]

i personally love the style of filmmaking, having the handheld camera similar to JJ Abram's films like Star Trek and MI3 but i thought Cloverfield was to shaky for me. Same with this, although it fit with most scenes and it made me feel like i was really there sometimes you just wanted it to stop. for example the dinner scene i thought that was to shaky and other scenes like that where they are sitting still and talking i thought they should have just put the camera on a tripod for a bit but other then that the movie was great.

8/10

[RoughSketchPictures]

Yeah, it's an alright movie. Most of it was filmed 15 min. to an hour from me. So I visited the set 4 to 5 times. I watched alot of their techniques and their cameras. Whether or not you liked the way they were used, those HD cameras were still NICE. I was practically drooling watching them film.
It was also funny to watch Micheal Mann and Christian Bale on the same set because they were always the two most serious people. When "cut" was yelled, everyone else (including Billy Crudup) just kind of relaxed and walked off a bit between takes. It was a really neat thing to see a movie being made. I just wished that it had been edited better.

[DarkForestFilms]

it looks really good

[punkandska66]

I just saw it and was expecting it to be really really good. It was just "OK".

[michaelbak]

"R" nuff said... for me at least.

[camerongetty]

What you said about the audio and everything throughout #1, I noticed it too. The whole loud gunshots to semi-muted ones got annoying, because you really had no sense of direction. However, I didn't notice the HD camera movements as much, maybe I was too into the movie, but I'll be careful to examine next time. Although the movie lacked efficient character development, I still felt close with some of the characters, as if I was part of their "gang."

Even though the movie lacked in some departments, I feel it was a spectacular movie, and Mann did a great job. I give it an 8/10.

[Griffmo]

I felt he didn't explain them because he didn't need to. I KNEW John Dillinger from watching this movie, know characterization was needed. These were bad men doing bad things, and no amount of explanation would change that, humanizing them would just be pointless. This wasn't a movie about John Dillinger as an individual, this was John Dillinger and his legacy, his friends, his enemies, and his fall. It was about the things he did, not him, and I think that got misinterpreted (although I could easily see how)

(forgive any spelling errors, spellcheck is wacking out)

[RodyPolis]

yea I saw this. It was good not great. Like a 7/10 or 6.5. The acting was good and a lot of it was was cool. Here are the things that'd bothered me though.1. The lack of music: I'm sorry but I just can't take actions scenes without music. I just can't do. One of the most painful things for me in movies is to watch people run/fight with just plain sound. I've heard people say it makes it more intense. WHAT?? How is watching an action scene without music supposed to make it more intense? I also think the bank robberies couldve been more epic with music. They just seemed so lame and uninterresting. That might be just my opinion though.2. there was some lack of character development. I absolutely knew nothing of JD except that he robbed banks. So I felt the movie didn't fill me in eough on what was happening. I was excepting to see a true bada** robbing banks and doing cool stuff, but it was so boringly done. Which goes back to my lack of music point. Some good music would've made me feel the robberies. Some epic music when they're introducing Dillinger would've made the character more great. To me it just felt like the makers got lazy, cause I don't see how the lack of music could make it a better movie.3. Pointless camera shake. Now for actions scenes I'm all for camera shake but simples scenes need to calm down lol I just don't see how the random 'kid holding camera' movement was supposed to make this better. It just looked cheap and not artistic at all. If you want to make a scene intense, add some music to it.So if you read my whole review yu'll see that really the lack of music is what mostly pissed me off about this movie. With music I thing this could've went up 1 star.

[MooreEnt24]

I had high hopes for this film, and I came out of the theatre absolutely hating it.

The story was everywhere. The camera work was abysmal, not the mention that a large chunk was shot on Consumer-Grade HD in 60 FPS!

The acting was completely uninspired; and the editing was amateur at best.

I've never been a fan of Michael Mann, with the exception of 'Heat,' but, let's face it, the actors made that movie work.

And one thing that really angered me was the score; or the lack there of. All the ''score'' was, was the occasional fading in and out of the same two tracks throughout the film.

I'm sorry Mike, but low drones and royalty free music is not a score. And this story, a potentially epic one at that, is in need of music to keep the story moving.

But I digress.

The gun fights, however, were very realistic and the sound effects for those sequences were great.

But that's about it.

If that is the only reason why this film is so great, then we might as well just give away a Cecil B. DeMille Award to Michael Bay!

In my opinion, "Public Enemies" was yet another attempt at a film, which ended up being confused by it's own meaning; after being lead by a clueless film director who was lost without a compass.

I give it 2/4 stars.

[uzi1951]

This was like watching the History Channel with Johnny Depp playing Dillinger.

Shakey camera wasn't good.

Not one empty shell from all those gun shots.

Why change the red dress (the important part historically) at the end to orange?

If it wasn't for my girlfriend, I never would have wasted my money.

[MooreEnt24]

This was like watching the History Channel with Johnny Depp playing Dillinger.

YES! Exactly!

Just like 'Last of the Mohicans,' it felt like a poorly performed/executed segment on the History Channel.

[Chucks McCork]

just saw the film. nothing jumped out about it. also the picture in some scenes look like they used a handycam. and some of the historical facts were off. i felt like a robot watching this, looking at a screen with no emotions. i wouldnt recomend this at all. two things good about this film though, Christen Bale and Baby Face Nelson.

[pinball_w1zard]

I did get the point. John Dillinger was a bank robbing killer, but they tried to make you relate with him, which you started to, but they didn't have enough of him to make it where you would feel very saddened by his death, as they tried to do.


thanks for the spoiler alert

[BTT Grace]

Hmm, I haven't seen it yet - seeing it tonight - but I'm not a fan of shooting movies on video. Just doesn't look right.

The actress's name is Marion Cotillard and if you haven't seen La Vie En Rose, for which she won an Oscar, I highly recommend it!

Glad you guys enjoyed the episode! It was indeed a great find having that actor from the film just happen to walk by! :)

[uzi1951]

thanks for the spoiler alert

If you didn't know he gets killed, someone hasn't looked at a history book.

Do you own any pinball machines Mr. Wizard? I have 4 in my living room.

[HomemadePictures]

does anyone know the name of the song that plays when Bale is chasing Pretty Boy Floyd and shoots him at the beginning, and again when Dillinger and the crew are robbing a bank, it plays several times in the movie

anyone know the name of that song?

[HomemadePictures]

anyone???

[chickenproductions]

anyone???
Otis Taylor- Ten Million Slaves

[HomemadePictures]

thank you!