Talkie Zoo: PUBLIC ENEMIES

I rented a few movies over the weekend. One of them was Public Enemies (2009; R) starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, two of my very favorite actors.This film is the story of some very famous gangsters from the '30s, including Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger (Depp's part), and Pretty Boy Floyd, to name just a few. More than that, though, it was the story of how ruthless these men were in their crimes, killing wantonly at a moment's notice.

So many films have turned these criminals in to folk heroes. Dillinger probably comes the closest to being a hero in his love affair with Billie Frechette. Still, he was a gangster and a criminal and that doesn't become null and void because he loved someone.

I love watching Johnny Depp become so close to his character that you can almost believe he's the real deal. I think he could do colon cleansing product reviews in infomercials and have me wanting to jump on that pretty quickly! His portrayal was flawless, as usual. Christian Bale also did an excellent job of playing Melvin Purvis, the famous FBI agent who fought crime across the nation, and centered his fight in Chicago. A better pair couldn't have been selected for these roles, I believe.