So this was pre-spoiled for me because a) I had seen the original and b) who is really surprised that the gangsters end up dead at the end. If a spoiler there were it would be from High Fidelity when he talks about how Dillinger's girlfriend set him up behind a movie theater. But in a twist, in this film he is not shot behind the theater but down the street and it's not really his girlfriend, just a friend of his who has been set up. With something like this I'm curious as to how true the story is and where are the liberties taken.
The film is based on the book of same name by Bryan Burrough. As anyone can guess it follows Dillingers last years and as things start to wind down in his life of crime and allies turn to foes. Seeking out public enemy number one is Melvin Purvis, phoning it in is Christian Bale. The character is pretty flat and you get no glimpse into what makes this man the relentless blood hound he is. Especially since at the end it says he kills himself the following year. Why? Was he depressed. No clues nothing. And Depp as Dillinger is alright. Marion Cotillard is the only one in the picture I think truly acting. But none of this matters and it's not what I wanted to talk about.
So Mann shot this in High Def and I could tell from the trailer that it sometimes hinders the experience. Most of it looks very impressive but then it will cut to an obviously inexpensive camera and look like something shot with a camera anyone can get at Walmart. And then I started thinking about it. Mann is well known to use tactics to make things more believable. In Heat especially he worked with military specialists to get the gun fights as real as he could. And it looks like he's using the same tactics here. Tommy guns in this movie constantly need mending, and often jam. The sounds that protrude are loud and noisy and authentic. I believe Mann has tried to make a film feel as though this were happening today. I don't mean with cell phones but if today were someday in 1933 and you could see in on this life, then that is exactly what you would be seeing. Now for the other side of this double edged sword. It doesn't feel like a film anymore. The experience of going to see a movie and walking out not knowing if it was a movie is a new feel for me. It's not good or bad, it's just different. And that's where I stand.
