Gangster, Gangster

Film Noir and gangsters films have always been the favorite of the people. There are many reasons why. Violence and blood are always at a high in these types of movies. The criminals are glamorized to look cool or attractive. They have everything. They have the power, the money, the women, the connections, and the looks. The powerful tugs achieve what they want through bloody hands and terror. The police can never seem to catch these guys. However in the end, the gangster is either killed or caught by the police. Michael Mann’s 2009 film, Public Enemies is no exception to this rule. Johnny Depp plays the protagonist, John Dillinger. The movie follows the rules of Classical Hollywood Cinema storytelling. The director seemed to have followed every single rule all the way from start to finish. Even though the movie was not that good, Mann still did a decent job putting it together.

The first rule of Classical Hollywood Cinema storytelling is, “The typical Hollywood film presents psychologically defined characters who struggle to solve a clear-cut problem or to attain specific goals.” Depp’s character is just trying to rob banks and live freely during the Great Depression. He also tries to get the girl he loves. These are just a couple of the common goals in gangster movies. What is standing in Depp’s way? Why none other than the police and FBI trying to bring him down! Depp’s character is the typical gangster. He does not want to be catch and executed like all normal criminals. The man will stop at nothing to stay free and to get his woman in the end. Mann followed this rule all the way down to the very tee.

The second rules goes, “In the course of this struggle, the characters enter into conflict with others or with external circumstances.” Depp’s character encounters both. Most of the people he trusts either dies, turns against him, or ends up in prison. Plus, his character slowly begins to realize time is running out for him as the police start to catch up with him. The problems piling up are just typical in a gangster film. The noose just grows tighter and tighter until something finally gives and the criminal finally meets his demise. Mann followed this rule to an extent. The conflicts seemed to just crawl into the story and not pop out right away.

Next, “The story ends with closure: a decisive victory or defeat, a resolution of the problem and a clear achievement or nonachievement of the goals.” Public Enemies definitely has this one. The police kill Dillinger in the end. Just like in all gangster films, crime never really succeeds in the end. The government and police always rise up and bring down the villain in the end. American society has gotten used to the idea of good conquering over evil. That is why the gangster in most crime drama movies always dies in the end. This ending is common that it is boring. Mann certainly followed this rule and the common theme over good winning over in the end.

Then there is, “The Hollywood film also draws a sharp distinction between story and plot, and the scenes that are included in the plot are those which somehow advance the main character’s quest for his/her goal.” This rule does apply in Public Enemies. , John Dillinger’s is told in chronological order. The whole movie goes from when he breaks out of prison the first time to his death. The plot does not skip around or show any flash blacks. It just goes on straight forward until the very end. Mann stayed simple with both the story and the plot for the movie. Sometimes, simple is the best way to go for anything.

Finally, “Film’s formal properties—camera movements, editing, setting, acting—will be used to present the plot, and will not call attention to themselves. Invisible style.” The filming throughout the movie looked pretty natural. The production looked done by a skillful hand. The camera movements, editing, setting, and acting all turned out almost perfectly. I did not even notice the obvious parts of the film crew at work. Mann nailed this rule and the other four rather nicely.

Even though I did not like Public Enemies, the filming of the whole thing follows Classical Hollywood Cinema storytelling. Sometimes a film that is not really liked by all can still manage to look good flow through evenly.