Dear Michael Mann,For thirty years you've been doing your own thing, quietly carving out your owe niche in cinema history. I would like to say that I am a fan of that niche, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to be certain. I've seen all your film work, except for The Keep (and from what I can tell, it is a very atypical film for you), and I can still only count on one hand the films of yours that I love. Yet when you do knock it out of the park, you create some of the best films of the decade (Heat, The Insider). When you miss, though, it can be unbearably dull. I can't say that Public Enemies is a failure, not by a long-shot, but it sure isn't one of your best achievements, either.
When you were making this film, I wonder, were you concerned about the similarities to Heat? Two men, opposite sides of the law, both doing what they do best, leading to an inevitably violent showdown. Yet where that film had a spark of life, a sense of grandeur, here there is only coldness and simplicity. It stands as a pale imitator by comparison. Where is the depth of characters? I had such a hard time connecting to either Dillinger or Purvis, I got no sense of who these men were or why they did what they did. And where was the story? Dillinger robs banks, Purvis tries to stop him, throw in a little romance, and viola! There's your movie. Well, that doesn't quite cut it, not when you made such complex character studies like The Insider or even Collateral.
I have to say, I deeply respect you for not turning this into a Dillinger biopic. This could easily have been about the life and times of America's original public enemy number 1. You could have started with him as a boy, faced with some sort of trauma. That trauma would have thrown a shadow over his whole life, serving as an artificial explanation for everything he does later in life. In short, it could have been simply awful and generic. Instead, you focus just on who he was at that moment in time when his life was coming to an end. Outside of a throwaway reference to a bad father, you offer no explanations or justifications for what Dillinger does or who he became. Still, that doesn't mean all character development must be thrown by the wayside. I felt like neither you nor Johnny Depp really got who Dillinger was, so you didn't try to make him into an interesting guy. There was one moment, however, that spoke volumes: Dillinger, walking into the Bureau building and poking around the office that was investigating him. The way he tests to see if anyone would recognize him, the curiosity on his face - that was a standout moment, but it should not have been the only one.
Where you never fail to impress me is the technical aspects. I know that digital bothers a lot of people, yet you stick with it. I tend to agree that digital takes people out of the experience, but that hasn't been the case with your films. You know how to use it in such a beautiful, sometimes haunting way. The film is a sight to behold, from cinematography to art direction to costumes, but it is the sound design that stands out the most. What a complex, nuanced arrangement of sounds you have. You always know when to ramp up the sound and when to let the silences speak for themselves. Whatever my problems with your characters, there's no denying that you fully drew me into this time and place through your impeccable craft.
I guess I just wish you could marry your technical majesty with a great script. You've done it before, and I know you can do it again. It just seems like you've been in a creative funk this decade. Collateral aside, nothing you've done has spoken to me the way your films in the 90's did. Public Enemies is certainly a step in the right direction after Miami Vice, but it's still a far way off of what you and I both know you are capable of. Still, I thank you for you willingness to put something a little unconventional out there in the midst of summer, knowing full well this isn't what people normally flock to in July. Whatever its flaws, at least this isn't a mindless summer blockbuster. I don't see myself jumping off the Mann bandwagon yet, but please take the sparks of originality in this film and run with it next time. You're still capable of something extraordinary, and I patiently await that film.
Sincerely,
Ken
