Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Public Enemies

  • 20092009
  • RR
  • 2h 20m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
298K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
349
13
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Johnny Depp in Public Enemies (2009)
FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Bale) sets his sights on American gangster John Dillinger (Depp) and others in an attempt to curb a rampant Chicago crime spree during the 1930s.
Play trailer2:33
6 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Action
  • Biography
  • Crime

The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.

IMDb RATING
7.0/10
298K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
349
13
  • Director
    • Michael Mann
  • Writers
    • Ronan Bennett(screenplay)
    • Michael Mann(screenplay)
    • Ann Biderman(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Christian Bale
    • Johnny Depp
    • Christian Stolte
Top credits
  • Director
    • Michael Mann
  • Writers
    • Ronan Bennett(screenplay)
    • Michael Mann(screenplay)
    • Ann Biderman(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Christian Bale
    • Johnny Depp
    • Christian Stolte
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 678User reviews
    • 359Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 14 nominations

    Videos6

    Public Enemies
    Trailer 2:33
    Public Enemies
    Public Enemies: Crime Technology
    Featurette 2:23
    Public Enemies: Crime Technology
    Public Enemies: Character profiles
    Featurette 3:04
    Public Enemies: Character profiles
    Public Enemies: Actual locations
    Featurette 2:40
    Public Enemies: Actual locations
    Public Enemies: London Premiere
    Interview 3:39
    Public Enemies: London Premiere
    Public Enemies: Press Conference
    Promo 3:05
    Public Enemies: Press Conference

    Photos225

    Marion Cotillard in Public Enemies (2009)
    Johnny Depp in Public Enemies (2009)
    Johnny Depp in Public Enemies (2009)
    Johnny Depp in Public Enemies (2009)
    Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in Public Enemies (2009)
    Michael Mann in Public Enemies (2009)
    Johnny Depp in Public Enemies (2009)
    Johnny Depp in Public Enemies (2009)
    Christian Bale in Public Enemies (2009)
    Billy Crudup in Public Enemies (2009)
    Christian Bale and Billy Crudup in Public Enemies (2009)
    Michael Mann in Public Enemies (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Christian Bale
    Christian Bale
    • Melvin Purvisas Melvin Purvis
    Johnny Depp
    Johnny Depp
    • John Dillingeras John Dillinger
    Christian Stolte
    Christian Stolte
    • Charles Makleyas Charles Makley
    Jason Clarke
    Jason Clarke
    • 'Red' Hamiltonas 'Red' Hamilton
    Stephen Graham
    Stephen Graham
    • Baby Face Nelsonas Baby Face Nelson
    David Wenham
    David Wenham
    • Harry 'Pete' Pierpontas Harry 'Pete' Pierpont
    John Judd
    John Judd
    • Turnkeyas Turnkey
    Stephen Dorff
    Stephen Dorff
    • Homer Van Meteras Homer Van Meter
    Michael Vieau
    • Ed Shouseas Ed Shouse
    John Kishline
    • Guard Dainardas Guard Dainard
    Carey Mulligan
    Carey Mulligan
    • Carol Slaymanas Carol Slayman
    James Russo
    James Russo
    • Walter Dietrichas Walter Dietrich
    Giovanni Ribisi
    Giovanni Ribisi
    • Alvin Karpisas Alvin Karpis
    Wesley Walker
    Wesley Walker
    • Jim Leslieas Jim Leslie
    John Scherp
    • Earl Adamsas Earl Adams
    Elena Kenney
    • Viola Norrisas Viola Norris
    William Nero Jr.
    • Toddler on Farmas Toddler on Farm
    Channing Tatum
    Channing Tatum
    • Pretty Boy Floydas Pretty Boy Floyd
    • Director
      • Michael Mann
    • Writers
      • Ronan Bennett(screenplay)
      • Michael Mann(screenplay)
      • Ann Biderman(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Black Mass
    6.9
    Black Mass
    Donnie Brasco
    7.7
    Donnie Brasco
    Blow
    7.5
    Blow
    The Lone Ranger
    6.4
    The Lone Ranger
    The Tourist
    6.0
    The Tourist
    From Hell
    6.8
    From Hell
    Secret Window
    6.5
    Secret Window
    Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
    7.3
    Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
    Transcendence
    6.2
    Transcendence
    The Fighter
    7.8
    The Fighter
    Lucky Them
    6.1
    Lucky Them
    Once Upon a Time in Mexico
    6.3
    Once Upon a Time in Mexico

    Storyline

    Edit
    The difficult 1930s is a time of robbers who knock over banks and other rich targets with alarming frequency. Of them, none is more notorious than John Dillinger, whose gang plies its trade with cunning efficiency against big businesses while leaving ordinary citizens alone. As Dillinger becomes a folk hero, FBI head J. Edger Hoover is determined to stop his ilk by assigning ace agent Melvin Purvis to hunt down Dillinger. As Purvis struggles with the manhunt's realities, Dillinger himself faces an ominous future with the loss of friends, dwindling options and a changing world of organized crime with no room for him. —Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)
    • celebrity criminal
    • manhunt
    • great depression
    • ends with biographical notes
    • mafia
    • 306 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • America's Most Wanted
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Biography
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • History
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for gangster violence and some language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Although Billie Frechette was never given a "third degree" interrogation by the FBI, as shown in the movie, the FBI agents did, in fact, perform similar tactics on Helen Nelson (the wife of Baby Face Nelson), Alvin Karpis, and a John Dillinger associate in Chicago named James Probasco. In the instance of Probasco, he ended up falling to his death from a upper-floor window. Offically, it is believed he committed suicide in order to avoid further interrogation. However, some historians believe that the FBI agents interrogating Probasco attempted to make him talk by hanging him out of a window, and that they lost their grip on him.
    • Goofs
      The Billie Holiday songs heard on the radio were not recorded until the late thirties, long after John Dillinger's death. She had recorded only two songs before the time of the film, Your Mother's Son-in-law and Riffin' the Scotch, neither of which are heard in it. (When Dillinger died in July 1934 Holiday was a little-known cabaret singer in New York, so it's unlikely a live show of hers would have been broadcast anywhere, let alone as far from her home base as Chicago.)
    • Quotes

      John Dillinger: I was raised on a farm in Moooresville, Indiana. My mama died when I was three, my daddy beat the hell out of me cause he didn't know no better way to raise me. I like baseball, movies, good clothes, fast cars, whiskey, and you... what else you need to know?

    • Crazy credits
      The title of the movie is not shown until the end credits.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Watchmen/Shuttle/12 (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah
      Sung by members of the Indian Bottom Association Old Regular Baptists

      Courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

    User reviews678

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Overview of a criminal mastermind
    Public Enemies is an alright docu-crime-thriller that, thought well-made, ends up coming out dry. Many of the scenes are well paced, but in its running time the film feels like a very rushed overview of the final years of John Dillinger. What I mean to say is that this is a good movie, but you probably won't leave the theater feeling like you've learned anything about John Dillinger, other than trivial facts. The movie never really gives Johnny Depp a chance to shape the character into a believable icon because as I previously stated this film feels more like a dramatized overview of Dillinger's career instead of focusing on the man himself.

    Now, Johnny Depp is a fine actor, and he reminds us in this movie that he isn't only a go-to man for quirky, weird, whimsical, and bizarre characters. In Public Enemies Depp reminds us that he is talented as a traditional actor and that he is still one of the best in Hollywood today. The problem is the script he is given for Public Enemies never lets him expand on anything regarding John Dellinger as a person. In Ridley Scott's 'American Gangster' Denzel Washington was given a chance to really emphasize the qualities he felt reflected his view of Frank Lucas. Public enemies, Johnny Depp never truly gets to define what he feels are the most important aspects of his portrayal of Dellinger because often the film gets too caught up in the action and events instead of its characters.

    Christian Bale bounces back after a sub-par performance in 'Terminator: Salvation' and it's good to see him working his voice manipulation ability again, because I for one was beginning to think he'd gotten stuck on his Batman-style growl. Playing the FBI agent pursuing Dillinger he is an interesting character due to his dedication and could have been a really interesting character, but like Depp, Bale never really gets a chance to try and expand on his character.

    The music isn't anything you haven't heard before in previous crime films of this sort, but for the most part it works. I wouldn't buy the soundtrack to this film, but it certainly didn't take away from the experience. Also, songs from the 30s are played throughout, and most of the time they manage to fit into the story's many montage scenes very well.

    Director Michael Mann seems a tad bit off when compared to some of his previous films. He often goes for a look that makes the audience feel that they're in the middle of everything, and that's good in small stretches, but I felt he used this technique too often and I found myself growing a tad bit dizzy at times, and had a desire to see what was going on in the shootouts. I found it strange, that with his recent films such as 'Collateral', where the characters had been the center-focus of the entire film, he could then make a movie about one of the most infamous criminal minds and have it be more about the history than the characters who lived it.

    The thing that is most fascinating about this film is the costumes and sets. The men and women behind these really outdid themselves and created a very authentic view of 1930s Chicago. This aspect of the film alone makes it worth seeing! Every costume and set seems to have been made with the utmost attention to detail, and the final result is very pleasing to the eye.

    The final product in an okay docu-drama on the life of one of America's most infamous criminals, but in the end you really don't discover anything about John Dillinger that you couldn't have found out by looking him up on Wikipedia. So this is a pretty film to look at, and with Depp and Bale it's a good way to introduce those unfamiliar with Dillinger to the criminal, but if you were looking for a character study on the bank robber you may find yourself a tad-bit disappointed.

    I wouldn't come close to calling Public Enemies one of the best movies of the summer, or of the year, but when compared to several other films that are currently being screened I would still highly recommend it. With movies like 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' out there your money is best spent on Michael Mann's Public Enemies.
    helpful•147
    67
    • Reef-Shark
    • Jul 6, 2009

    FAQ6

    • Is "Public Enemies" based on a book?
    • When does Public Enemies take place?
    • Who was the guy that was always with J. Edgar Hoover?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 1, 2009 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Japan
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Xalq dushmanlari
    • Filming locations
      • Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Relativity Media
      • Forward Pass
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $100,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $97,104,620
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $25,271,675
      • Jul 5, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $214,104,620
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 20 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Michael Mann Didn't Want Public Enemies To Be Just Another Period Piece
    Michael Mann Didn't Want Public Enemies To Be Just Another Period Piece
    Apr 20Slash Film
    Tokyo Vice is a Michael Mann Throwback
    Tokyo Vice is a Michael Mann Throwback
    Apr 7Den of Geek

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.