It‘s more than a gangster movie, although that doesn‘t mean it isn‘t a good gangster movie because it is. Dillinger (the gangster at the centre of the action, played by Johnny Depp) and his gang are bank robbers and there are a number of beautifully crafted and breathtaking set-piece action scenes. The tommy guns that the gangsters use are portrayed as the fearsome weapons, designed for war, that they no doubt were. The guns tear up entire streets, cars and landscapes as the gangsters allow nothing to stand in the way of their escapes. It is a very violent and mean film, a gangster movie.
The characters are not portrayed as monsters however, almost all are shown as having their human sides and motivations for doing what they are doing. The gangsters are shown as enjoying some parts of their lives, the nightclubs and the money, but they are also deeply unhappy with other parts of their lives. They are only too well aware that their way of making a living is not going to last forever. We see the FBI come into being and gradually choke out the old gangster lifestyle for these hardened criminals. We see some gangsters who adapt and for example set up gambling call centers, where they start to make even more money than they were making before, but we also see gangsters who can not adapt, and among them is Dillinger.
And meet and get to know a handful of female characters, who are given some depth and are not treated as simply the stereotypical gangster’s moll. Dillinger’s girlfriend in particular is a strong and heroic character, and her confrontation with a stupid and brutal police interrogator is one of the most psychologically and emotionally charged of the film.
The documentary attention to detail, and the evoking of the period are a great work of craft, but there are also some really arty touches too. There is a scene where Dillinger is at his most vulnerable, most out of his element. He is running from his FBI tormentors through a wood, far from the safety of his welcoming city, and the director switches abruptly from a cinema camera to video. The light changes absolutely from warm yellows and oranges to cool green pixelated and grainy shots like you might see in a low budget “Blair Witch” type film.
For a cinema savvy audience, and isn’t every audience cinema savvy now, directorial tricks like these do not go unnoticed, it‘s like a slap in the face, and it works very well, it‘s very unsettling indeed. And it’s not just this scene that’s unsettling. The people portrayed in the movie are all in extreme situations, they are seen being very afraid and also worried about the future, often with very good reason. Dillinger however always has a devil may care attitude, and in dangerous and unsettling times he leaves a path of destruction as he cheerfully tries to make his way.
* All illustrations by starbright illustrations.com *