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.
- Awards
- 1 win & 14 nominations
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough 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.
- GoofsThe 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 creditsThe title of the movie is not shown until the end credits.
- Alternate versionsFor unknown reasons, all Blu-rays other than the North American, United Kingdom, and Australian releases have 12 seemingly random seconds cut from the scene when John Dillinger is transported to Indiana and there is a media scrum at the airfield. The excised material is wholly in the form of tighter editing on certain shots. For example, the shot of the plane coming to a stop is 1 second shorter, the shot of Dillinger being taken off the plane is 5 seconds shorter, the shot of the man with the flare is 2 seconds shorter.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 81st Annual Academy Awards (2009)
- SoundtracksGuide Me O Thou Great Jehovah
Sung by members of the Indian Bottom Association Old Regular Baptists
Courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Featured review
How can a crime thriller be so boring?
This film is about a criminal mastermind who is elusive to the American authorities back in 1930's.
I cannot believe how boring "Public Enemy" is. I already felt thoroughly bored after twenty minutes, and after one more hour it does not get better at all. There are many problems with the movie. Slow pacing is the obvious problem, as the filmmakers spend too much effort trying to make the film atmospheric. They have simply forgotten that as an crime thriller, we need more action to engage viewers. Instead, most of the film is just talking and talking. When it does show an occasional gun fight, it is unbelievably detached with no intensity or thrill. It is as if the gun shots are played on tape, and are not from the supposed fights. Another problem is that 90% of the scenes are far too dark. It is not fun to look at silhouettes or shadows continuously. When we do get to see faces, most of the time their eyes are hidden under the shadow of their hat. Without this eye contact, I feel disengaged and disconnected from all the characters.
"Public Enemies" is a very boring movie for me. I struggled so hard to keep my eyes open, and I have to say I lost the fight.
I cannot believe how boring "Public Enemy" is. I already felt thoroughly bored after twenty minutes, and after one more hour it does not get better at all. There are many problems with the movie. Slow pacing is the obvious problem, as the filmmakers spend too much effort trying to make the film atmospheric. They have simply forgotten that as an crime thriller, we need more action to engage viewers. Instead, most of the film is just talking and talking. When it does show an occasional gun fight, it is unbelievably detached with no intensity or thrill. It is as if the gun shots are played on tape, and are not from the supposed fights. Another problem is that 90% of the scenes are far too dark. It is not fun to look at silhouettes or shadows continuously. When we do get to see faces, most of the time their eyes are hidden under the shadow of their hat. Without this eye contact, I feel disengaged and disconnected from all the characters.
"Public Enemies" is a very boring movie for me. I struggled so hard to keep my eyes open, and I have to say I lost the fight.
helpful•3018
- Gordon-11
- Nov 2, 2009
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Details
Box office
- 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
- Runtime2 hours 20 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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