Michael Mann is known for exploring the psyches of people caught in extreme circumstances. For three decades, he has remained one of cinema's most compelling filmmakers, and his level of artistry has created an indelible influence on the medium. From Thief, Manhunter, Ali and Heat to The Last of the Mohicans and The Insider, as well as Collateral and Miami Vice, his lasting dramas have brought to the screen a series of tough, iconic figures embodied by the most commanding actors of our time.
Now, in his most ambitious and timely project to date, the seminal gangster
sagaPublic Enemies,
Michael Mann directs one of the most gifted contemporary actors (Johnny Depp of Pirates
of the Caribbean series, Sweeney
Todd) in the story of the fast and dangerous life of John Dillinger.
In the film, Mann teams with Depp to examine the man whose criminal exploits
captivated a nation besieged by financial hardship and ready to celebrate a
mythic figure: legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger. He became famous
for robbing banks that had impoverished the masses, outsmarted authorities who
had failed to remedy their hard times, inspired the first nationwide war on crime,
and led a band of accomplished armed robbers on a cascade of dazzling heists
and improbable breakouts. Not to mention, he had a dashing manner and charisma that
entranced not only a special woman but an entire country.
For the epic
action-thriller, Mann directs Depp,Christian
Bale (The Dark Knight, Terminator Salvation) and Academy Award®
winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose, A Good Year) in the story of Dillinger, whose well-choreographed bank
robberies made him the number-one target of J. Edgar Hoover's (Billy Crudup of Watchmen,
The Good Shepherd) fledgling
FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Bale).
Distributed by UIP, Public Enemies,
is due on Wednesday, July 22, in Philippine
cinemas.