Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards 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
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Public Enemies

  • 2009
  • R
  • 2h 20m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
310K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,384
61
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
17 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionBiographyCrime

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.

  • Director
    • Michael Mann
  • Writers
    • Ronan Bennett
    • Michael Mann
    • Ann Biderman
  • Stars
    • Christian Bale
    • Johnny Depp
    • Christian Stolte
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    310K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,384
    61
    • Director
      • Michael Mann
    • Writers
      • Ronan Bennett
      • Michael Mann
      • Ann Biderman
    • Stars
      • Christian Bale
      • Johnny Depp
      • Christian Stolte
    • 691User reviews
    • 359Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 14 nominations

    Videos17

    Public Enemies
    Trailer 2:33
    Watch Public Enemies
    Public Enemies: Purvis Confronts Dillinger In Lockup
    Clip 0:49
    Watch Public Enemies: Purvis Confronts Dillinger In Lockup
    Public Enemies: Hoover Introduces Purvis
    Clip 1:01
    Watch Public Enemies: Hoover Introduces Purvis
    Public Enemies: Behind The Scenes Press
    Clip 1:05
    Watch Public Enemies: Behind The Scenes Press
    Public Enemies: Dillinger Watches Newsreel Footage
    Clip 0:46
    Watch Public Enemies: Dillinger Watches Newsreel Footage
    Public Enemies: Dillinger Tells Billie He Robs Banks
    Clip 0:53
    Watch Public Enemies: Dillinger Tells Billie He Robs Banks
    Public Enemies: Billie Tells Dillinger She Wants To Go Away With Him
    Clip 0:48
    Watch Public Enemies: Billie Tells Dillinger She Wants To Go Away With Him
    Public Enemies: Dillinger Tells Billie All She Needs To Know About Him
    Clip 0:46
    Watch Public Enemies: Dillinger Tells Billie All She Needs To Know About Him
    Public Enemies: Behind The Scenes Purvis
    Clip 1:12
    Watch Public Enemies: Behind The Scenes Purvis
    Public Enemies: Dillinger Reassures Billie At The Racetrack
    Clip 0:45
    Watch Public Enemies: Dillinger Reassures Billie At The Racetrack
    Public Enemies: Behind The Scenes Marion
    Clip 0:46
    Watch Public Enemies: Behind The Scenes Marion
    Public Enemies: The Assault On The Little Bohemia Lodge
    Clip 1:03
    Watch Public Enemies: The Assault On The Little Bohemia Lodge

    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 Purvis
    Johnny Depp
    Johnny Depp
    • John Dillinger
    Christian Stolte
    Christian Stolte
    • Charles Makley
    Jason Clarke
    Jason Clarke
    • 'Red' Hamilton
    Stephen Graham
    Stephen Graham
    • Baby Face Nelson
    David Wenham
    David Wenham
    • Harry 'Pete' Pierpont
    John Judd
    John Judd
    • Turnkey
    Stephen Dorff
    Stephen Dorff
    • Homer Van Meter
    Michael Vieau
    • Ed Shouse
    John Kishline
    • Guard Dainard
    Carey Mulligan
    Carey Mulligan
    • Carol Slayman
    James Russo
    James Russo
    • Walter Dietrich
    Giovanni Ribisi
    Giovanni Ribisi
    • Alvin Karpis
    Wesley Walker
    Wesley Walker
    • Jim Leslie
    John Scherp
    • Earl Adams
    Elena Kenney
    • Viola Norris
    William Nero Jr.
    • Toddler on Farm
    Channing Tatum
    Channing Tatum
    • Pretty Boy Floyd
    • Director
      • Michael Mann
    • Writers
      • Ronan Bennett
      • Michael Mann
      • Ann Biderman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Donnie Brasco
    7.7
    Donnie Brasco
    Black Mass
    6.9
    Black Mass
    Blow
    7.5
    Blow
    3:10 to Yuma
    7.7
    3:10 to Yuma
    The Fighter
    7.8
    The Fighter
    Lawless
    7.2
    Lawless
    Once Upon a Time in Mexico
    6.3
    Once Upon a Time in Mexico
    Secret Window
    6.5
    Secret Window
    American Gangster
    7.8
    American Gangster
    The Tourist
    6.0
    The Tourist
    Miami Vice
    6.0
    Miami Vice
    The Lone Ranger
    6.4
    The Lone Ranger

    Storyline

    Edit

    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.
    • Alternate versions
      For 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 81st Annual Academy Awards (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 reviews691

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Fun but flawed
    I liked PUBLIC ENEMIES but I didn't love it. It comes close to feeling like an epic at times, detailing the cat-and-mouse games between infamous bank robber John Dillinger and the G-man on his tail. Unfortunately the screenplay feels a little bloated at times and the truth is that while Michael Mann is a consummate professional as director, his films always possess a certain coldness that makes it hard to get close to the characters.

    And that's the case here. Superficially, the movie looks good and the characters go through the motions with aplomb, but you never really care about what happens to them. Bale's protagonist is totally unmemorable, leaving Depp to hold the fort as the anti-hero of the piece, but whenever the film moves away from a complex action set-piece it falters. Depp's romance with Marion Cotillard is particularly gruelling and heel-dragging.

    Nevertheless, the drama and excitement when it comes is very well handled, with the shoot-out in the woods particularly fine and the bank robberies all staged very well. As ever, Mann has a steely eye for the action so the film zips along when concentrating on them; it's everything else that's a bit lacklustre. In addition, the cast is so big that the supporting players, like Stephen Dorff, James Russo, Billy Crudup, David Wenham and Stephen Lang get lost in the mass, each lacking truly memorable scenes. The ending, when it comes, seems almost arbitrary.
    helpful•23
    3
    • Leofwine_draca
    • Sep 10, 2013

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    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
      • Kẻ Thù Quốc Gia
    • 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

    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

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.