PUBLIC Enemies - director Michael Mann's crime epic - focuses on the true story of the legendary Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger and the newly-formed FBI's fight to bring him down.

Dillinger, played by Johnny Depp, is portrayed as a friendly bank robber who acts courteously to female hostages and refuses to take money from the common man. But his gang wreaks misery as it continues its crime spree murdering the innocent as it goes.

The film relies on the audience suspending its disbelief at the total incompetence of the FBI crime fighters under the leadership of Melvin Purvis - the FBI's top man tasked by J Edgar Hoover to stop Dillingers spree. Surely people can't be that stupid?

Purvis is played by Christian Bale who manages to portray him as entirely devoid of any personality whatsoever meaning we don't care much if he succeeds.

I was willing him to get Dillinger only so the repetitive cycle of he robs a bank, escapes due to bungling police work, robs a bank, gets caught, escapes prison and so on.. was finally over.

Interspersed among the robberies there's a love story which sees Dillinger fall for Billie Frechette played by Marion Cotillard but it doesn't save the film from being dull and boring.