I have always been a great fan of gangster movies and my all time favourite is the Godfather but there is another film that is a masterpiece and just takes second place. The film is Heat, directed by Michael Mann. This film kept me glued to the screen form start to end and I can honestly say that it was perfect. No shortcomings or defects at all - just perfect. So as I trundled into the cinema, full of excitement and talking ten to the dozen with nervous anticipation, there was one big question at the back of my mind - would Mann's new film, Public Enemies be as good.

I often think that films released in July and August can be pretty dire - obviously aimed for children and teenagers but Mann's movie isn't. This is one hell of a grown up film, brilliant in every way and proves to me, once again, that he is a master in his field.

I think you all know who the lead actor is - yes, Johnny Depp. His role is that of Dillinger and I don't mean the reggae star. This is John Herbert Dillinger - the mid west's No 1 bad guy- the infamous bank robber who was loathed by the rich but idolised by the common folk in the 1930's, for robbing banks. The handsome FBI agent, Melvin Purvis, is played by Welshman, Christian Bale. His job is to bring the bank robber to justice as instructed by J Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup).

The public of that era treated Dillinger like a folk-hero. He was the 1930's Robin Hood, a charming outlaw who respected common people and to show their adoration they hid him from the cops who were a little slow on the uptake.

Dillinger's heroic deeds exacerbated his prestigious status and made him into an iconic figure. He emptied banks at top notch speeds and planned and executed risky escapes from prison. He made fools out of the law and the people designated to stop him. A suitable stimulus for the inexperienced Federal Bureau of Investigation - the organisation who gave him the moniker - Public Enemy Number One, and gave Purvis, the responsibility of taking him down at any cost.

Purvis was looked upon as an intelligent cop. He was educated and trained at Yale, but his mind was no match for Dillinger's. In the end, he threw away the Yale badge and hired a posse of ruthless men from Texas and it is at this point that the city bloodbath began......

How many times have we seen Depp adjust to new roles. We all love him as the whacky weirdo but he is just as good, if not better, at playing the straight guy. In this film, we see him put the charm on when the cameras are rolling on a news feature but in Dillinger's personal life we see a different image of Depp. As for Purvis, he only has one persona. He is the man on a mission; possessed and consumed by the task that lies ahead. He isn't easy to like or to get to know. I have only really liked Christian Bale in 3:10 to Yuma. In Batman the Dark Knight I can remember him being dark, mysterious and growling throughout most of the film. He doesn't growl in Public Enemies but he has a very strange accent and it isn't Welsh.

Dillinger's other persona is portrayed in his friendship with Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard). He likes this poor, gentle creature who is badly dressed and has no money. The reason he takes to her isn't because she is weak and defenceless and he can abuse her - it is because he thinks she is genuine. With Billie, he can be a man; not a gangster or a celebrity. He wants to show her a different life, one filled with luxury, fun and beauty.

What I thought was interesting about the film is the fact that the director has taken a lot of time in dealing with the issues of popularity and public notoriety. We are able to relate to our rogue hero because he is human. Dillinger is adored; a villain who shuns violence when he can in his personal life and goes out of his way to look after the people who worship him. Don't underestimate this man - he is a shrewd businessman as well. He fully understands how to manipulate the media who want to bring him down. He uses them as his tool to be there at his beck and call for all to see. It is very clever how he uses his celebrity persona to develop a public mask which becomes apparent when people flock to the streets just to catch a glimpse of him. Even cops and judges want to be on the news and in front of a rolling camera with him.

Mann has always been a director that likes to tinker with modern technology. In his latest film he teams up with Dante Spinotti; an Italian director who has worked on such films as Heat and The Last of the Mohicans. Spinotti started his career as a still photographer and is known for his work with a hand held camera and documentary style.

In Public Enemies High Definition is used as well as a jerky hand held camera which can sometimes be distracting but I didn't think it was in this film. The shoot-out scenes in the street are amazing - there is a real sense of being in a closed space and such an air of terror. My stomach muscles were so tight throughout these scenes - I felt quite horrified at the sickening primeval scenes. Particularly, the night battle scenes are breathtaking - authentic and full of pictorial realism. The eye for detail has to be admired.

In many ways this is an old fashioned mob movie like the ones I used to watch as a kid with Edward G and Jimmy Cagney in. All the same ingredients are here; flashy cars, bags of dosh, chattering guns, fluorescent muzzle flashes, shiny, pinging bullets and bits of flesh and doorways splattered everywhere. The only difference is that this film isn't glamorous although beautifully filmed - it is very realistic and the world depicted here is tough and extremely violent. Don't be taken in by the moments of silence in the film becuase you will soon be woken up by its brutality. Mann's mobsters don't fall to the ground in an anaemic pile in these streets - they die standing up with blood spewing from every orifice.

Public Enemies is based on a true story, a glamorous but terrifying time in the 30's and Mann hasn't messed around with the facts. But I get the feeling that he wasn't too bothered about the history of the era - he was more concerned about showing us the psychological make up of the two men. His two leads are not moral images but highly talented professionals with cracked emotional hearts. Mann is a very modern director and a perfectionist in every way and I think he has tried not to romanticise his famous character but to show that he actually had an anti social personality disorder. The Dillinger in this film is a realistic portrayal - not a Hollywood caricature. Some may think the character is a little too cold but not me. I like the masculinity of his character and the way he is portrayed in a male dominated, highly-charged world.

But what did I think of the film?. A very ambitious film but one that the director is in complete control of. It is a stunning epic and I can't fault it technically or artistically. I just wish there were more films out there like this.

Oh, I forgot to mention the lead actors.

Christian Bale - you probably know from most of my reviews that I am not keen. Well, if there is a flaw with the film - it is his him and I am not just saying this to be awkward. For one thing he was elusive - and the character didn't seem to have any depth. We know he had a mission but I never really understood what drove him. He is made to be the villain in the movie so in theory he should be quite an interesting character but unfortunaley, he wasn't. Very rarely seen and difficult to describe with a terrible accent. That's about all I can say about him.

And what about Johnny? It seems like I have been waiting a decade for this film and I have been so excited for the last couple of weeks knowing that the release was due. What made it more exciting for me was that I was given two complimentary tickets for the screening of the film. But when I saw the trailers I was a bit unsure about Depp's role. He looked far too young and innocent to be the character he was playing so this played on my mind a bit. Silly me - he was brilliant and seems to excel as an actor every film he makes. But this is a side of Depp that some people might not be able to connect with. Usually he likes to throw a bit of his own imagination into his roles - this time he hasn't. He is true to the real John Dillinger and plays this urban legend with real skill. I thought he was awesome and so credible but I have one small complaint - his dialogue seemed somewhat blurred. I know he has a slight southern drawl but I have always been able to understand him in all of his movies. The dialogue is definitely muddy and so is the soundtrack when I think about it. But then a gangster movie wouldn't be a gangster movie if the dialogue was precise and easy to understand.

But that is only a small whinge. Overall this is a stunning movie, well worth waiting for. I really, really enjoyed it and think I will go and see it again even if I have to pay this time - it is worth every penny.

The rating is R and this is mainly for the violence throughout the film. There is a lot of blood and some of these scenes are gruesome and I found some of the time that I wasn't looking and wincing. There is some bad language but nothing too drastic and there are a couple of nude scenes but not really worth mentioining as you can hardly see anything.

I saw this film at the cinema and it was perfect. On a smaller screen I think it would lose some of its realism. An excellent movie - can't praise it enough.

Summary: One hell of a good movie.