Finally caught a big-screen glimpse of the trailer for "Public Enemies," the John Dillinger film from Michael Mann ... starring Batman versus Willy Wonka, no less -- woo hoo! The "Heat" director is still for my money one of the top 5 directors of the past 20 years (please don't ask me to name all 5).
What struck me immediately was that this film is -- if my amateur-trained movie-going eye not mistaken -- shot on hi-def video, a la Mann's "
Collateral." Which I fear could be a bad thing. Video has a distinctly modern-day look, a less-refined quality that, no matter how many times you view it, has a contemporary documentary feel to it.
I don't know, try imagining Brian De Palm's "Untouchables" if it were filmed with the same relatively low-tech cameras they use for TV soaps in the seventies. Or imagine watching a Medieval tale about a
knight -- and suddenly a David Bowie song blares over the soundtrack. No, wait, don't...
Maybe the film's gritty, grainy-vid look is Mann's whole intention. In the end I trust his vision. And I still look forward to making friends with "Enemies."