The Chicago Typewriter and Else

Aisha 2021-10-20 17:27:10

Hollywood最喜欢塑造英雄,正面的,或者反面, 而以二十世纪二十年代为时代背景的人物,大多数都是反面的(因此Christian Bale连续在The Dark Knight和本片中做了两次暗淡的配角。当片尾人们拥向尸体时,他在镁光灯和照明焰火的烟尘里逆流而行的孤独剪影,着实苍凉)。这些人被当时正初露锋芒的FBI冠以“Public Enemy”的名号。他们当中的翘楚包括了(括号内为电影上映年份): Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Pretty Boy Floyd (1960), Machine-Gun Kelly (1958), Ma Barker (Ma Barker's Killer Brood, 1960), Al Capone (1959), Baby Face Nelson (1957, 1995) and John Dillinger (Dillinger, 1945, 1973, 1991, Public Enemies, 2009)。
这些反派英雄大致可以被划分为两大阵营: 酒贩子和强盗。这两个职业可谓都是应运而生。美国从1920年开始长达14年之久的禁酒令,又从1929年开始经济大萧条。有禁酒自然就有私自贩酒,有经济萧条就更有人跑出来半路打劫。你说这是上有政策下有对策也好,是物极必反阴阳循环也好。这就好比天主教的神甫们,难免是要出几个童娈癖者的。
《庄子》里有个故事,孔子向盗跖保证要去说服诸侯给他封一座大城,让他也做诸侯,从此“罢兵休卒,收养昆弟,共祭先祖”。盗跖驳斥孔子说,做大盗杀人毕竟有限,如果他做了诸侯,而假借仁义来杀人,那就更祸患无穷了,所谓“好面誉人者,亦好背而毁之。尧舜有天下,子孙无置锥之地;汤武立为天子,而后世绝灭;非以其利大故邪?" 因此如果Dillinger在遇到Billie之后就决定收手,那他就不成为大盗了。当然Dillinger本人的际遇是有点George W.的味道,之前的几个正经工作都给搞砸了,才发现了在抢银行(当政客)方面的天赋。他在那个遇到了Billie的夜总会对Alvin Karpis说,"We're having too good a time today. We ain't thinking about tomorrow."
然而之后他的原班人马纷纷落网,他不得不铤而走险,跟Baby Face Nelson合作。于是在一次抢劫中,他失望地看着Nelson肆意地向平民扫射,从而导致路人纷纷倒戈。他被人从视如现代版Robin Hood的神坛上拽下,因此臂饮一弹时,我想全场观众都能油然而生一种目睹楚霸王临乌江时的悲情。
Johnny Depp把这个反派之王演绎地唯妙唯肖,据UPI说是跟他小时候在肯德基州家中拥有和使用过Tommy Gun密不可分的。这多少有点言过其实,但不可否认的是Tommy Gun的确深入民心,所以Depp家才会将其收藏。事实上如果银幕上二三十年代的帮派人物手里不拿一把Tommy Gun,就好像是拍一个蒙古人的片子里面没有人骑马。
The Thompson submachine gun, aka the "Tommy Gun", aka the "Chicago Typewriter", the "Chicago Piano" may be Hollywood's favorite screen gun. Not to mention, in this century, Pearl Harbor (2001), Band of Brothers (2001), Road to Perdition (2002) have all left its shadow. The History Channel alone has three documentaries about Tommy Gun. One that impressed me was Tales Of The Gun-The Tommy Gun: Gun That Made the Twenties Roar. Just listening to the title has the first-hand effect.
The same is the sad look in the eyes of Tom Hanks holding Tommy Gun, helplessly blasting his boss in the heavy rain. When the gun smoke cleared, the crisp sound of the bullet shell echoing in the air, and the silhouette of Johnny Depp hung by the car galloping past, I believe they will add a strong touch to the legendary screen history of Tommy Gun.
In addition, there are a lot of contrasts used in this movie that are worth mentioning: the good and evil of Melvin Purvis and John Dillinger, the bureaucracy and hard work of J. Edgar Hoover and Melvin Purvis, the thief and the injustice of Dillinger and Nelson, Billie Frechette The affection and betrayal with Branka Katic and so on.
The film was completed with a Sony F23 digital video camera throughout. This can be seen at a glance from the clear hairs on the faces of the characters in the film and the strong depth of field in most night scenes. HD should be a big challenge for the photographer, artistic creation and post-production of this film. Public Enemies seems to be the big screen debut of this HD camera, but this is only the beginning.

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Extended Reading
  • Darion 2022-03-24 09:01:21

    Made like a documentary

  • Deshawn 2022-04-23 07:01:22

    Bye Bye My Blackbird, the so-called hero at the end of the road, beauty is twilight, life and death, as long as we have been in a fiery patriotism, then even if we spend the rest of our lives cherishing you and me, even if we go to the feast of life and death, drink Mengpo soup and see the book of life and death, it's nothing more than that

Public Enemies quotes

  • John Dillinger: The public don't like kidnapping.

    Alvin Karpis: Who gives a damn what the public likes?

    John Dillinger: I do. I hide out among them. We gotta care what they think.

  • John Dillinger: [in his jail cell] Well, here's the man who killed Pretty Boy Floyd. Damn good thing he was pretty, 'cause he sure wasn't Whiz Kid Floyd. Tell me something, Mr. Purvis. That fellow, the one who got killed at the Sherone Apartments - the newspaper said you found him alive. It's the eyes, ain't it? They look at you right before they go. And then they just drift away into nothing. That'll keep you up nights.

    Melvin Purvis: And what keeps you up nights, Mr. Dillinger?

    John Dillinger: Coffee. You act like a confident man, Mr. Purvis. You got a few qualities. Probably pretty good from a distance, especially when you got the fellow outnumbered. But up close, toe to toe, when somebody's about to die right here, right now - I'm used to that. What about you?

    Melvin Purvis: Goodbye, Mr. Dillinger...

    John Dillinger: I'll see you down the road.

    Melvin Purvis: [turning back] No, you will not. The only way that you will leave a jail cell is when we take you out to execute you.

    John Dillinger: Well, we'll see about that.