Public Enemy Number One
The Public Enemies Steelbook™ Blu-ray from Universal is a smashingly good movie wrapped in an attractive collector's case. Universal has done a brilliant job of producing a disc that offers much more than just the film, and your experience with Public Enemies will be richer for it.

Video Quality
This is a Michael Mann film, so it's not surprising that it has a distinct, authentic feel. The world of 1934 comes alive in glorious high definition; there's a grain to the film that grounds it in the reality of the era even while the natural and sometimes frenetic camera gives it a modern edge. The 1080p transfer doesn't feel clean or clinical - it feels real, which is exactly how the director intended. It is, however, incredibly clear, giving you a more-real-than-real look at the characters of the piece, humanizing them.

Colours are vivid; Mann plays through a pantheon of lighting schemes, from bright and overexposed daylight shots to dark, inky night scenes. The transfer is good enough that the details in shadowy areas are eminently visible, adding depth to every scene. It would have been easy to colour correct the film in a stylistic way, but Mann has chosen to deliver a real world film instead. While I appreciated the digital copy that came with the Steelbook Blu-ray (available until December 2010) it's clear that the HD Blu-ray version is vastly superior. You'll want to be warned, there are some violent scenes in this film and there's no shortage of deep, rich reds. This isn't one to watch with the kids.

Audio Quality
I watched the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in English (DTS 5.1 tracks are available in French and Spanish as well) and it is fantastic. The soundstage is incredibly present; it invaded my home theatre with clear dialog, crisp ambient audio, stunningly visceral music, and gunfire that hit me from all sides. The surround channels are deliciously active; Dillinger's gang and the Dillinger squad trade fire more than once and the carnage is enveloping. If you've got a component audio system or a surround sound projector you'll absolutely adore this film. Feel free to turn it up and reap the rewards of some fantastic audio engineering; the details were clearly given their due. In one gunfight there's a mix of pistols and Tommy guns - the pop-pop and rat-a-tat-tat of these weapons is promptly humbled when a shotgun is produced. It was a boom that I felt, and I loved every minute. The dialog does a few moments close to the beginning of the film where it seems a bit muffled; I think this may have been a stylistic choice as I strained to hear what the characters were saying. If so, it's a subtle way to get you to pay attention and buy into things very quickly. The instances of music (the most memorable piece is the heist and tune from the trailer) are few, but they're moving moments. The Flick and the Special Features. Public Enemies is good; good enough to own and good enough to watch more than once. It tells the story of America's Public Enemy Number one, John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) as well as the men who gave him that designation and who were tasked with catching him. Rising to fame during the height of the Great Depression, Dillinger became the people's criminal hero by taking from the banks and not from the little man. The product of a 9-year education in prison (courtesy of a $50 theft) Dillinger perfect the raid-style heist popularized by his forebears and fellow cellmates. Threatened by Dillinger and embarrassed by the inadequate attempts to thwart him, J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) drafts G-man Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to pursue the bank robber while simultaneously attempting to set up the first national anti-crime agency. Purvis and Dillinger seem equally matched; the resources and science of the Bureau against the wiliness and unflappable style of Dillinger. It's a confrontation that can only leave one man alive. The special features make the film experience so much more than just the movie. The film's a fast, rollicking ride from beginning to end. Some have complained that the characters seem two-dimensional, but after viewing the documentaries (including footage of the men involved) it's clear that all of the major players did a remarkable job of capturing their namesakes. Larger than Life: Adversaries is a 10 minute and 19 second documentary about Purvis and Dillinger. It's available in English only, with a stereo track and it's encoded in HD VC-1. It's a personal look at the protagonist and antagonist, through discussions with Director Michael Mann and actors Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. The documentary covers the work and research that both men undertook to become their characters. A descendant of Melvin Purvis makes an appearance, as does Bryan Burrough, author of the book Public Enemies. Michael Mann: Making Public Enemies runs 20 minutes and 32 seconds and gives you the opportunity to watch the master director at work. It's also in stereo English in VC-1 HD, and is interspersed with clips from the film. It's an informative doc that's filled with information about the processes used to create and capture the world of Public Enemies. The methodical nature of the production (and the record thereof in this documentary) is fascinating to see. Last of the Legendary Outlaws looks at Dillinger specifically (as well as his gang), and examines the criminal genealogy of his career (stemming from robberies of the old West all the way back to Frank and Jesse James). It's an 8 minute 44 second retrospective on the changing nature of American crime. Stereo, English, HD VC-1 - it's worth the 9 minutes you'll spend watching it. On Dillinger's Trail: The Real Locations shows you how real the film is; using the real locations lends an authenticity to the film that you may not have caught the first time around. A pivotal moment in the film takes place during a jailbreak (possibly one of the most famous of all time). The film crew restored the building and shot the breakout exactly as it happened, capturing the essence of the real events. The commitment to realism made the film excellent - learning how deep that commitment went later made it even more impressive. This doc is stereo, in English, AVC video. It runs 9 minutes 48 seconds. Criminal Technology plays out like an early twentieth century CSI. Looking into the technology wielded by the crooks (and how it dwarfed that of law enforcement), it's clear why the Dillinger gang had such an edge. This is a fun little documentary that looks at how the FBI was able to catch up and who they had to bring in to help bring Dillinger down. It runs 9 minutes 39 seconds, is in English stereo, and is in VC-1 HD. The Gangster Movie Challenge is a BD-Live feature. It takes a few seconds to load into and you'll need a BD Live account to use it (you can sign up right from your Public Enemies disc, if you're network connected.) You will need a network connection for this feature. You'll be asked to answer questions about gangster films in order to "Get Made". I played one round (there are six rounds of ten questions) and aced it, moving up in rank from wannabe to apprentice. It does save your progress so you can come back later. It's a fun little game, and it's free. The U-control features are pretty awesome. Public Enemies features an interactive timeline paired up with picture-in-picture features, giving you real-time video commentary on the scenes you're watching. Like the director's commentary, it's worth re-watching the film with these features if you're looking to gain the most insight into the events that transpired and how Mann and co. went about filming them. The Steelbook™ version comes with a Steelbook™ case. It's solid and has a sharp looking shot of Johnny Depp's smirking mug on the cover. Inside you'll find a photo of Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis, wielding a firearm and an angry glare. The initial year of the Steelbook™ version (exclusive to Future Shop in Canada) comes with a second disc (a DVD) equipped with a digital version of the film and a piece of paper with a code to activate it. If you're reading this in 2011, you're out of luck, it's a time limited offer til December 2010. If you like gangster films, or you're looking for a gritty examination of one of America's greatest anti-heroes, or even if you're just in the mood for a good old fashioned shoot'em up, you'll enjoy Public Enemies. It's a biopic that sticks pretty **bleep** close to the truth, and it's a great film for it. The Steelbook™ edition gets my recommendation.