Sleeping with the Enemies

I, like many of  our circle have been eagerly awaiting the latest film, Public Enemies from Michael Mann. Admittedly, I can’t say I was all that fascinated with the story of thirties gangster John Dillinger and the early Investigation Bureau’s (they weren’t Federal yet apparently!) attempts to catch him. However the promise of Johnny Depp and Christian Bale going toe to toe as the protaganist and his pursuer, and Mann’s back catalogue which includes one of my favourite films (Collateral), piqued my interest and so Bob was duly nagged into coming to see it with me.

 Depp, as usual, lights up the screen as the charming, arrogant, thrill-seeker Dillinger.  Perhaps my favourite scene in the movie is where he calmly and almost disinterestedly wanders into the police station and passes the time of day with the cops on the task force hunting him down.  He loves the adrenaline and notoriety that his crimes gives him, and it is this taste of the highlife and his desire to have everything that leads to his downfall.  I am a little unsure why he appears to be wearing eye-liner throughout the film however – maybe he still hasn’t been able to get it all off after Captain Jack?! Marion Cotillard is luminous as Dillinger’s love interest Billie Frechette. Throughout the film, you can almost see one side of her brain trying to talk some sense into the other half as she knows that her relationship with Dillinger can only end one way, but at the same time, she is unable to break away from the excitement that he offers her. Their relationship is well portrayed and the two actors have great chemistry. The cops and “G-men” however, fare less well. For the second time this summer, Christian Bale has to deal with a character that doesn’t seem to have had enough time or attention put into them. It could be argued that this is deliberate as it is undoubtedly supposed to be Depp’s film, or because in reality Melvyn Purves was indeed an unassuming, understated man and the absolute antithesis of Dillinger. Both of these are perfectly acceptable reasons, they just don’t make for particularly riveting viewing. The other agents are anonymous, difficult to engage with, and worryingly crap at their jobs. It’s also hard to keep track of all the mobsters and the net effect is that the only people you really know anything about, or sympathise with are Dillinger and Billie – again perhaps deliberate but rather manipulative in my opinion if that is the case.

In recreating the era, Mann has done a great job. The costumes, cars and settings all look fabulous. It may seem like an odd thing to say, but the sound was also great, really picking out the unfamiliar and distinctive rattle of the tommy guns and giving an authentic feel to the gun fights. That said, the action set-pieces are actually not that thrilling, and are quite static. Probably why Bob managed to fall asleep at the cinema for the first time in his life! I felt we were left with a film where the whole was sadly less than the sum of its parts. There was none of the cat and mouse chase of Heat, or the suspense and thrilling action scenes of Collateral. Probably a bit more difficult to achieve, given that you are trying to portray real people and events, but still frankly a bit disappointing considering the calibre of those involved. 2.5 / 5

Posted by Michelle

One-pan Prawn Pilau

One of mine & Bob’s favourite recipe’s. It’s ridiculously easy to cook and a much healthier alternative to a proper curry. You could use cooked chicken or veg instead of the prawns. Obviously the Bob version is sans-peas.

2tbsp korma curry paste (Patak’s is good)

 1 small onion finely chopped

300g/10 oz basmati rice, rinsed and drained

700ml chicken stock from a cube

150g pack peeled, cooked prawns, defrosted if frozen

cupful frozen peas

1 red chilli, sliced into rings (or use the cheating Lazy Chilli like I do!)

handful coriander leaves chopped

lemon wedges, to serve

1. Heat a wide pan and dry-fry the curry paste with the onion for several minutes until the onion just starts to soften. Add the rice to the pan, then stir to coat in the curry paste. Add the stock then bring to boil.
2. Cover the pan, then turn the heat down to low. Leave the rice to simmer slowly for 12-15 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. You may want to check/stir the rice occasionally during cooking to ensure it doesn’t stick to the pan.
3. Turn off the heat, then stir in the prawns, peas and chilli. Cover the pan and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
4. Fluff up the rice grains with a fork and season if you want. Scatter over the coriander. Serve with lemon wedges, and a naan bread if desired.

SERVES 4

Taken from BBC Good Food – Easy One Pots October 2008

Posted by Michelle