The daily crush: Leelee Sobieski

Leelee Sobieski

Leelee Sobieski first appears two hours into “Public Enemies,” an acceptable Michael Mann picture undone by the fact Johnny Depp’s chin can’t carry a movie. I’ve never been particularly fond of Depp as an actor, and his turn as John Dillinger reminded me why: He goes all out for fidgety fantasies but seems to glaze over when he has to settle down with a character at all connected to the real world. He confuses normal with catatonic.

Depp is the worst leading man imaginable for Mann’s hyper-realistic style of moviemaking — he’s not enough of a physical force to avoid being engulfed by the distinct visuals, nor is he earnest enough to sell the director’s unique brand of wistfulness.

The result is a peculiar standoff between director and actor, a stalemate that only appears to be broken when Sobieski pops up 20 minutes before the end credits. As the prostitute Polly Hamilton, her role is largely a thankless one — Hamilton was Dillinger’s date the night he was gunned down outside the Biograph Theater — but she’s the spark Mann and Depp need. In a movie of weathered faces and clipped dialogue, Sobieski is the kind of gawky flibbertigibbet that Depp is most at home playing off. At 6 feet tall and with a studied regional American accent, she has the kind of physical presence Mann requires from his supporting players. She towers over Depp, and it’s an image both actor and director seem to enjoy. I’ve heard it said that Mann and Depp were making different movies, which may be true. But with the image of the tiny gangster and his giant girlfriend, Mann and Depp are briefly on the same page.

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