2. Public Enemies (Michael Mann, 2009)
The Subject John Dillinger, Great Depression era bank robber.
The Story (According To The Film) Prolific bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and his associates become targets of the newly-established FBI led by J. Edgar Hoover. Pursued by agent Melvin Purvis, Dillinger continues his crime spree whilst falling for a woman, Billie Frechette. The cat-and-mouse chase between the criminal and the authorities is intensified by a number of deaths on both sides. Seeking out one more job to fund retirement, Dillinger sets out to take part in a train robbery. His girlfriend is arrested and used to set him up, leading to his death when he reaches for his gun in a crowded street full of agents.
The Lies Though Mann was allegedly a stickler for historical accuracy, a number of mistakes made their way into his film, including the following: The death of Pretty Boy Floyd at the start of the film, before Dillingers most infamous exploits have been carried out. In reality, Floyd was killed three months after Dillingers own death. Homer Van Meter and Baby Face Nelson are also shown as being killed before Dillinger, when they too both outlived him. The presence of Dillinger in one of the films opening scenes, in which he engages in a shootout at a prison to free several of his fellow criminals. In reality, Dillinger was imprisoned elsewhere in the country and his involvement was limited to arranging for the smuggling of weapons into the facility, after which the other criminals were on their own and fired far fewer shots than depicted on their way out. The fact that Dillinger kills several people when in reality he is said to have killed just one police officer during his lifetime.