The Upper Midwest in Public Enemies

PLOT SPOILERS!

From costumes to cars, props to places, mixing a little splash of fact into fiction has never been so popular or as prevalent as it is in Hollywood today. Authentic is a favourite industry buzz-word, a boast that forges an incredible and undeniable connection between the past and the present, one that helps actors get under the skin of their characters and encourages audiences to experience the make-believe world flashed in front of them. It’s especially relevant when it comes to real-life tales and is definitely true of Michael Mann’s latest crime epic, Public Enemies, a look at the last 18 months in the life of 1930s bank robber John Dillinger (played by Johnny Depp).

Mann is known for being a stickler for research (“He’s incredibly thorough and he’s probably the only person I’ve ever met who actually enjoys doing more research than I do,” quips Depp’s co-star Christian Bale, who plays FBI Agent and Dillinger pursuant Melvin Purvis), and so it comes as no surprise that this commitment to accurate realism is reflected in some of the production’s shooting locations, specifically three of crucial significance to the Dillinger story – Lake County Jail in Crown Point, Indiana; the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, northern Wisconsin and the Biograph Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Each a genuine haunt of Dillinger, every one essential to the drama of his final months and most importantly for Mann and his production crew, all still standing in 2009.