Best Ending of the Year

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Say what you want about Michael Mann's Public Enemies, but the finale -- the one-on-one between Marion Cotillard's Billie Frechette and Stephen Lang's Charles Winstead, a brief jailhouse conversation that ended with the words "Bye-bye, Blackbird" -- was the most penetrating of 2009. The best, the most memorable, the most oddly affecting.

Stephen Lang as Charles Winstead in Michael Mann's Public Enemies.

Marion Cotillard's final moment as Billie Frechette

It was a kind of neat bulls-eye Hollywood moment, and I can't think of any other '09 finish that felt quite so "right" and fulfilling. Great endings are half the game in my book, and this one played a big part in the my Public Enemies rave.

"Bye-bye blackbird" were the final words spoken by Johnny Depp's John Dillinger as he lay dying on the sidewalk outside Chicago's Biograph theatre. Winstead is the one who leans close enough to hear them. But when Christian Bale's Melvin Purvis asks what he heard, Winstead says "nothin'" or "couldn't hear" or words to this effect. He lies to his superior.

But in the final scene he leans forward and tells Frechette, and when she hears them she melts and melts some more as the music swells up and over, and we start to feel it too. The irony is that I hadn't really accepted or invested in the Dillinger-Frechette love story current until that moment, but I suddenly did when this moment happened. An amazing thing, now that I think back.

And I couldn't even find a still from this scene, much less a YouTube capture. I guess it'll start turning up when the Public Enemies Blu-ray comes out on 12.8.

I went apeshit for this film but not very many joined me, and I eventually lost the spirit and the will to fight.

I called it "the most captivating, beautifully composed and freshly conceived gangster movie since Bonnie and Clyde. It's an art film first, a Mann head-and-heart trip second, a classic machine-gun action pulverizer third, and a conventional popcorn movie fourth. [But] the schmucks will go 'meh.'" And they did do that.

And a lot of HE commenters fell under the impression that I had said it was the best gangster film since Bonnie and Clyde, and that I should have stayed the course and fought it out like Dillinger. But I didn't say that -- I said it was the "most freshly conceived." Little bit of a difference there.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on November 13, 2009 at 2:41 PM

comment #1

LexG says ...

Very good ending, underrated movie, and SO GOOD to have Stephen Lang back in big movies.

But, not Hurt Locker? SPOILER ALERT, I guess:

Renner re-upping while AWESOME MINISTRY CRANKED was THE ending of the year. I wanted to start a mosh pit at the front of the Arclight.

Posted by LexG at November 13, 2009 3:22 PM

comment #2

Hickenlooper says ...

In my view the best picture of the year. Mann continues to be the last interesting studio director working. The ending brings the whole picture together in one emotional burst. Had the picture not had its character driven, eposidic narrative the ending would have been less affecting. This truly is a masterpiece of a picture and entirely and tragically underrated.

Posted by Hickenlooper at November 13, 2009 3:28 PM

comment #3

Telemachos says ...

I remember liking the PUBLIC ENEMIES ending and thinking that it was nicely done, but it didn't save the rest of the movie for you.

The HURT LOCKER ending was also awesome, yes indeed. So was the end of DISTRICT 9.

Oh, and it looks like Stephen Lang's gonna kick ass in AVATAR.

Posted by Telemachos at November 13, 2009 3:31 PM

comment #4

Geoff says ...

YES! I couldn't agree more about the ending. This is what I've been telling people, believe it or not. Aside from my close circle of movie friends, most everyone I talked to thought Public Enemies was too long, so by the time the beautiful moment between Cotillard and Lang comes along, they simply wanted out of the theater. Too bad. It's a great film.

Posted by Geoff at November 13, 2009 3:31 PM

comment #5

George Prager says ...

I remember coming out of an East Village multiplex after HEAT. I loved it, and so did my friend, but we were surrounded by mumbling, whining moviegoers with similar gribes (too long, etc.).

Posted by George Prager at November 13, 2009 3:36 PM

comment #6

MilkMan says ...

A Serious Man has the best ending of the year.

The ending of PE is bad poetry.

Posted by MilkMan at November 13, 2009 3:37 PM

comment #7

Chase Kahn says ...

I've been with you every step of the way. Only "A Serious Man" outduels this in my mind, and Elliot Goldenthal's score for this kills me -- I pretty much hum it every other day.

And Stephen Lang kicked ass in this, but in "Avatar", he looks like he's playing the bald guy from "District 9"

Posted by Chase Kahn at November 13, 2009 3:38 PM

comment #8

Tristan Eldritch2 says ...

The ending of Public Enemies is extraordinary. It manages to be both sentimental and brutal at the same time. You're left with that long shot of Marion looking right at you, until the tear falls down her check. Then an abrupt cut to black on the door slamming. Its great stuff - you see waterworks in the movies so much, but that tear really packs a punch.

Posted by Tristan Eldritch2 at November 13, 2009 4:43 PM

comment #9

COCO says ...

Great film......Depp was good....Frenchy was good....Lang is the man.....the ending was priceless.....bang the Academy drug loud and long.

Posted by COCO at November 13, 2009 4:58 PM

comment #10

Chase Kahn says ...

By the way, more films should end with a door closing. The sound it makes when it closes combined with the cut to black...

Posted by Chase Kahn at November 13, 2009 5:46 PM

comment #11

Jeffrey Wells says ...

The endings of A Serious Man and Public Enemies are equally powerful and memorable, but Mann's ending is the more Hollywood of the two -- and I mean Hollywood in the very best sense of the term -- while the Coens' ending is more Antonioni-esque.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at November 13, 2009 5:52 PM

comment #12

lawnorder says ...

No matter how many great moments there are in PUBLIC ENEMIES, I just can't past the shitty, amateurish digital photography. I've tried - but the first twenty minutes of the film were lost to me trying to comprehend why Mann has sold the craft of filmmaking out for a subpar format that cheapens his images and everyone else's contributions. This may sound like a broken record, but we are talking about a visual medium and if the visuals suck ass, then it drags everything else down with it. I'll rejoice when Mann announces a return to celluloid - which is far from dead in my opinion. And for the record, I have no problem with digital projection of celluloid originated films.

Posted by lawnorder at November 13, 2009 6:01 PM

comment #13

DarthCorleone says ...

I'm generally a pretty big Mann fan (I put HEAT in my all-time top 20), but this one just didn't hit on all cylinders for me. I agree the ending was great, and I also was surprised to find it as affecting as I did, after that which came before. The problem for me is that in spite of that great moment, that which came before still seems lacking in the characterization department.

I wanted to know much more about the characters, or at least be given some more moments that allowed me to soak them in. Contrast that with HEAT, in which Dennis Haysbert's bit player - barely on screen - manages to knock it out of the park with just a few lines of dialogue and truly makes me care when he is killed in the heist. The supporting characters in PE all seem to run together, and Depp's Dillinger seems to be trading on reputation alone and not what we're given in the story.

So, yeah, a great ending is wonderful, but it's not half the battle for me, or at least it wasn't in this case.

Posted by DarthCorleone at November 13, 2009 6:20 PM

comment #14

Daniel Tayag says ...

Jeff, here are some screencaps I made for you from the scene.

Pic #1

Pic #2

Posted by Daniel Tayag at November 13, 2009 6:43 PM

comment #15

Pynchon8 says ...

I wanted more of Lang. His character is yet another cool professional in a Mann flick. The scene where he pins that lug beating up Frenchie was pretty damn cool too.

This may open up another can worms on the thread, but, my problem with this flick is the digital cinematography. No matter the upside, the ghosting during action scenes is incredibly ugly.

Posted by Pynchon8 at November 13, 2009 7:13 PM

comment #16

sumo-pop says ...

I will say what I want. And what i say is that PE is the best movie I've seen all year. Apologize to no one Jeff. We will be vindicated in the years to come. Bet.

Posted by sumo-pop at November 13, 2009 7:19 PM

comment #17

lipranzer says ...

I do love the ending of PE (and join in the praise for Lang - he's also one of the few good things about THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS. It's ironic how he used to overact a storm - especially in SHADOW CONSPIRACY, despite not having a word of dialogue - but now, he's underplayed to great effect), but I do think the film is lacking the emotional punch Mann's best films have. I will watch it again when it comes out on DVD to see if I feel any differently about it.

Posted by lipranzer at November 13, 2009 7:50 PM

comment #18

Chicago48 says ...

How come Marion's not being talked about for best supporting?

Posted by Chicago48 at November 13, 2009 8:13 PM

comment #19

Chicago48 says ...

Sumo-pop....PE is one of the best....the other best one that I saw was This Is It. Highly entertaining.

Posted by Chicago48 at November 13, 2009 8:14 PM

comment #20

sumo-pop says ...

No shit on This Is It huh? What if you're not a huge MJ guy? In the battle of the 80s pansexual pop geniuses, I always favored Prince.

Posted by sumo-pop at November 13, 2009 8:31 PM

comment #21

JosephB says ...

Feel the same way now as I did after emerging from the film four months ago- I doubt I'll see a better film this year. Alongside Jean Pierre Melville, no body infuses his films with more subtle coolness. I mean seriously... the way Mann films guys simply walking around a scene with macho confidence.... or the way his characters analyze every cause and effect on the job. It's consistently breathtaking.

Posted by JosephB at November 13, 2009 8:59 PM

comment #22

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Oh, come on...Michael Mann as Jean-Pierre Melville?? I like the dude as much -- if not moreso -- than the next guy whose tastes in film are split right down that sweet action/indie seam, but this hyperbole is truly getting to be a bit much to stomach.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at November 13, 2009 9:39 PM

comment #23

Live for Films says ...

I really enjoyed Public Enemies. Thought the whole look and feel of it was brilliant. Totally agree about that final scene. Lang was the man in that and also excellent in The Men Who Stare at Goats. Stephen Graham was another stand out performance in the film.

I was also at the London Press conference for it and it was fascinating listening to Michael Mann. Plus I got to speak to Johnny Depp which was cool.

My wife also treated me to the blu-ray (I'm in the UK and it came out a couple of weeks ago) and it looks just lovely.

Posted by Live for Films at November 13, 2009 10:37 PM

comment #24

bluefugue says ...

Public Enemies may be my favorite film of the year overall, though I'd put The Hurt Locker and Bright Star in close contention. Abby Cornish has a moment near the end of Bright Star that breaks your heart as much as Cotillard's finale, albeit in a totally different way.

Posted by bluefugue at November 13, 2009 10:56 PM

comment #25

googs says ...

Public Enemies was a display of Mann's greatest strengths and his greatest weaknesses. Overall, a must see and one of the years best despite it's flaws.

Posted by googs at November 13, 2009 11:44 PM

comment #26

Gordon27 says ...

"The irony is that I hadn't really accepted or invested in the Dillinger-Frechette love story current until that moment"

That's actually why I didn't like it; I felt like any emotion that scene had as a scene wasn't earned by the movie that preceded it. Lang was the best part of the movie, and he didn't have enough to do.

Posted by Gordon27 at November 13, 2009 11:46 PM

comment #27

The Winchester says ...

All due respect, but the best ending of the year belongs to Crank: High Voltage.

And I'm not being sarcastic.

Posted by The Winchester at November 14, 2009 1:13 AM

comment #28

Mighty Kornholio says ...

That scene was brilliant. Loved it. I agree with a lot of the criticisms of this film, but what I enjoyed about it far outweighed the problems. The cinematography, direction, costumes, etc were fantastic and captivating. Depp was great, as was the actress. The sound was great too.

Posted by Mighty Kornholio at November 14, 2009 2:18 AM

comment #29

Noah Cross says ...

I saw the film with my teen age daughters. I asked my 15 year old after the film who she liked better, Depp or Bale. "I liked the Old Guy" she said - Lang.

Posted by Noah Cross at November 14, 2009 3:47 AM

comment #30

NotImpressed1Yet says ...

Daniel Tayag, those screencaps are amazing, thanks. I only saw the movie once over the summer and it's great to see a reminder of the ending's power. Both Cotillard and Lang are perfect in it.

I think we all sort of knew that Cotillard had talent (Oscar and all), so for me, Lang is the real revelation. I was floored and flabbergasted when it was brought to my attention that this was the same actor who played the jerk reporter in Manhunter. My god what a transformation in persona and upgrade in coolness. He is an existential bad-ass in this movie and Mann uses him to great effect.

Man I want this out on blu-ray, like, yesterday. Will have to settle for watching the shit out of HEAT blu-ray for the next few weeks...

Posted by NotImpressed1Yet at November 14, 2009 5:58 AM

comment #31

NotImpressed1Yet says ...

I can almost imagine an alternate version of HEAT with Stephen Lang playing Vincent Hanna. Not sure if it'd be better, but there'd be a whole lot less Scent of a Woman style histrionics in it for sure...

Posted by NotImpressed1Yet at November 14, 2009 6:08 AM

comment #32

bluefugue says ...

I didn't realize that was Stephen Lang till I read this thread. I love his General Pickett in "Gettysburg." There's a great moment where Tom Berenger's General Longstreet asks him, dubiously, "George, can you take that hill?" and Lang just gives him this crazy smile in response while the music swells.

Posted by bluefugue at November 14, 2009 8:55 AM

comment #33

K. Bowen says ...

This is a great ending. And it reminds me how much stronger Public Enemies got as it went along.

The ending of The Hurt Locker was tremendous, also.

A Serious Man is a perfect wow intellectual ending.

I'll second all of them and add Bright Star. Bright Star was a gut punch ending that I'll never forget.

Posted by K. Bowen at November 14, 2009 1:23 PM

comment #34

twicks says ...

30-some comments and nobody's mentioned the final scene of Inglorious Basterds? C'mon...seeing Col. Landa get his sent the audience out on a high.

Posted by twicks at November 14, 2009 8:26 PM

comment #35

BaxterPeanut says ...

Great movie...Depp never better in a serious role. Jeff, don't understand how this continues to be listed on your best of the year so far but you don't give any performances or the movie itself any awards love-talk.

Posted by BaxterPeanut at November 15, 2009 9:37 AM

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comment #39

USA Headline News says ...

USA Headline News
This may open up another can worms on the thread, but, my problem with this flick is the digital cinematography. No matter the upside, the ghosting during action scenes is incredibly ugly. USA Headline News

Posted by USA Headline News at April 4, 2010 8:58 PM

comment #40