In praise of PUBLIC ENEMIES' John Michael Bolger

John Michael Bolger's portrayal of dirty cop Martin Zarkovich in PUBLIC ENEMIES was stellar! A fabulous turn in a smaller role directed by Michael Mann.

Critic Michael Lally spotlights John Michael Bolger in his blog Lally's Alley, I've exerpted his review of Bolger below.

"I'd like to just mention three undersung film actors who don't work nearly
enough, and all of whom I consider friends even though I haven't seen most of
them in years.James Russo—who blew me away the first time I saw him act (before I met him) in the debut run of the stage play EXTREMITIES—has an almost wordless part at the beginning of PUBLIC ENEMIES as an older convict who helps in a breakout but is shot and literally slips away from the other escapees.

Don Harvey's another terrific stage actor who I did a small film with a long time
ago and who I first noticed as an actor before I met him in the film CASUALTIES
OF WAR. In PUBLIC ENEMIES he has only one small scene with Depp and Cottilard as an anonymous customer trying to get his coat at a nightclub hatcheck stand. But he plays it totally realistically.

And John Michael Bolger, an actor I've known well for years. He has a relatively big part in PUBLIC ENEMIES, in terms of all the character actors. He plays a crooked Chicago detective who persuades "the woman in red"—as we knew her as kids from the legend we grew up with—to give Dillinger up to the cops in the famous scene at the Biograph. Only in PUBLIC ENEMIES she's the woman in orange and white. Bolger plays his scenes so authentically you wish he had a bigger part.

Man, a gangster flick with those three actors in the leads—Russo, Harvey and Bolger—now that I'd pay some money to see. As it is, I had to be satisfied with watching a too-long attempt to
recreate a 'thirties gangster flick without a 'thirties feel for the times and the movies of those times."

JohnMichaelBolger.com thanks Mr. Lally for his kind permission to repost a portion of his review.

PUBLIC ENEMIES photo credit: Universal Studio

PUBLIC ENEMIES premieres in Japan

"PUBLIC ENEMIES" will get its Japanese premiere on Thursday, Dec 10 in Tokyo Roppongi Hills.





PUBLIC ENEMIES stars Johnny Depp as 1930's bankrobber John Dillinger with Christian Bale as FBI agent Melvin Purvis, Marion Cotillard as Billie Frechetter and John Michael Bolger as Martin (Marty) Zarkovich. Michael Mann directed the film for Universal.

Photos: Universal

PUBLIC ENEMIES US dvd releases December 8

The PUBLIC ENEMIES dvd seems to have a December 8th release date for the US. This French site http://forgottensilver.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/scoop-public-enemies-directors-cut/ has the date and some information about the DVD.

John Michael Bolger's fans will look forward to being able to add this dvd to their collection! John Michael Bolger plays Det. Martin (Marty) Zarkovich in PUBLIC ENEMIES along side Johnny Depp as John Dillinger and Christian Bale as Special Agent Melvin Purvis.

We want to thank Mim!E over at Johnny Depp Reads for finding the dvd cover photo.

Image © Universal Studios

"PUBLIC ENEMIES" Japanese site goes live

Universal's Japanese site spotlighting "PUBLIC ENEMIES" has gone live! Japan is one of the last markets to open the Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard, John Michael Bolger film worldwide. The site is in Japanese and English, the film opens in Japan on December 12, 2009. Look for more news about the opening.



Japan's PUBLIC ENEMIES site

PUBLIC ENEMIES' John Michael Bolger talks to Connecticut's "Town Times"

Now appearing in this summer's hit film "PUBLIC ENEMIES" along side Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard and Christian Bale, NY actor John Michael Bolger can be seen as Det. Martin (Marty) Zarkovich, a cop who plays both sides against the middle as he tries to stop the deportation of the woman he loves. Connecticut Doctor and freelance movie columnist, Tanya Feke spoke with Bolger this summer at the LA premiere of PUBLIC ENEMIES.

Her interview with Bolger can be found at this site Click here: Town Times




Dr. Tanya Feke

Diagnosis: Movies

Beyond the LA Film Festival:

Public Enemies interviews –Part 1

I had the pleasure of meeting John Michael Bolger, the duplicitous Martin Zarkovich, at the LA Film Festival premiere of Public Enemies

I interviewed the gentlemanly Bolger on July 7.

How did you prepare for the role of Martin Zarkovich?

I went out and bought Bryan Bur­rough’s book Public Enemies and I read it, ate a few pages with a little salt and pepper on it. Because of the fact that I’ve played a lot of police officers and I’ve known a lot of people in the world of larceny, I sort of put my mind into that. And then when I got the part, I got so much research material (from Michael Mann). I just hit the streets in Chicago and Wisconsin and walked where he walked and started to think how he thought.

How did you feel playing a detec­tive who plays both sides of the law?

I’ve played a detec­tive who’s played both sides of the law be­fore. The only thing that bothered me was that I had to be a rat. In the world I come from, you’re not a cheese eater. But I did it for a dame, I did it for Anna Sage, the love of my life.

With the exception of Johnny Depp as Dillinger, Public Enemies feels more like an ensemble piece.

Everybody did a great job. There were a lot of actors in that film. The guys who stood behind Hoover or stood in the jail cell when he went to Indiana or the extras or the people in the street, the people in the court­house, even those soldiers, they didn’t say a single word but they said a lot.

Michael Mann is known for his attention to detail. It can be intimidating to live up to that expectation of perfec­tion. What was it like to shoot a scene with him?

If Michael Mann called me right now and said “John, I’m doing a film in Topeka. I don’t have any money. Get here.” I’d be hitching on the West Side Highway. I think that guy is a genius, I think he’s George Patton on the front of a jeep, I think he’s Hannibal go­ing through the mountains. I love that he’s into detail. I love that he knows exactly what is going on, and I love that he is the first one in and the last one out.He’s got more energy than ten of us put together.

You filmed quite a few scenes at the Poser house in Columbus, Wisconsin. (My physician partner’s wife, Mary Wilkinson, grew up in and around Mary Poser’s home. Connections being what they were, I had the good fortune to tour the sets of the Poser home in May 2008.) I met her (Mary Poser). She’s a riot. That woman was great. She said, “Come over here” and she gave me a punch in the arm. “Welcome to my house. I think we’re go­ing to rename this place the whore house.” I said to her, “If I was older or you were younger or vice versa, we’d be flirting.” She said, “We are flirting.” She was just a lovely lady who opened her home.

If you could say anything to her today, what would you share with her?

I would say my love and best regards to you. I remem­ber your spunk, I remember your moxy, I remember your smile, I remember your warmth, I remember your hospitality, I remember your spirit. You’re memorable, Mary Poser.

If there was one thing you could take from the film, physically, what would it be?

It’s funny you ask me that. When I was leaving, Colleen Atwood (costume designer) said to me, “Hey, John, I want to give you these shoes.” She gave me these two-toned brown classic vintage Church of England shoes that inside they wrote Zarkovich. They’re beautiful. Whenever I wear them, people say, “Look at those shoes.” And I go to the shoemaker and I keep them highly shined and I keep a shoehorn in them. I’ll wear them for the rest of my life.

What did it feel like to have your fans waiting for you at the premiere?

When I got out of that car, you lovely people were right there to take care of me. What I’ve always said about my ex­perience with the fans is that when I fall off the high wire into my net, they pull me in and love me. They take care of me and they protect me. I’m a 53-year-old character actor from New York City who had a dream,and my dream is hap­pening. And for a guy like me to have anybody call me across the room to say hello to me, for me, it just blows my mind every time it happens. The premiere was so surreal. The red carpet was unbeliev­able with people calling my name, “John, John.” All the cameras, everything. I did the press, and that was lovely be­cause I got to talk about things that matter to me, like my family and my training and my beliefs. That I was just a kid, a little schnook with a dream, and that all you kids out there wherever you are in the world, just believe in your dreams and follow your dreams and know that your life doesn’t take place in one summer or one weekend or one night. That you can make it to the other side.

What was it like to watch yourself on the big screen at the premiere?

The movie theater was packed. It was a who’s who. Everybody was there. I sat and the lights went down.Was I nervous. Then I just locked in and enjoyed the story just like I loved watching movies as a kid. But it’s hard for any actor to watch himself. I mean, I have a hard time look­ing in the mirror.But that par­ticular night I just sat back and really enjoyed it.

What would you say to people who have not seen

Public Enemies yet?

It’s a movie that has a big message about honor, about friendship, about tough times, about love, about betrayal, about a country in upheaval, about a new day, a new way. A movie like that,if you look at it for its historical content and for the fact that it was only 75 years ago, proves that things get better. It will get better. There’s a lot of hope in that movie. Although it looks bleak and like this is never going to end, things will get better.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Meeting John Michael Bolger

Special thanks to Karen from Johnny Depp Reads. com for making this inter­view possible.

Dr. Tanya Feke is a physi­cian at Middlesex Hospital Pri­mary Care – Coginchaug in Durham and a freelance movie columnist for the Town Times. With a lifelong love of film, she garnered press credentials to the 2009 LA Film Festival.

*************

The article is posted with permission of the author.

PUBLIC ENEMIES' John Michael Bolger gives exclusive interview

While returning from the Los Angeles premiere of PUBLIC ENEMIES, the film's costar John Michael Bolger gave an exclusive interview to a promising young journalist. Bolger plays the blackmailing Det. Martin (Marty) Zarkovich along side Johnny Depp's John Dillinger and Christian Bale's "G-Man" Melvin Purvis.

PUBLIC ENEMIES also stars Marion Cotillard, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Bentt, it is directed by Michael Mann for Universal and is based on the true crime book of the same name written by NY Times best selling author Bryan Burrough. It's in theaters now worldwide.




The video of Miya's interview was kindly provided by her family and used with their permission. We thank them for the use of this lovely interview!

A report from the PUBLIC ENEMIES LA premiere

John Michael Bolger is currently seen portraying Det. Martin (Marty) Zarkovich in this summer's smash film, PUBLIC ENEMIES. Bolger spoke with reporter Dr. Tanya Feke for her column in the Connecticut "Town Times" newspaper detailing her experiences covering the premiere of PUBLIC ENEMIES last month. Dr. Feke has since interviewed John Michael Bolger and that interview will run in the paper soon.

Here's the link, use the page drop down menu to get to page 9, then click on the print article and it will come up in text on the right side of the screen, then go to page 36 for the rest of the artcle. http://recordjournalpublishing.ct.newsmemo...Setup=towntimes

Diagnosis: Movies LA Film Festival Summer Series: Part 2 Anatomy of a Premiere June 23, 2009. The day arrived more than a year after I walked Michael Mann’s sets and met Johnny Depp on the streets of Colum­bus, Wisconsin. Today, Public Enemies was to have its red carpet premiere at the2009 LA Film Festival. Access limited for subsets of the credentialed press, I sat this one out as a fan rather than on the red carpet. Someday I will formally at­tend a red carpet screening, but as far as I was concerned in the moment, I was living the dream of my inner child, mesmerized by the air of gloss and glamour of the coming event. Arriving on site at 8 o’clock in the morning, Public Enemies scheduled for 7 o’clock that evening, a handful of folks sat perched on a street corner be­hind a metal barricade. The irony was all too plain as those barricades led me to the front door the night before with my press badge and would now pre­vent my entry from that which I sought most. Given the scarcity of fans at the time, I took my place in the neighbor­ing Starbucks café that bordered the Mann Village Theater to write up my film review from the night before. Be­lieve it or not, this was the first time I had ever partaken of goods from the omnipresent coffee shop, ordering a caffeinated grande as I watched from inside and later from an outdoor table shaded beneath a palm tree. The mar­quis teased and tempted with Public Enemies in bold face,a picture of John­ny Depp with Tommy gun in hand to the left of the print. What was the layout going to be? For hours, no one seemed to know, or they otherwise had a different take on the situation, as I spoke with LAPD, hired security, and LA Film Festival staff, the contacts easily made by virtue of the press badge worn around my neck. Its yellow coloring contrast­ed against the swing dress I wore in black, a style calling back to an earlier time, but due to the LA heat, I left my petticoat behind in the hotel room. As I waited patiently for more informa­tion, the red carpet was carried out on the backs of laborers who rolled it out along the block of Broxton and Wey­burn Avenue. A black Lincoln Navigator pulled up to the street with a silver haired man stepping out onto the pavement at around 10 o’clock. For a fan of John­ny Depp, this was obviously Jerry Judge, the A-lister’s security detail and ceremonious Pie Customer #2 in Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It was then that I knew to focus my attention as Jerry pointed this way and that to show the path that Johnny would be following to greet his fans. The time had come for me to desert my comfortable seat­ing for the streets. There it was,a giant banner reading John­ny Depp Reads (JDR), hanging over one of the metal barricades that were con­stantly being shifted throughout the course of the day by security crews. I knew this was where I’d be standing, having the pleasure to meet “burley­cue” and “buccaroux” among others who represented the website hosted by its administrator Karen who was un­able to attend the premiere for person­al reasons. The website is tastefully done with concise posts and reputable material that I had come to follow dur­ing the filming of Public Enemies to catch the latest news. For a Hollywood event with an A list cast, I was surprised that there were so few folks burying roots until 5 o’clock or so when things began to siz­zle, most folks coming to their feet for what was sure to be a dazzling specta­cle. Prior to that time, Michael Mann made a sweep of the theater from his white Range Rover. The star-studded appearances began with Jon Voight randomly crossing the street with a rush of fans calling out for autographs. Shortly after, one brazen girl made a dash across the street to reach the red carpet (she was diverted at the last minute by a hulking security guard), and the cast arrivals began to fill the arena. From all appearances, limou­sines were passé in the parade of sleek Cadillac Escalades and Lincoln Navi­gators. The first to make rounds was John Michael Bolger who plays Detective Martin Zarkovich in the film,the dirty cop whose duplicity is the beginning of the end for Dillinger. Previously in­terviewed by Karen at JDR, he made a bee-line for the website banner where he indulged the fans with his good hu­mor and awe in the moment. “This is a special message to my sis­ter Philomena, my sister Bernadette, my sister Charlotte, Gina, Rory, Olivia, Jude, my brother-in-law Garvin,all my friends in New York,all the people that have supported me and sent me their love. I love you and I ap­preciate it and thank you so much. You’re all a part of my dream and a part of my experience and will be in my heart forever,” he said. John would soon be joined by Michael Bentt, former WBO heavy­weight boxing champion and Michael Mann, starring in both Ali and Collat­eral, who plays Herbert Youngblood in Public Enemies. Wearing an orange ­based plaid shirt with casual scarf tied around his neck to match the comfort of his straw-colored hat and blue denim jeans, he stood in colorful contrast to the dapper Bolger who was dressed in a more classic suit jacket with shirt unbuttoned at the top to show his own playful edge. The two would indulge each other with joking prods and laughs caught on tape should anyone like to hear it. The gorgeous and more-than-sweet Leelee So­bieski would take her own laps when the pair of them were scooped into the swelling press of the red carpet. The audience burst into a roar when Christian Bale hit the scene, goatee in place to counter the clean-cut image of FBI agent Melvin Purvis in a made-to-order suit that would befit the gentleman that is Bruce Wayne. It was little sur­prising to the fans that the press would be his priority as he dart­ed towards the red carpet. Sure­ly, media recovery for his pro­fanity- laced tirade caught on tape during Terminator: Salva­tion had to take precedence, but when he later came over to the fans, the audible gasp of shock had a ripple effect.Sadly,the ap­pearance was short-lived, as he signed autographs for a few lucky folks. For all intents and purposes, it seemed an “I’m a nice guy after all” publicity stunt until he came to the JDR banner, made a snide comment under his breath and walked away. It’s a shame he couldn’t look beyond to the legions of fans who hoped to make his ac­quaintance. I was an arms length away from getting an au­tograph for my brother. All this hardly compared to the trio of black SUVs that pulled onto the red carpet in short order. Without a thought to the press – now I know why I was meant to stand as a fan – Johnny Depp darted across the street straight to his fans, sultry in his blue-tinted sunglasses with his hair cropped but play­ing freely over his face. He would’ve been comfortable in Bentt’s denim but chose a black suit more towards Bolger’s flair but with tailored sophistication and a rich blue shirt carelessly unbuttoned to display a thin chain around his neck. The buzz escalated to an out and out din with pushing and pushing back becoming a ne­cessity for survival amongst the fervor. I have to send a shout out to my nearest and dearest friend Laurie, a Yale professor, who came with me to the event and saved me more than once from crashing into and over the metal barri­cade we had so painstakingly reserved over the course of the day. Security did a good detail as well. But I would not make the first pass. Johnny, always a last-minute arrival, had to make at least one round on the red carpet before entering the Mann Village Theater to an­nounce the film. Promising he’d be back out to meet with the rest of the fans, he held to his word and greeted each and every soul who stood by the barricades. The moment was fast, near­ly impossible to capture a crisp photograph with the rush of movement pushing bodies forward, but Laurie was an ace and got the master shot. I had Johnny sign my January Must See Films of 2009 issue of Entertainment Weekly with his Dillinger blazing boldly on the cover. “Johnny, can you say hi into the camera.” I could have kicked myself since I wasn’t holding a camera at all but a small digital recorder. He stopped for a moment, put on that classic Jack Sparrow grin, and looked up from what was to be my autograph. Looking me square in the eye, he smiled and simply answered, “Hi,” his amusement obvious in the subtle chuckle that followed. An ordinary guy, he then hopped into his Navigator and sped away from the hulla­baloo of celebrity, leaving the live screening of his block­buster film behind. I’m sure there were more than a few people wondering how they could get themselves into the theater seat he left behind. Laurie and I walked away from the event to have celebra­tory drinks at the Hard Rock Café. This was LA living at its best, and I was too easily falling into the flow. Days later, Karen from JDR would work with me to get the contact information for Bolger and Bentt. Pubic Ene­mies was going to continue for some time. Dr. Tanya Feke is a physi­cian at Middlesex Hospital Pri­mary Care – Coginchaug in Durham and a freelance movie columnist for the Town Times. With a lifelong love of film, she garnered press credentials to the 2009 LA Film Festival.