Before Heat 2, Christian Bale's R-Rated Bank Robbery Thriller Returns To Streaming Next Month

Published Oct 21, 2026, 3:44 PM EDT Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie & TV News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay. Christian Bale has had a long career in Hollywood, but he remains best known for leading Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. Starting with Batman Begins in 2005 and culminating with The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, Bale gave life to a more grounded take on the Caped Crusader. Outside of his role as the DC hero, Bale continues to star in projects across a wide range of genres. In 2009, Bale made a splash in the heist thriller subgenre in a big way, and that film is now set to come to streaming at the perfect time. 17 years after its release in theaters, Public Enemies is confirmed to arrive on Netflix on Sunday, November 1. Directed by Michael Mann, the R-rated movie features Bale as real-life FBI agent Melvin Purvis, with a star-studded cast surrounding the former Batman actor. Bale's Public Enemies Is Looking To Make A Score On Netflix Though Bale plays a prominent role in Public Enemies, it's Johnny Depp who has the splashier part as notorious gangster John Dillinger. The film chronicles a booming crime wave during the 1930s and the FBI's attempts to take down Dillinger, along with other gangsters like Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum). Public Enemies also stars Jason Clarke, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Stephen Lang, David Wenham, Stephen Dorff, Christian Stolte, Carey Mulligan, and Giovanni Ribisi. Public Enemies earned generally positive reviews from critics. The film enjoys a somewhat lukewarm 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Popcornmeter coming in lower at 59%. At the box office, the film was a modest performer, grossing $214 million worldwide on a budget estimated to be between $80–$100 million. Public Enemies marked Mann's follow-up to Miami Vice (2006), the remake of the iconic 1980s TV series. A new Miami Vice reboot is on the way, with Austin Butler and Michael B. Jordan starring. Bale Is About To Return To The Bank Robbery Genre In A Big Way Bale is now set to reunite with Mann for Heat 2, the director's highly anticipated follow-up to his 1995 crime thriller classic. Bale is confirmed to be playing Vincent Hanna, Al Pacino's role from the original, with fellow Public Enemies cast member Graham playing Neil McCauley, who was previously played by Robert De Niro. Leonardo DiCaprio takes on the role of Chris Shiherlis (originally played by Val Kilmer), with Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Jason Clarke, and Adam Driver also in the cast. Heat 2 adapts Mann's successful novel that he wrote with Meg Gardiner, chronicling events both before and after Heat. This includes the formative years of Hanna and McCauley's careers, and Shiherlis' time in a crime syndicate at the Paraguay border. It remains to be seen how the film performs relative to Public Enemies, but the latter film's arrival on Netflix is evidently coming at the perfect time. Release Date July 1, 2009 Runtime 140 minutes Director Michael Mann Writers Ann Biderman, Michael Mann, Ronan Bennett Producers Kevin Misher