Where Was the Great Depression?

I saw movie Public Enemies last week and was impressed by the ensemble performance. However, it was not clear to me at all why John Dillinger became such a folklore hero (legend, yes). The absent element was the lacking of portrayal of the historic background. I had no sense that people were living in an economic depression. All the people were calm, composed, and serene, except for a brutal police investigator. Without that piece of information, I came away with puzzlement in my mind. The stature of the story and the movie diminished a bit.

Another squirming factor: the quiver rich music. The abundance of its emotional tugging cue took away much thunder from the utterances and facial acting of the actors. Most time, less really is more.