Dillinger (1973)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

John Milius

Writer:

John Milius (written by)

Release Date:

20 July 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Biography | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

...he was the gangster's gangster.

Plot:

John Dillinger and his gang go on a bank robbing spree across the midwest, but one G-Man is determined to bring him down.

Plot Keywords:

FBI | Gangster | 1930s | Celebrity Criminal | Tommy Gun

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Warren Oates	...	John Dillinger
Ben Johnson	...	Melvin Purvis
Michelle Phillips	...	Billie Frechette
Cloris Leachman	...	Anna Sage
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Homer Van Meter
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Harry Pierpont
John P. Ryan	...	Charles Mackley (as John Ryan)
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Baby Face Nelson
Steve Kanaly	...	Pretty Boy Floyd
John Martino	...	Eddie Martin
Roy Jenson	...	Samuel Cowley
Read Morgan	...	Big Jim Wollard
Frank McRae	...	Reed Youngblood

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 (video rating) | UK:18 | West Germany:18 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Norway:(Banned) (1973-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Ardmore, Oklahoma, USA

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

The idea of "Pretty Boy" Floyd being apart of the Dillinger gang is based on a still debated theory among historians and Dillinger biographers that Floyd participated in Dillinger's last bank robbery in South Bend, Indiana in June of 1934. While no witnesses at the scene of the robbery were certain it was Floyd, Joesph "Fatso" Negri, an associate of "Baby Face" Nelson, always claimed it was Floyd. Some believe Negri lied to cover up the fact it was he who was involved in the robbery.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Billie Frechette is covering Dillinger's escape from the Little Bohemia lodge, her weapon changes from a Tommy gun to a BAR 1918.

Quotes:

John Dillinger: You really don't know who I am, do you?
Billie Frechette: Look,pal... you can be whoever you want. As far as I'm concerned, you're Douglas Fairbanks.
John Dillinger: Who?
Billie Frechette: Douglas Fairbanks
John Dillinger: *Wrong*! I'm John Dillinger.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Little Cigars (1973)

Soundtrack:

It's Easy to Remember

John Milius scores with a great gangster flick

This is one of the best gangster movies of the 70's, if not all time. Great action sequences abound with guns blazing and blood-splattering detail.

Warren Oates is the titular villain, who won both public support and revulsion with his daring bank robberies as well as the lengths he took to escape justice. Ben Johnson also gives a stellar performance as Mel Purvis, the dedicated FBI agent determined to kill him and the rest of his murderous gang.

But one of the biggest surprises in the movie is the performance of a very young Richard Dreyfuss as notorious robber/killer Lester "Baby Face" Nelson. Dreyfuss's usually lovable charm only further compounds the nature of Nelson's seemingly innocent yet deadly as the plague persona.

Director John Milius, best known for directing the cult classics CONAN THE BARBARIAN and RED DAWN has excellent cinematography and crisp dialogue, which he himself wrote. His real-life conservative politics shine through from time to time, especially concerning G-Man Purvis, but he tries to show both sides of the story, and he does a fairly reasonable job.

This is definitely a movie to watch one night when nothing is on. Its got action, suspense, humor, and good use of scenery. A class act all the way.