John Dillinger and his gang go on a bank robbing spree across the midwest, but one G-Man is determined to bring him down.
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Title: Dillinger (1973)
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Nominated for
1
Golden Globe.
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Cast
| Complete credited 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 | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
After a shoot-out kills five FBI agents in Kansas City the Bureau target John Dillinger as one of the men to hunt down. Waiting for him to break Federal law they sort out several other mobsters, while Dillinger's bank robbing exploits make him something of a folk hero. Escaping from jail he finds Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson have joined the gang and pretty soon he is Public Enemy Number One. Now the G-men really are after him. Written by Jeremy Perkins {J-26}
Plot Keywords:
reference to arizona | public enemy number one | panties | upskirt | year 1933 |Taglines:
The private life of a public enemy. See more »Parents Guide:
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(uncredited)
Music by Milton Ager
Played after Dillinger's capture
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Did You Know?
Goofs
When Billie Frechette is covering Dillinger's escape from the Little Bohemia lodge, her weapon changes from a Tommy gun to a BAR 1918. See more »Crazy Credits
After the closing credits a verbal renouncing of gangster films written by FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover is heard: he was scheduled to read it for the film, but died before it started production. Hoover's text is read at the film's close by voice actor (Paul Frees) decrying the film and calling it a source of corruption for children. See more »Alternate Versions
Two different versions with different main title music exist_ The original version features the song "We're in the Money" being played while snap shots of homeless and poor people are shown on the screen. The alternate version has the same visuals but with a simpler instrumental cue (called "Theme from Dillinger" on the soundtrack LP). See more »Soundtracks
Happy Days Are Here Again(uncredited)
Music by Milton Ager
Played after Dillinger's capture
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Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
8 November 1973 (Hong Kong) See more »Also Known As:
Dillinger See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$1,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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Like his predecessor in this role (Lawrence Tierney), this John Dillinger - Warren Oates - also looks the part. Oates is a rough-looking ugly mug and convincing in the lead role. Speaking of mugs, also included in this gangster flick are a few other criminals of the era: Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd.
Ben Johnson, meanwhile, is interesting as Melvin Purvis, the FBI who tracks down the famous Public Enemy Number One. Johnson also narrates in part of the film.
Oates does a fine job of playing Dillinger. Unfortunately - remember this is the '70s, a decade in which the "anti-hero" was a full bloom - the film tends to make this crook into a sympathetic figure. The screenwriters tell us, "Hey, folks, see this criminal really wasn't a bad guy! Gve him some slack!" Yeah, right.
A few minor acting notes: Cloris Leachman gets third billing, but only has a small role at the end as the famous "Lady In Red." Michelle Phillips, who made a name for herself as a member of the Mamas and Papas singing group, did a nice job of acting, better than I would have expected.
I have seen three versions of "Dillinger" and all of them are good, including this one.