(2012-04-28 23:53:21)

Definitive Dillinger

This is still the definitive biography of John Dillinger on film. Ijust saw Mann's Public Enemies - this film blows that one away. Forgiveme for quoting my own review of Mann's film: "Milius, taking his cue from "Bonnie And Clyde," from the earlierLawrence Tierney film "Dillinger," and from the gaudy gangster films ofRoger Corman, fashioned a film that was both flashy yet homespun, partunabashed B-movie, part evocation of American Gothic. Even hisoccasional tinkering with historical accuracy could be forgiven, sinceit was clear he had a firm grasp on what the Dillinger phenomenon wasreally all about - 'farm boy makes good by turning bad' is anundeniable folk-theme of American life. And the brilliance of WarrenOates' performance in the Milius film is that Oates plays Dillingerlike a runaway farm-boy with a sense of humor and a quick temper, whojust happened to rob banks for a living. That's as much as you can giveany professional criminal without lying about the nature of crimenamely, it's about stealing other peoples' money and hurting many ofthem in the process." Other reviewers have remarked this as a B-movie - but it isintentionally so, it never makes any pretense otherwise; and that'simportant: having decided to make a B-movie leaves Milius withconsiderable leeway as to how far he wants to push any aspect of thematerial. So while it's hard to think of any particular dramatichigh-point of the film (perhaps the scene where Dillinger and Purvis goto the same restaurant, or the death of Pretty Boy Floyd?), it's muchharder to find any moment that really drags the film down - the pacingof the film is that of a B-movie, it moves! There's nothing exceptionalabout the cinematography or music, or production design; what we'releft with are memorable performances by some of the greatest characteractors in cinema at the time, and an exciting story with enough savvyto trigger our emotions.Milius watched the Lawrence Tierney "Dillinger" and learned from itbefore starting this film; Mann should have watched Milius' film overand over before starting "Public Enemies." In any event, this is stillTHE Dillinger story, and and an entertaining action film as well.

helpless_dancer

(2012-04-28 03:23:31)

Gimme all the dough!

One of my all time fave actors played the gun toting thug to the hilt.Also,Ben Johnson was excellent as the obsessive detective dedicated to bringingthe hellraising criminal to justice. He did cheat a tad but got the jobdonewith no tears being shed for the hoodlum. Very good action film: I'llneverforget the huge cringe I gave when the getaway car ran over a woman anddragged her beneath it for a ways. This was Oates doing some of his bestwork.

joseph rinando

(2012-04-28 06:30:51)

shooting in abundance!

i recently saw the dvd print on dillinger, now available from amazon.com,released by mgm home video. on amazons web page they describe the picturequality as washed out looking, too much browns etc. however i owned a 16mmprint of this title in widescreen in the 1970s. the picture quality wasthesame as the dvd. the dvd being sharper. i believe american-internationalmade this picture with this sepia tone to make it look like the 1930s. oneof their other releases a bullet for pretty boy released about the sametimehad the same look to it. the film itself is an action buffs dream cometrue.shooting in abundance, bloody shootouts throughout. john melius first filmand a true action classic, even though it glorifies dillinger asinvincable,warren oates plays it to the hilt. possibly his best performance. if youlike lots of gunplay this is your cup of tea. respectfully, yours at themovies joe rinando.

ccthemovieman-1

(2012-04-27 15:17:32)

Another Good Dillinger Movie, With A Reservation

Like his predecessor in this role (Lawrence Tierney), this JohnDillinger - Warren Oates - also looks the part. Oates is arough-looking ugly mug and convincing in the lead role. Speaking ofmugs, also included in this gangster flick are a few other criminals ofthe era: Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd.Ben Johnson, meanwhile, is interesting as Melvin Purvis, the FBI whotracks down the famous Public Enemy Number One. Johnson also narratesin part of the film.Oates does a fine job of playing Dillinger. Unfortunately - rememberthis 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. Thescreenwriters tell us, "Hey, folks, see this criminal really wasn't abad guy! Gve him some slack!" Yeah, right.A few minor acting notes: Cloris Leachman gets third billing, but onlyhas a small role at the end as the famous "Lady In Red." MichellePhillips, who made a name for herself as a member of the Mamas andPapas singing group, did a nice job of acting, better than I would haveexpected.I have seen three versions of "Dillinger" and all of them are good,including this one.

mgtbltp

(2012-04-22 05:58:50)

Great Gangster Flick

I picked up this excellent DVD from Amazon the other day. Directed byJohn Milius, this is another great Warren Oates performance as PublicEnemy #1, John Dillinger.The film has a fantastic supporting cast with an equally great Ben "I'mgoing to smoke one of these cigars over each one of these crooks deadbodies" Johnson as G-Man Melvin Purvis in what has to be his bestperformance that I've seen (he practically steals the picture) and alsoMNIN's Geoffrey Lewis as Harry Pierpont, Harry Dean Stanton as HomerVan Meter, Richard Dryfuss as Baby Face Nelson, Steve Kanaly as PrettyBoy Floyd, Frank McRea as Reed Youngblood, Michelle Phillips as BillieFrechette, and Cloris Leachman as the "Lady in Red" The film isentertaining through out, as good or even better than Bonnie & Clyde.with a lot more action sequences and a minimal love story that doesn'ttie it down.It could have stood to be a little longer and developed the charactersa bit more, it starts in the middle of Dillengers crime spree, so wedon't really find out what drove him in that direction, but since itwas the depression its probably similar to all the wayward biographiesof the gangsters of that time period. Its a little loose with theactual facts, Harry Pierpont was actually executed by electrocution,not killed by the cops on a bridge, and "Baby Face" was killed 4 monthsafter Dillinger. But its a drama not a documentary.There is a sequence near the beginning during a getaway where a womanis brutally run over and the death scene of Baby Face Nelson is not tobe missed, the death grin on Dreyfuss' face is pretty creepy.All in all a great watch & worth it. A must for Warren Oates fans.

toddrandall68

(2012-04-21 23:56:13)

Excellent movie but slightly flawed

I loved every actor in this film. I was even impressed by michellephillips acting. Warren Oates is one of my favorite actors, but I feltat times he was a little less than believable in the role of Dillinger.Harry Dean Stanton and Richard Dreyfuss provided some lighter moreamusing scenes (such as the time at the gas station with the old manand when "Baby Face" joined the gang. The line by Dreyfuss where hesays "I don't take orders from anyone. I got my own way of takingbanks. I go in, take the money, and kill everyone in sight" was such anexample of light "humor" in an otherwise violent and intense movie.)What frustrates me in true stories most of the time is the historicalinaccuracies. Harry Pierpont was executed by electrocution, not killedby the cops on a bridge, and "Baby Face" was killed 4 months afterDillinger. This, in no way takes away from the greatness of this film,and may have served to make the story in the film better.I have read some of the other comments to this movie and I am a littleconfused. This movie was not a documentary. I am a little frustrated byhistorical accuracies also, but that doesn't take away from the pointof a film. If this was a documentary, I would have howled at themshowing "Baby Face" or Homer Van Meter dying before John Dillinger. Butit is not a documentary but an "action packed" portrayal of a muchlarger story. If you want to draw morals or statements from this typeof film it would be a "live by the sword, die by the sword" statement.If they showed, for instance, Jesse James dying at Northfield, MN in amovie it would be historically inaccurate, but not far from the fact ofhim eventually being killed in part of a much larger violentatmosphere.If you want historical accuracy, read a book, or more "exciting"primary documents, if you want a sense of the violent atmosphere of the"public enemy era" in a short time (while eating popcorn even) watch amovie like "Dillinger."Stories I have heard about the shootout in Mason City, Iowa by theDillinger gang, and the shootout outside of Des Moines, Iowa by theClyde Barrow gang have served to make me obsessed with these storiessince I grew up in Central Iowa.I recommend both "Dillinger," and "Bonnie and Clyde" because they areboth great movies about Depression era outlaw gang life (AKA "publicenemy era.") If you had to choose only one I would pick "Dillinger" asthe most believable and intense, and "Bonnie and Clyde" for the acting,although stilted action (Warren Beatty plays an awesome Clyde Barrow.)"Bonnie and Clyde" is more of a love story then the an "action packed"gang story of "Dillinger," hence the more contrived action scenes ofthe former.

pljewkes

(2012-04-17 06:11:34)

Blood bath

After a pretty slow start, DILLINGER erupts into a fast movingbloodbath. Warren Oates has the title role and Ben Johnson is the cigarchomping, G-man extraordinaire Melvin Purvis. It's great to see so manycharacter actors in one film: Oates, Johnson, Geoffrey Lewis, HarryDean Stanton, John Ryan. It's Oates who carries the film and he'sexcellent in a rare lead. Michelle Phillips is "introduced" even thoughshe was already famous as a singer and had appeared in Dennis Hopper'sTHE LAST MOVIE. She's not bad as Oates' at first unwilling, then verywilling gun-moll. Cloris Leachman makes a late and hammy appearance asthe notorious "lady in red." Richard Dreyfuss is a very hot headed BabyFace Nelson.Whether or not the facts are kept straight is debatable but DILLINGERis the best of the post-BONNNIE AND CLYDE gangster films. John Miliushasn't directed a movie this good since.

lastliberal

(2012-04-16 18:07:36)

This could be one of the big moments in your life. Don't make it your last.

If I am looking for a tough bank robber, I could not find a better onethan Warren Oates. His portrayal of John Dillinger was spot on. He hasthe gangster look; no baby face for him.The question throughout was whether Dillinger was the mostself-absorbed or was it Melvin Purvis (Ben Johnson), the man who smoked50 cent Montecristos while he chased Dillinger and others. 50 cents in1933 was a lot of money for a cigar! Lots of shooting and lots of bloodin this film that also featured singer Michelle Phillips, ClorisLeachman, Geoffrey Lewis, and Richard Dreyfuss.There are a lot of laughs in the film, too. It was a good story thatkept you interested until the end.

telegonus

(2012-04-12 18:13:18)

Slam Bang Minor Classic

The 1973 film version of the (criminal) life of notorious bank robberJohn Dillinger, not really a remake of the 1945 film of the same titlebut a re-imagining of its eponymous character's career in crime, ishugely entertaining, featuring a star turn performance from WarrenOates that shows that the actor had major star potential, hampered,sadly, by his short stature, which doesn't really figure in the film asits director, John Milius, manages somehow to make Oates look tallerthan he was.Allegedly made on the cheap by American-International, it doesn't lookcheap to me. It has, in its modest way, a kind of epic sweep, as we seeDillinger and his gang move through the Midwest like a tornado. Thesupporting roles are mostly played by young, at the time unknownplayers, one of which, Richard Dreyfuss, strangely well cast as BabyFace Nelson, went on to a starring career. As Dillinger's squeeze,Michelle Phillips is surprisingly effective and very sexy. There's goodwork, too, from Steve Kanaly and, especially, Harry Dean Stanton, whoplays the most likable of the Dillinger gang.A problem I have with the film, and it's a fairly big one, is BenJohnson's performance as FBI man Melvin Purvis. A former stunt man,Johnson became an accomplished player in western films, had a fine,mellow voice and a pleasing presence. He was not, however, a versatileactor, and this hurts Dillinger, as Johnson has the second biggest partin the film, and director Milius seems to favor him. Johnson looks hisage, well past fifty at the time, and doesn't strike me as trim enoughto be an FBI man. But if he was otherwise good casting this could beoverlooked. Johnson simply lacks the authority, the heroic presence, tobe Dillinger's nemesis, especially Dillinger as electrifying played byWarren Oates. Johnson was an actor who could steal scenes from majorstars, hold his own with the best of them; and yet when "handed" sceneafter scene in Dillinger he just doesn't measure up. Worse, he oftencomes off as smug when what he should really be conveying isconfidence, competence at what he does.With better casting in the Purvis role this Dillinger might have been aclassic. As it is, it's excellent. The action scenes are done toperfection, nearly choreographed, I suspect, and yet they feel realnone the less. There isn't a wasted moment in the film. Indeed, itcould have been longer and worked just as well, maybe even better. Thecharacters could have been more fleshed out; and some sections in thefilm, the one in the gang's Little Bohemia retreat in particular,could, with more time, greatly enhanced this already very well madefilm. John Milius was on a roll when he made this one, never fulfilledhis potential. I wonder what went wrong.

bkoganbing

(2012-04-12 00:33:33)

Purvis Vs. Dillinger

Although Warren Oates makes one charismatic Dillinger in the title roleof this film, the story concentrates as much on Melvin Purvis the G-Manthat got him, played here by Ben Johnson.We meet Dillinger as a full blown criminal whose exploits and daringcaptured the public fancy in Depression Era America. With banks failingall over the country and people losing their life savings, bankers werenot among the most popular people in the USA in the Thirties. No matterthat these robberies didn't help the situation any, a lot of peoplewere glad someone besides the rich was just going in and taking themoney.Ben Johnson is a grim and determined Melvin Purvis, eager to theshooting down of FBI men in the Kansas City Massacre before J. EdgarHoover's agents were allowed to carry weapons. He did not howeverpersonally bag all the criminals he's credited with in this film. Nordid Pretty Boy Floyd played by Steve Kanaly later of Dallas ever runwith Dillinger's gang. However Baby Face Nelson aka Lester Gillis didand he's played as the psychotic punk he was by Richard Dreyfuss beforehe became a star.There's no real character development in this Dillinger, but certainlyenough action to satisfy those who want that in their movies. The filmhas a documentary like quality to it. The main female roles are playedby Michelle Phillips as Dillinger's girl Billie who stands by her manand in the end Cloris Leachman as the infamous Lady in Red who betrayshim. Neither actress is given much to work with in the script.I'm looking forward to the new Dillinger film with Johnny Depp thisyear. Knowing him, we'll get one interesting Dillinger. Still WarrenOates is the best we have so far.

mw1561

(2012-04-08 07:03:56)

a lot of machine guns

Had I one dollar for every burst of machine gun fire then I'd be a richman. The actors in this film are talented people with good resumes, butthat it the only positive comment I can make about this film. Cheap,trashy exploitation that wants us to feel sympathetic for JohnDillinger.In these types of movies I am amazed at the gall of the director. Inscene after scene Dillinger is involved in machine gun battles withpolice, and yet he is never touched. While the film might be somewhataccurate from a historical perspective, I am fairly certain that thegun battles did not take place as brazenly as the film suggests. Thereis no way that a person could stand in the open without cover, and havenumerous police officers firing at them from a close distance and notget hit. While it might make for good action scenes, it defies reality.And the was also no attempt to explain the love interest betweenDillinger and his "moll". One minute they meet, and the next she is hiswoman. Perhaps they could have shortened the gun battles and fleshedout the romantic entanglements a little.

filmbuff-36

(2012-04-07 17:22:40)

John Milius scores with a great gangster flick

This is one of the best gangster movies of the 70's, if not all time.Greataction sequences abound with guns blazing and blood-splatteringdetail.Warren Oates is the titular villain, who won both public support andrevulsion with his daring bank robberies as well as the lengths he took toescape justice. Ben Johnson also gives a stellar performance as MelPurvis,the dedicated FBI agent determined to kill him and the rest of hismurderousgang.But one of the biggest surprises in the movie is the performance of a veryyoung Richard Dreyfuss as notorious robber/killer Lester "Baby Face"Nelson.Dreyfuss's usually lovable charm only further compounds the nature ofNelson's seemingly innocent yet deadly as the plague persona.Director John Milius, best known for directing the cult classics CONAN THEBARBARIAN and RED DAWN has excellent cinematography and crisp dialogue,which he himself wrote. His real-life conservative politics shine throughfrom time to time, especially concerning G-Man Purvis, but he tries toshowboth sides of the story, and he does a fairly reasonablejob.This is definitely a movie to watch one night when nothing is on. Its gotaction, suspense, humor, and good use of scenery. A class act all theway.

TimothyFarrell

(2012-04-04 19:20:34)

Resembles an 40s crime flick from Monogram except with lots more violence

Warren Oates as John Dillinger? That has to be one of the most bad ass(not to mention inspired) bits of casting. While its not his bestperformance (that'd be either "Two Lane Blacktop" or "Bring Me the Headof Alfredo Garcia"), hes compulsively watchable in anything he does.The casting all around is one of the best ever assembled and all theactors turn in immensely enjoyable performances. Since this is an AIPproduction, don't expect a "Godfather" style epic of organized crime."Dillinger" resembles an 40s crime flick from Monogram except with lotsmore violence. The gun fights are alternately exciting and tedious,fortunately the direction of them is very good."Dillinger" was directed and written by John Milius. As a director, hesvery good. The film is quickly paced and the violence is exciting. Allthe performers give wonderful performances. The script is the onlyproblem. The lack of character development is a major problem, onewhich prevents this from being as good as Peckinpah. The characters areall romanticized and one-note. The dialog is over-the-top and flowery,but is generally amusing in a hard-boiled sense. If only the script hadbeen better, this could've been a great picture. Its still entertainingin its present form. (7/10)

Theo Robertson

(2012-04-04 03:43:27)

Inaccurate But Still A Good Movie

Reputation is a strange thing . Take John Dillinger for example . He waspublic enemy number one during the fledgling FBI`s war against organizedcrime gangs . He was a nasty piece of work who committed the murder of aChicago policeman called O`Malley but that why he wasn`t public enemy numberone , he was public enemy number one because he robbed banks , he was aprolific bank robber during an era when banks repossessed homes andbusinesses at the merest hint of not paying back loans , many hard workinghonest American citizens found themselves destitute because of the greed ofbanks in depression hit America . To many people bank robbers at this timewere viewed as Robin Hood types ( Even though they weren`t too keen ongiving to the poor ) and there does seem to be some very slight injustice inJohn Dillinger being public enemy number one when he was far from being theworst criminal in America . Hell he wasn`t even the worst member of theDillinger gang John Milius bio pic of DILLINGER is fairly inaccurate , for example MelvinPurvis wasn`t as portrayed here middle aged but a fairly young man , butMilius is a first rate director even though he`ll always be remembered forwriting the screenplay to APOCALYPSE NOW . Despite not having a massivebudget his shoot out scenes are bloody and brutal and reminded me of therecent Ridley Scott bloodfest BLACK HAWK DOWN . He also uses a very strikingvisual style for exposition featuring a montage of newsreel , stock footage, still photos and newspaper headlines . Milius also casts well by hiringBen Johnson ( Despite being too old for the role ) , Warren Oates , HarryDean Stanton , Geoffry Lewis and Richard Dreyfuss , all fine characteractors in a fine - though rather violent - gangster film

gary-faust

(2012-03-27 22:56:27)

Too bad they didn't do more research.

I enjoy gangster flicks and so it's hard to give any one of them a badrating. My two biggest disappointments were 1) The totally negativedepiction of Dillinger. I think a large majority of the public likedDillinger and although a bank robber many thought highly of him.2)Purvis or "Little Mel" as many called him. In the movie Purvis wasplayed by at least 6 foot tall Ben Johnson. Running head long intodanger going places where angels fear to tread. Gimme a break. I think"Little Mel" was not only small in stature but in guts. To be fair Ithink Purvis (in real life) was an interesting character and did hisjob. Hopefully in the future he will be portrayed more realistically.It seems that John Dillinger good or bad is one of the most interestingfigures of American history and will continue to gather curiousonlookers. I can't wait for someone to do a real Dillinger film. Otherthan that I did like the film and Warren Oates in certain shots looksamazingly like Dillinger. Later

Tim-130

(2012-03-27 10:12:28)

A fine film...

I watched this for the first time in years after picking up the WidescreenDVD in the bargain bin. As a youngster, I remember many of these films forthe bloodletting. How we used to talk them up afterwards. Often I'mdisappointed after watching it many years later. 'Hey, that's not how Iremember it. Well, 'Dillinger' isn't one of those films. This is a fine film, in fact,it's probably the number 2 film, behind 'Bonnie And Clyde' from that timethat portrayed the Depression Era robbers. Warren Oates is excellent. He didn't get the chance very often to play thelead, but this was an excellent chance for him to bust out a little. Andthere are lots of recognizable actors in smaller roles. But this is Warrennearing his peak.It's as exciting as I remember, actually better then I remember. Well pacedwith a couple of slower interludes, that towards the end are kind of framedtogether. If you get a chance watch this film. You'll be pleasantlysurprised.Oh and this DVD has the original 'We're In The Money' opening credits, plusit has the diclaimer at the end after the feature is over.I gave it a 7 out of 10.

xerses13

(2012-03-22 14:43:41)

It's not History...It's a Movie

DILLINGER (1973) is a well mounted though historically flawed filmvision of his ADVENTURES in the early 1930's. The charismatic criminal'Dillinger' (Warren Oates) with his band of merry men steal their wayto a lifestyle that the unfortunate honest people of the GreatDepression can only see on the Silver Screen. Director John Miliusconveys a view that it is better to live a glamorous (if dishonest andviolent) short life then to live like a dog in the dirt. "BETTER A DEADLION THEN A LIVE DONKEY" is the main thrust of this film.'Dillnger' has two (2) important people in his life. 'Billie' (MichellePhillips) his main squeeze and 'Purvis' (Ben Johnson) the long arm ofthe law (F.B.I). There is fine interplay between these characters andboth supply our hero with what he needs. Ms. Phillips is effective andparticularly attractive. Interesting when she was with the group 'TheMamas and the Papas' we did not think much of her. Must have been thosehorrible 1960's costumes which passed as fashion at the time. She looksvery chic in her 1930's garb. Mr. Johnson though to old for the roleperforms in his usual professional way and seems to really enjoy hiswork rubbing out the criminals.A very competent cast of character actors portray the merry men (andtheir molls). Future star playing 'Nelson' (Richard Dreyfuss) is ofparticular interest really getting into the role of that psychotic. Inone (1) scene he massacres a row of civilians to get one (1) lawofficer. At the Little Bohemia shoot out he challenges the F.B.I. with"Eat It G-Man" and a stream of .45 A.C.P. from his Thompson Sub-MachineGun Model 1921. Certainly different then 'Matt Hooper' or 'Roy Neary'.Director Milius paid careful attention to period details. Cars,Clothes, Firearms, Music with integrated period photos and clips fromold films into montage scenes supported the feeling you were in thatera. As for Historical accuracy, it is always best to go to the libraryor consult The History Station and equivalents.We saw the film when it first came out and just recently picked up theDVD. It is still very enjoyable if you take it for what it is.Interesting it's predecessor BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967) does not hold upas well and it's historical distortions are more irritating. CharacterBlanche (Estelle Parsons) needs to stop a bullet early in the film.

(2012-03-21 22:59:28)

Graphic for its time, brilliant even today

Violent 1973 portrait of Depression-era gangster John Dillinger, therelentless effort by the FBI to stop him, and the "folk hero" essence thatsurrounded his glory days. Warren Oates is flawlessly accurate as the titlevillain, and Ben Johnson is equally alluring as Melvin Purvis, the agentbent on getting his man, rounded out by finely portrayed supportingcharacters (such as Richard Dreyfuss as "Baby Face" Nelson and Steve Kanalyas "Pretty Boy" Floyd). Masterful combination of old-school Hollywood actionand new-generation graphic depiction. The perfectly photographed locationsadd to the character's (and the film's) essence. John Milius's directing iscasually brilliant.

Brian Oosterwyk

(2012-03-19 23:45:38)

Goes against most conventions of good movie making...

Proof why Hollywood conventions are in place. Stale dialogue,underdevelopedand flat characters and a disjointed storyline are only part of theproblemswith this gangster classic wannabe. An attempt to be daring and differentbut this appears to be a slap-together attempt at recreating the magic ofArthur Penn 's Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and George Roy Hill 's ButchCassidyand the Sundance Kid (1969)- truly innovative filmmakers and films - butfalling well below the bar. Problems with storylines beingself-explanatoryresult in the need for a voiceover to explain problem sections. Theeditingappears again to be an attempt to duplicate the previous classics but isoccasionally disjointed and cause more problems for me technically.Unnecessary shots are thrown in to justify the filming of them but wouldhave better served the viewer by sitting on the cutting room floor.Stills,black & white montages and period music are thrown in from time to time inattempts to either be different or to cover up for scenes that can'ttransition well or to replace scenes that just didn't work at all andagainare reminiscent of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).Overly dramatic pauses between sentences, random shots of surroundingscenery that wasn't needed for storytelling plus over-the-top acting ofbitplayers and supporting actors was reminiscent of the backyard camcorderdirectors of the late 1980's - I was left wondering who was in charge ofthis film during production and during post-production. The playing ofmusicin most two shots and close-ups and then suddenly stopping in wide shotsoverly emphasized a weak musical score. No sound editing was drasticallyapparent as the bulk of the film was gunshots, doors, footsteps anddialogue(a style used in the late 60's through the mid-70's by new directors) butlacking background noise causing it to seem artificial - particularly thetire squeaks on dirt roads. In my honest opinion the biggest problem ofallis there are no 'likeable' characters for the audience to route for norwerewe lead to see as the protagonists of the story. Neither the gangsters northe lawmen were characters I wanted to see win and neither were focused onas the 'hero'- a necessity for any story to work for me. We know fromPenn'sand Hill's movies who the 'heroes' are. Even though they are criminals, welike them and want to see them get away. I could care less who was on thescreen in this film. I got the impression that John Milius was trying togive off a non-historically accurate reenactment documentary of the eventssurrounding John Dillenger's life from June 1933 to July 1934 (hisdeath).To be fair, there are some moments of good solid storytelling, which aremoments that shine forth brightly from the dark and dismal canister inwhichthis film sits. John Milius gets better thankfully in future films wherehedoesn't seem to try to 'copy' other filmmakers. Dillinger (1973) isn't atotal waste as many stars and famous faces who were at the cusp ofbreakingout are involved with this directorial 'big budget' debut, but wait for iton a classic movie channel rather than spending money to rent or buy.

(2012-03-19 04:31:05)

An exciting action movie

This is one of the best action movies ever made. Warren Oates is perfect inthe role of Dilinger and the film's rough, violent and fast-paced actionsequences remind me of Walter Hill and Peckinpah. A very goodentertainment.