Dillinger

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Steve D @RT35616104 09/15/2024 Not sure why I should care about any of it. See more Logan M @RT24272249 03/23/2023 Dillinger is a classic crime drama that uses characters, cinematography and editing to excel beyond its low budget. See more dave s @RT68722908 07/25/2022 After a couple of decades of producing low budget crap, American International released one of their rare good films in 1973, John Milius' Dillinger. It chronicles the rise and fall of the charismatic but ruthlessly violent bank robber John Dillinger (Warren Oates), as well as the FBI's pursuit of the criminal led by the steely-eyed, cigar-chomping Melvin Purvis (Ben Johnson). It's filled with rousing (and improbable) shootouts, plenty of graphic violence, and a surprising number of touching scenes, all stylishly shot. The cast, which also includes Richard Dreyfuss, Harry Dean Stanton, Cloris Leachman and Michelle Phillips, is excellent, the period details are spot on, and the music is great. Despite the often annoying voiceover narration and some handheld camerawork that feels out of place, it is a lot of high octane fun. See more 05/24/2020 In the great Hollywood tradition of history-be-damned, writer/director John Milius chose to tell a ripping good yarn over telling a historically accurate biopic of John Dillinger. Legendary character actor Warren Oats ("The Wild Bunch" "In the Heat of the Night" "Badlands") chews the scenery line none other and steals every scene as the mythic prohibition era gangster. Oats and Milius' version of Dillinger is arrogant, sexist, racist, and yet somehow manages to charm the audience and most everyone around him. Arthur Penn's "Bonnie & Clyde" was a huge hit and AIP wanted to cash in on that with its own gangster films, such as Angie Dickinson's "Big Bad Mama" or Martin Scorsese's "Boxcar Bertha" and this film. Milius' picture is by far the best of the "Bonnie & Clyde" knockoffs and manages to really be its own film. "Bonnie & Clyde" was notoriously violent when it was originally released and Milus too heaps on the blood and action in his picture as well. However, while the violence in Penn's film had a Sam Peckinpah-like beauty to it, the violence in "Dillinger" is more along the lines of a Sam Fuller in-your-face type of realistic brutality. It's hard to describe, but the violence in a Fuller film always felt more real, even if the story was filled with chinches, there was an honesty in how the violence was portrayed on screen, which made it all the more frightening, exhilaration, and unique of a film experience. Few filmmakers are able to capture this and when a filmmaker is able to, it's a real treat for viewers. Just like Fuller, Milius was working with a limited budget, but milks what he had for all it's worth. Besides Oats, the film boast a stellar supporting cast, that includes Ben Johnson, Michelle Phillips, Cloris Leachman, Harry Dean Stanton, Geoffrey Lewis John P. Ryan, Richard Dreyfuss, Steve Kanaly, Frank McRae, and legendary stuntman Terry Leonard (Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones stunt double). Oats rarely got leading roles, but when he did, such as this film, it's pure magic. Seeing Oates in any film, either as a leading man or a supporting players, it's impossible to see any other actor in those roles; "Cockfighter," "Two-Lane Blacktop," "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia." It took some time, but the 1970s was really Warren Oates' golden age for juicy parts. My only complaint about the film is that it dips into David L. Wolper style historical documentary re-enactment, complete with corny narration, but that's not too terrible a sin for a low budget movie needing to cut corners, especially when Ben Johnson is doing the narration. Still, although not a perfect film, "Dillinger" is a minor masterpiece and a must see for all fans of prohibition era gangster pictures. See more Thomas M @TMProofreader 01/31/2019 The best movie character ever portrayed: Lawrence Tierney as John Dillinger! See more s r @ScottR 01/19/2017 Prolly my favorite role for Oates. See more Read all reviews

Dillinger

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