Dillinger
by John Milius
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Harry Dean Stanton, Michelle Phillips, Warren OatesDirector: John Milius
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 109 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-09-19
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Dillinger
Movie Review: This Could Be One Of The Big Moments In Your Life...Don't Make It Your Last
Summary: 4 Stars
The Depression era was the boom time for criminal gangsters, and few were more feared, lionized, or despised than John Dillinger. The exploits of Dillinger and his gang garnered as much notoriety among the people of the Midwest as Bonnie and Clyde, until that day in Chicago in July 1935 when Dillinger himself was offed by the FBI's top man Melvin Purvis. This is the saga told and mytholigized in the 1973 cult classic DILLINGER, which marked the directing debut (albeit on a low budget courtesy of American International Pictures) of John Milius, one of Hollywood's few true political conservatives (and an old-school one at that).
As with BONNIE AND CLYDE, the 1967 Arthur Penn-directed classic that this film takes more than a few cues from, one can't expect anything remotely resembling a realistic portrait of one of America's most notorious criminals. But what Milius, a film buff par excellence, does give us in spades is an extraordinarily charismatic performance in the title role by Warren Oates, the fine charachter actor who came into his own via his appearances as part of Sam Peckinpah's stock company. Another Peckinpah regular (and John Ford stalwart), the always-reliable Ben Johnson, co-stars as his adversary, Melvin Purvis. Along for the ride are future "Dallas" star Steve Kanaly (as Pretty Boy Floyd); Richard Dreyfuss (as Baby Face Nelson); Geoffrey Lewis (as Harry Pierpont); Cloris Leachman (as the Lady In Red); Michelle Phillips, of the Mamas and the Papas (as Billy Frechette); and Harry Dean Stanton (as Homer Van Meter).
Milius and his cast, especially Oates (who looks very much like Mr. Dillinger), play the story for all its worth, mythologizing the gangster life in a time when only guns and money were involved. Yes, it can be argued that this film romanticizes Dillinger, just like Penn had done with Bonnie and Clyde (though given what we know now about Purvis' boss, J. Edgar Hoover, Dillinger seems like a nice guy by comparison). And of course, it's no surprise that when the credit "Written and directed by John Milius" comes in the opening title sequence, the background pic is of gun cartridges (this given Milius' love of weapons). But just as Penn didn't spare us any bloodshed in his 1967 masterpiece (or Peckinpah in his epic 1969 western THE WILD BUNCH), Milius doesn't spare the bloodshed here in DILLINGER either. Even though he was operating on a low budget, the shootouts are as violent and hair-raising as the 'R' rating would allow for 1973. And when it comes to that moment outside Chicago's Biograph Theatre...whoa, Nelly!
Although Milius would become more notorious for injecting right-wing polemics into his films (RED DAWN; FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR), in DILLINGER, he keeps his eyes squarely on the combination of fine acting (particularly Oates and Johnson), great period detail, and hot-wire action. And to top it all off, Oates has one of the great (and unheralded) film lines in history in his opening bank job when he tells his victims (and, by virtue, the audience): "This could be one of the big moments in your life. Don't make it your last."
It may not be BONNIE AND CLYDE, or THE WILD BUNCH (or even DePalma's SCARFACE), and it may be historically hazy, but in the end, DILLINGER is a solid gangster film on a budget that would barely pay for one big action sequence in a typical Hollywood film of today.
Summary of Dillinger
From the writer of Apocalypse Now comes an electrifying crime saga about one of the most notorious gangsters of the 1930s. Starring Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman and Richard Dreyfuss, Dillinger sets the screen ablaze with explosive shootouts, daring escapes and magnificent performances. Bank robber John Dillinger (Oates) has become a folk hero to the people ofDepression-era America, capturing their imaginations with the exploits of his outlaw "super-gang." But time may be running out for Dillinger's violent band of fugitives; the FBI's finest agent (Johnson) is on the case, and his pursuit won't end until every member of the gang is behind bars...or dead! Charged with heartstopping action and riveting drama, Dillinger is an unforgettable experience hailed as nothing less than "brilliant" (San Francisco Chronicle)!Action & Adventure DVD Video
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