Dillinger

Rating:
Summary: Lifelong Saga of a Ruthless Hero
Review: Some may say that John Dillinger was nothing but a two-timen' crook but as for me, i feal as John has led one of the most intresting yet far-fetched lives that can be displayed. This movie shows the differance between John and the rest of 1933 and everything in between, and as mind bogolling it may sound, hearing all about the life of a villian i had wished i was there to take part in what was yet another bank robbery. Defanatly one movie to take notice.

Rating:
Summary: Very good 70s period piece
Review: "Dillinger" is not a particularly well-known movie, but it stands up well against other 1970s movies that explored the 1930s (Paper Moon, Bonnie & Clyde). Warren Oates stars as the notorious bank robber, John Dillinger. Oates is a great character actor and its terrific to see him in a starring role. Why he did not become a bigger star is a mystery. The movie does a great job capturing the barren depression-era Midwest. Real-life news reels are mixed in with the action to help make it more authentic.

The supporting cast is also fantastic. Harry Dean Stanton is quite funny and Steve Kanaly (later a star of "Dallas") has one of his best movie roles as Pretty Boy Floyd. This is probably the best movie that director John Milius has made (he later made "Conan the Barbarian" and "Red Dawn"). The movie is fast-paced and fun. What is lacks in historic accuracy it more than makes up for with non-stop action. The DVD doesn't have any extras, but I still recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Very good 70s period piece
Review: "Dillinger" is not a particularly well-known movie, but it stands up well against other 1970s movies that explored the 1930s (Paper Moon, Bonnie & Clyde). Warren Oates stars as the notorious bank robber, John Dillinger. Oates is a great character actor and its terrific to see him in a starring role. Why he did not become a bigger star is a mystery. The movie does a great job capturing the barren depression-era Midwest. Real-life news reels are mixed in with the action to help make it more authentic.

The supporting cast is also fantastic. Harry Dean Stanton is quite funny and Steve Kanaly (later a star of "Dallas") has one of his best movie roles as Pretty Boy Floyd. This is probably the best movie that director John Milius has made (he later made "Conan the Barbarian" and "Red Dawn"). The movie is fast-paced and fun. What is lacks in historic accuracy it more than makes up for with non-stop action. The DVD doesn't have any extras, but I still recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Nice shootouts compliment a fun movie...
Review: ...OK, this film doesn't deserve five stars, but I thought I'd knock up its rating a little bit. The film itself is fun, with some entertaining shootouts throughout. It ain't Peckinpah, but it's sure fun.

Rating:
Summary: Dillinger - with Warren Oates
Review: As a fellow historian and Author of the forthcoming book, "Dillinger, The Hidden Truth," I'd have to say: This movie was extremely well made. The movie is truly a classic, very adventurous, and realisticly portrayed. I highly recommend this movie to everyone! I give the actors and cast five stars, but I can only give the movie a 4-star rating due to the lack of historical accuracy. The movie is based on many actual events, but the characters are incorrectly placed, and somewhat over dramatized by the true Hollywood tradition.

Rating:
Summary: Dillinger
Review: As a liberal minded person John Millius is not exactly my most favourite director. However I love this early seventies gangster movie, Warren Oates and Ben Johnnson ar great leads.
The violence and the action is still strong.

Rating:
Summary: "Please don't shoot me G-man!"
Review: Films about historical events that play fast and loose with the facts usually get under my skin...big time.That aside,I must say that I really enjoyed this film, despite the fact it seemed to get very few of the essential facts right.Ben Johnson was miscast
Melvin Purvis as well as Harry Dean Stanton as Homer Van Meter, but both were great as always.Warren Oates is one heck of a character actor and as character actors go,can do no wrong(the man's a genius).The butchering job on the history was done,I assume,to facilitate a smoother narrative and keep the movies length from expanding into epic like proportions.The scene depicting Van Meter's demise was a brilliant piece of black humor(most obviously based on pages 123 and 124 of John Toland's "The Dillinger days")but in actuality the whole incident happened *before* the shootout at "Little Bohemia" and to an earlier gang member,James Jenkins(Van Meter bought the farm in St.Paul MN).A previous reviewer mentioned the length of the gun battles and couldn't have been more dead on...If that kind of battle had happened at the Little Bohemia lodge I think all of Rhinelander Wisconsin would have been destroyed!All done in the grand Hollywood tradition (think "Gunfight at the OK Corral") of padding an actual event to get the most mileage (and violence) out of it.This movie was great fun...Just don't delude yourself into believing you know the real story after viewing this film.

Rating:
Summary: How to compress the history of gangsters
Review: I can't explain it,but like so many other people,I'm fascinated by gangsters.I'll read any book I can get my hands on and I'll watch any movie made about them.One of the first was "Dillinger".It may not be the most accurate film ever made,but at least John Millius tries to make up for it with thrilling action.The plot plays more like the generic "Cop out for revenge" (Purvis hunting down the gangsters responsable for the June 17,1933 shoot-out that left three agents dead) rather than an attempt to tell the life of Dillinger.One of the few perks of the film are some surprisingly accurate portrayals.First there's Warren Oates who has the distinction of being the only actor who played Dillinger,who actually looks like him!Other accurate portrayals inclue Steve Kanaly(from T.V.'s Dallas) as Pretty Boy Floyd and a young Richard Dreyfuss in a psychotic,but accurate version of Babyface Nelson.The most telling part of his character is when he declares "I go in shooting.I kill everyone in sight.I grab the dough.And leave shooting!" That line seems to define the film.Despite it's historical flaws,it's still an entertaining action flick from the "Drive In" era.

Rating:
Summary: "Eat this, G-Men!!!"
Review: I have seldom seen better casting than in this gangster classic, which is without a doubt the best movie ever made on John Dillinger. I disagree with the reviewers who say Ben Johnson was miscast as Melvin Purvis. I think he was perfect in the role although his character really came out looking like a villian. I know that this film gets many facts wrong, but it is a movie, not a documentary. Warren Oates looks a lot like Dillinger & gives a flawless performance. I don't know why he didn't become a bigger star after this was released. Although filmed over 30 years ago, the shootouts are some of the best I've ever seen in any action movie. In fact, I think the only movie that tops "Dillinger" in shootouts is 1995's "Heat". This has a brilliant blend of action & romance that will command everyone's attention from start to finish. The dvd's picture quality is good but not great & the only special feature is the theatrical trailer. But this dvd is so inexpensive that everyone who enjoys gangster films should buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, but still has flaws
Review: I think this was a great movie and a must-have for any 1930's gangster buff. The shootout scenes were fast paced and exciting.
I really enjoyed the last bank robbery scene that took place at Mason City, Iowa. However, I didnt think it was a perfect movie.
It wasn't very historically acurate, but I wont go into specifics. I also wished there was more of Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd in the movie because they are both very interesting characters. It's a shame that it didn't become more popular because it was probably the best movie ever made on Dillinger.