Rating: 
Summary: As accurate as an American bombing campaign!
Review: I'm not really a history buff but when it comes to depression era gangsters I would say I know my stuff. This film dissapointed me, In fact I would go so far as to say that whilst sitting and watching this film I felt like I was being abused. (not literally of course but mentally). Maybe its too much to expect films to be historically accurate but this was so far off the mark it's not even funny. Floyd, Dillinger & nelson were only together for one robbery and even that is hotly debated amongst historians. At one point nelson & dillinger are having a fight and baby face ends up cowering on his knees crying like a baby whose just wet himself ???- is this the same baby face who was a mob enforcer for al capone, the same mob enforcer who was let go by capone for being to violent, the same baby face who had guts enough to leave the ample cover provided by his car when face by two special agents with thompson submachine guns, the same baby face who had kept on walking toward these agents even after having 17 bullets in him & who eventually killed both agents -DONT THINK SO! im not gloryfying the real baby face but to me he seems like the kinda guy who stares death in the face and enjoys every minute of it!!
some other reviews have already mentioned major flaws in the movie. Maybe i'm being too harsh, maybe not - either way I feel I have wasted my money. At least theres another dillinger movie being made for 2004 and a seperate pretty boy floyd movie set for 2005!! i just hope they are a little more accurate.
Rating:
Summary: As accurate as an American bombing campaign!
Review: I'm not really a history buff but when it comes to depression era gangsters I would say I know my stuff. This film dissapointed me, In fact I would go so far as to say that whilst sitting and watching this film I felt like I was being abused. (not literally of course but mentally). Maybe its too much to expect films to be historically accurate but this was so far off the mark it's not even funny. Floyd, Dillinger & nelson were only together for one robbery and even that is hotly debated amongst historians. At one point nelson & dillinger are having a fight and baby face ends up cowering on his knees crying like a baby whose just wet himself ???- is this the same baby face who was a mob enforcer for al capone, the same mob enforcer who was let go by capone for being to violent, the same baby face who had guts enough to leave the ample cover provided by his car when face by two special agents with thompson submachine guns, the same baby face who had kept on walking toward these agents even after having 17 bullets in him & who eventually killed both agents -DONT THINK SO! im not gloryfying the real baby face but to me he seems like the kinda guy who stares death in the face and enjoys every minute of it!!
some other reviews have already mentioned major flaws in the movie. Maybe i'm being too harsh, maybe not - either way I feel I have wasted my money. At least theres another dillinger movie being made for 2004 and a seperate pretty boy floyd movie set for 2005!! i just hope they are a little more accurate.
Rating: 
Summary: Blazing Midwest Gun Battles
Review: This film tells the story of legendary gangster John Dillinger. A criminal so famous his very name became a symbol. Hardly as stylish as 'Bonnie and Clyde' this film still delivers decent history and great action. Many of the events portrayed are very close to written historical accounts. The film centers on the rival relationship between bank robber Dillinger and FBI agent Melvin Purvis. Ben Johnson as Purvis, the Special Agent determined to capture and/or kill off Dillingers gang, is one of the highlights. Even though former rodeo cowboy Johnson is about as far as you can get from the physical type of the real life slight and ordinary looking Purvis his performance as cigar chomping gangbuster is marvelous. Warren Oats is also terrific in the title role. Great recreation of depression era Midwestern atmosphere. Interesting note: FBI Director Hoover felt threatened by the fame of Dillinger slayer Purvis and banished him to obscurity. Purvis would later take his own life using the same .45 that gunned down the famed gangster.
Rating:
Summary: I'll Give You the Scoop on This One
Review: This is a shameless favorite of mine, which, ironically, has all the qualities that usually make me hate a film: 1)it's a shameless knock off of a great movie (Bonnie and Clyde); 2)it features serious miscasting (Ben Johnson as Melvin Purvis); and plays fast and loose with the history that we depression era gangster buffs know chapter and verse of (Homer van Meter was gunned down months after Dilinger; Pretty Boy Floyd was gunned down in Minnesota after days of being chased through the backwoods by the law, though he did have a poignant last meal with a kindly farmer's wife; It was Harry Pierpont's gang, not Dilinger's; Harry Pierpont was not at Little Bohemia; Harry Pierpont was not gunned down as he waws in he film; Harry Pierpont died in the electric chair after being captured in New Mexico along with Dilinger (who later escaped); thus, Harry Pierpont was the only member of the gang to die in jail, and so on and so forth. But Oh, the movie is so much fun. Warren Oates is a treat and it is a wonder his career didn't take off after this film. What a great character actor he was. Remember him in stripes? This is one of those movies you just can't figure. It does so many things wrong, but you still love it. You take it for what it is, you put your brain on cruise control, and you simply enjoy the ride.
Rating:
Summary: This is not history. Who cares?
Review: This is not a completely true story. This is not a documentary. It is just a fun movie to watch based very loosely on a few gangsters around the early to mid 1930's. The lead roles are bank robber John Dillinger and FBI agent Melvin Purvis. While trying to capture or kill Dillinger, Purvis runs across a few other notable gangsters of the day. If you want true history, don't get it from Hollywood, head to your local library. If you want to watch a fun movie, check this one out. I believe that many people write reviews to impress others with their knowledge of history. If I was sitting in a college class, that may be significant. While I am watching a movie, who cares?
Rating:
Summary: Warren Oates IS Dillinger
Review: This is one of the fastest moving movies you're likely to ever see. Warren Oates was the only man to play the part of John Dillinger (he even looks like him). When Harry Dean Stanton says "things aren't workin' out for me today", you gotta laugh. Whether it's romanticized or not, who cares. It's a fun movie to watch and if you like to see lots of spent brass flyin', you'll love it. My only 2 regrets are that it's not on DVD and that it's recorded in the LP mode on the VHS.
Rating:
Summary: Explosive and relentless story of prolific bank robber......
Review: Violent, intense and romantic tale of infamous Depression era gangster, John Dillinger by noted action / drama director John Milius is historically inaccurate, but still a very enjoyable gangster film for fans of the genre....and a bonus to now have it available on DVD !!Cerebral actor Warren Oates plays fiery John Dillinger with aplomb, and Ben Johnson is the intrepid FBI agent Melvin Purvis, hot on the trail of America's Public Enemy number 1. Dynamic support cast portrays Dillinger's gang...Harry Dean Stanton as Homer van Meter, Geoffrey Lewis as Harry Pierpoint and John Ryan is Charlie Mackley. Additionally, Richard Dreyfuss is the cowardly killer, Baby Face Nelson and Steve Kanaly plays the "Robin Hood of the Cookson Hills", Pretty Boy Floyd. Milius makes great use of color and monochrome shots (many portions of movie appear to be shot through a sepia colored filter) and racy newsreel look to selected sequences with hard edged jazz score accompanying the visuals. Film covers birth of gang and several high profile incidents including the deadly shoot out at Little Bohemia lodge, plus Dillingers daring escape from Indiana's Crown Point jail....and finally his comeuppance outside the Biograph Theatre in Chicago where he was shot dead by FBI agents. If you like your gangster films fast paced and with machine guns blazing...then this one belongs in your collection !! Interesting footnote: It was argued for years that it wasn't Dillinger shot dead outside the Biograph, but rather a look-alike, petty thief named Jimmy Lawrence. Dillinger was apparently aware of the FBI plot and decided to retire from the bank robbing game for good. During the mid 1970's a letter arrived at a Los Angelas newspaper, together with a photo of an old man, the writer claimed to be Dillinger and the letter apparently contained information about Dillinger that was not freely available...nothing further was ever heard from the writer !
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing version of Dillinger story
Review: When Richard Dreyfuss is cast as Baby Face Nelson, you know you've got problems. Warren Oates does closely resemble an older Dillinger (of course, the real Dillinger never got past 31), but he can't carry this sensationalized, hare-brained depiction of the Dillinger saga. Better direction would have given us realistic character studies to help tell the story. Instead, the superficial roles overacted by Dreyfuss, Ben Johnson, et al, are little more than props for some of the l-o-n-g-e-s-t gun battles in gangster film history.
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