Just perfect...

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

John Milius directed this biographical drama that portrays 1930's outlaw and bank robber John Dillinger(played by Warren Oates) as he rises from obscurity to become public enemy number one, the most wanted man by the FBI led by determined agent Melvin Purvis(played by Ben Johnson) who wants Dillinger in particular because several FBI agents were killed after his last heist. Dillinger leads a gang whose members include outlaws with such colorful names like Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson. His days are numbered by the time he leaves the movie theater on that fateful day... Filmed before with Lawrence Tierney, this version is just a bit too crude, though the two leads are fine.

I just finished Dillinger, not even 10 minutes ago, and have realized that John Milius didn't know what kind of film he wanted to make. At times Dillinger is seen as a rough cruel crook, then he changes into a loving and respected hero. Warren Oates plays the title role, while Ben Johnson plays Purvis, the man searching for Dillinger. These men portray the characters well, but my God were they old! Dillinger and Purvis were both 31 in this time period, while Johnson was 55 and Oates was 45, I would have cast some younger actors since the characters looked strange being so old. I will give it to Milius, the action sequences are absolutely amazing. His directing is perfect, his screenplay, not so much. The characters seem forced at times, and the dialogue didn't keep me interested for long. It's worth a watch, but I think I'm going to return my copy and pick up Apocalypse Now instead.

The scene at the beginning of the film where the old man at the gas station treats Homer Van Meter with such contempt is hilarious.Billie Frechette is shown firing a gun at the feds in one scene; it didn't happen. The end credits say she died a spinster; she was married twice. Harry Pierpont was wounded in an attempted escape from death row; three weeks later he was still unable to walk (he'd been shot four times), so they carried him to the electric chair, strapped him in, and threw the switch.Pretty Boy Floyd was wounded running from the farmhouse, but the wound wasn't mortal. When Purvis asked him about Kansas City, Floyd let go such a stream of profanity that Purvis had Agent Herman Hollis shoot him with a Thompson. Hollis had fired one of the rounds that hit Dillinger (although not the fatal one), and he and another agent died while mortally wounding Baby Face Nelson in November of that year.The scene outside the Biograph is ridiculous. It was scalding hot, which is why Dillinger and the two women went to an air-conditioned theater. The movie shows everyone in overcoats, including Dillinger. He had on an open-collared shirt and a white straw hat. Purvis didn't shoot Dillinger at all; the fatal round was fired by an agent brought up from Texas.I do, however, love the line about Handsome Jack Klutas (who, by the way, attended college, but had no "college degree"): "I knew I'd never take him alive. I didn't try too hard, neither." That scene, of course, never happened. Purvis wasn't even there when Klutas was killed.

If I am looking for a tough bank robber, I could not find a better one than Warren Oates. His portrayal of John Dillinger was spot on. He has the gangster look; no baby face for him.The question throughout was whether Dillinger was the most self-absorbed or was it Melvin Purvis (Ben Johnson), the man who smoked 50 cent Montecristos while he chased Dillinger and others. 50 cents in 1933 was a lot of money for a cigar! Lots of shooting and lots of blood in this film that also featured singer Michelle Phillips, Cloris Leachman, Geoffrey Lewis, and Richard Dreyfuss.There are a lot of laughs in the film, too. It was a good story that kept you interested until the end.