Although Warren Oates makes one charismatic Dillinger in the title role of this film, the story concentrates as much on Melvin Purvis the G-Man that got him, played here by Ben Johnson.
We meet Dillinger as a full blown criminal whose exploits and daring captured the public fancy in Depression Era America. With banks failing all over the country and people losing their life savings, bankers were not among the most popular people in the USA in the Thirties. No matter that these robberies didn't help the situation any, a lot of people were glad someone besides the rich was just going in and taking the money.
Ben Johnson is a grim and determined Melvin Purvis, eager to the shooting down of FBI men in the Kansas City Massacre before J. Edgar Hoover's agents were allowed to carry weapons. He did not however personally bag all the criminals he's credited with in this film. Nor did Pretty Boy Floyd played by Steve Kanaly later of Dallas ever run with Dillinger's gang. However Baby Face Nelson aka Lester Gillis did and he's played as the psychotic punk he was by Richard Dreyfuss before he became a star.
There's no real character development in this Dillinger, but certainly enough action to satisfy those who want that in their movies. The film has a documentary like quality to it. The main female roles are played by Michelle Phillips as Dillinger's girl Billie who stands by her man and in the end Cloris Leachman as the infamous Lady in Red who betrays him. Neither actress is given much to work with in the script.
I'm looking forward to the new Dillinger film with Johnny Depp this year. Knowing him, we'll get one interesting Dillinger. Still Warren Oates is the best we have so far.
We meet Dillinger as a full blown criminal whose exploits and daring captured the public fancy in Depression Era America. With banks failing all over the country and people losing their life savings, bankers were not among the most popular people in the USA in the Thirties. No matter that these robberies didn't help the situation any, a lot of people were glad someone besides the rich was just going in and taking the money.
Ben Johnson is a grim and determined Melvin Purvis, eager to the shooting down of FBI men in the Kansas City Massacre before J. Edgar Hoover's agents were allowed to carry weapons. He did not however personally bag all the criminals he's credited with in this film. Nor did Pretty Boy Floyd played by Steve Kanaly later of Dallas ever run with Dillinger's gang. However Baby Face Nelson aka Lester Gillis did and he's played as the psychotic punk he was by Richard Dreyfuss before he became a star.
There's no real character development in this Dillinger, but certainly enough action to satisfy those who want that in their movies. The film has a documentary like quality to it. The main female roles are played by Michelle Phillips as Dillinger's girl Billie who stands by her man and in the end Cloris Leachman as the infamous Lady in Red who betrays him. Neither actress is given much to work with in the script.
I'm looking forward to the new Dillinger film with Johnny Depp this year. Knowing him, we'll get one interesting Dillinger. Still Warren Oates is the best we have so far.