Dillinger

Love this movie. Dirty and dusty...even the actors are saturated in 70's film grain. Milius did wonders evoking the period with a comparative budget a pitiful fraction of the bloated Mann film.

The smart casting really seals the deal. Even Steve Kanaly, who for me (as I suspect for most other folks here) is known primarily from DALLAS, is great as Pretty Boy Floyd. "The way I figure it, it's too late for no Bible. Thanks just the same Ma'am."

And John Ryan. Christ, I'd watch that guy read the phone book.

I read on the IMDB trivia that Oates was the one actor who looked the most like Dillinger from all the movies based on him.

Blind bought the DVD last fall, and had a blast with it. Damn great movie. Tons of action in it.

oh yeah.

I have to hunt this movie down sometime. I saw part of it years ago and thought Ben Johnson was pretty badass as Melvin Purvis.

The Ricky Dreyfuss Baby Face Nelson beatdown scene should be legendary amongst movie fans, and sorrow and shame that it isn't.

Having just seen this, I can say it's another movie I'm really grateful to have had recommended to me by CHUD. Thanks, guys! I didn't find Dilinger totally unsympathetic. I agree that the way he roughs up Billie at the beginning was rather appalling, but the guy was just so charming throughout the whole movie, I couldn't help but like him. It seemed like a weird kind of 'courtship', but I could kinda see why he grew on her later, because he certainly grew on me through the movie by being so suave. I loved his 'catchphrase' about how being robbed by him is going to be one of the best days of your life, but don't make it also your last.

 

I also admired that despite being a criminal, this movie's Dilinger wasn't completely heartless. At least he had enough morality to hope murder could be avoided as much as possible (unlike trigger-happy, sadistic Babyface Nelson, for example). I think part of the reason I felt such affection for the character was that I find Warren Oates to be such an engaging screen presence. I loved his performance in this movie almost as much as his work in "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia".

 

I agree that the casting and writing of characters was stellar all around. The ritualistic cigar-smoking before shooting schtick from Purvis was a hoot, as was Harry Dean Stanton's lamenting his rotten luck. After all the great comedy, Pretty Boy Floyd's end was surprisingly moving. My favourite bit of casting was Babyface Nelson. It was really fun to see Richard Dreyfuss playing such a violent, reckless, obnoxious little asshole. I've seen him play a villain before (i.e. "The American President"), but he's always been one of those actors that I think of/associate with nice guy roles (i.e. Tom Hanks, John Cusack).

 

Going back to the technical aspects of the movie, I was thrilled and amused by the delightfully over-the-top shootouts like everybody else, and at the same time impressed by how nice the quiet scenes outside of the city were. I can't think of any other movie that has both lovely countryside photography and enthralling bloodbaths of gun battles, rendering each with equal beauty. Without having seen "Public Enemies", I really think it was unnecessary now, as I can't imagine anyone making a better movie about Dilinger than this one. 

Edited by Naisu Baddi - 5/21/11 at 9:43pm