| Dillinger | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | John Milius |
| Written by | John Milius |
| Produced by | Samuel Z. Arkoff Lawrence Gordon Buzz Feitshans Robert Papazian |
| Starring | Warren Oates Ben Johnson Harry Dean Stanton Cloris Leachman |
| Cinematography | Jules Brenner |
| Edited by | Fred R. Feitshans Jr. |
| Music by | Barry De Vorzon |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million[1] |
| Box office | $2 million (US and Canada rentals)[2] |
Dillinger is a 1973 gangster film about the life and criminal exploits of notorious bank robber John Dillinger.
It stars Warren Oates as Dillinger and Ben Johnson as his pursuer, FBI Agent Melvin Purvis. It contains the first film performance by the singer Michelle Phillips as Dillinger's moll as Billie Frechette. The film, narrated by Purvis, chronicles the last few years of Dillinger's life (depicted as a matter of months) as the FBI and law enforcement closed in. The setting is Depression era America, 1933-34.
The film features largely unromanticized depictions of the principal characters. It was written and directed by John Milius for Samuel Z. Arkoff's American International Pictures.
Retired FBI Agent Clarence Hurt, one of the agents involved in the final shootout with Dillinger, was the film's technical advisor. The film includes documentary imagery and film footage from the era. It includes a verbal renouncing of gangster films written by FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover: he was scheduled to read it, but died before the film's release. The written words of Hoover are read at the film's close by Paul Frees.
The film was followed by two made-for-TV spin-offs: Melvin Purvis: G-Man (1974) (teleplay written by Milius) and The Kansas City Massacre (1975), both directed by Dan Curtis and each starring Dale Robertson as Purvis.
Cast
- Warren Oates as John Dillinger
- Harry Dean Stanton as Homer Van Meter
- Geoffrey Lewis as Harry Pierpont
- Steve Kanaly as Pretty Boy Floyd
- John P. Ryan as Charles Makley
- Richard Dreyfuss as Baby Face Nelson
- Frank McRae as Reed Youngblood
- Ben Johnson as Melvin Purvis
- Michelle Phillips as Billie Frechette
- Cloris Leachman as Anna Sage, "The Lady in Red"
- John Martino as Eddie Martin
- Roy Jenson as Sam Cowley
- Read Morgan as Big Jim Wollard
- Richard Eschliman as Machine Gun Kelly
Production
Milius agreed to write the script for a fraction of his usual price if AIP let him direct.[3]
References
- ^ A Million-Dollar 'Dillinger' by AIP Haber, Joyce. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 13 June 1973: g18
- ^ 'Big Rental Films of 1973', Variety, 9 Jan 1974 p19
- ^ The dime-store way to make movies-and money By Aljean Harmetz. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 04 Aug 1974: 202.