Dillinger

John Dillinger was the most notorious of the Depression-era gangsters, with newspaper coverage of his exploits that made him a romantic anti-hero to many. This 1973 film by John Milius (making his directorial debut) plays on that image of the gentleman gangster who courted the public and press while robbing banks across the American Midwest. Warren Oates—who resembles the real-life gangster—stars as Dillinger, exuding a rugged charm while chatting with bystanders and bank tellers during robberies ("This could be one of the big moments in your life," he says at one point. "Don't make it your last.") or genially bantering with the press after he is arrested the first time. Ben Johnson costars as Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent who made Dillinger a priority as his fame became an embarrassment for the Bureau. The story covers Dillinger's brief rampage across the Midwest states, his romance with Billie Frechette (Michelle Phillips), his flamboyant prison break, his supergang—which included Pretty Boy Floyd (Steve Kanaly) and the bloodthirsty Baby Face Nelson (Richard Dreyfuss)—and his bloody demise outside a Chicago movie theater in 1934 in the company of "the lady in red" (played by Cloris Leachman). Milius masterfully evokes the era while also delivering impressive action scenes (on a tight budget) involving shoot-outs and car chases, but even more importantly he turns these historical figures into memorable characters. This Blu-ray/DVD Combo set features a restored edition of the film along with extras including audio commentary by film historian Stephen Prince, new interviews, a stills gallery, and a booklet. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)