Dillinger (1973 film)

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Dillinger
Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by	John Milius
Produced by	Samuel Z. Arkoff Lawrence Gordon Buzz Feitshans Robert Papazian
Written by	John Milius
Starring	Warren Oates Ben Johnson Harry Dean Stanton Cloris Leachman
Music by	Barry De Vorzon
Cinematography	Jules Brenner
Editing by	Fred R. Feitshans Jr.
Distributed by	American International Pictures
Release date(s)	July 20, 1973 November 8, 1973 February 4, 1974 March 15, 1974 October 12, 1974 November 11, 1974
Running time	107 min.
Country	U.S.A.
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Dillinger is a 1973 gangster film which shows evidence of being strongly influenced by the films of Sam Peckinpah, as well as borrowing cinematically from the Warren Beatty vehicle, Bonnie and Clyde. It stars Warren Oates as the violent gangster John Dillinger in Depression Era America and Ben Johnson as his pursuer, FBI Agent Melvin Purvis. The movie, 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 movie features unapologetic and largely unromanticized depictions of the principle characters, allowing for character depth and development which is rarely seen in the "shoot-em-up" genre. The compelling performances and clever script created a film which, over time, has transcended its B-movie production values. It was written and directed by John Milius for Roger Corman's New World Pictures. Retired FBI Agent Clarence Hurt, one of the agents involved in the final shoot out with Dillinger, was the film's technical advisor.