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Title: Dillinger
Region: One
Genre: Crime Drama
Stars: Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Michelle Phillips, Cloris Leachman, Harry Dean Stanton, John Ryan, and Richard Dreyfuss
Writer: John Milius
Director: John Milius
Feature length: 1 hour 49 minutes
Extras: Theatrical Trailer
Languages: English Mono
Subtitles: English Closed Captions
Packaging: Alpha Keep Case
Chapter Stops: 32
Sound: Mono
Year of Theatrical Release: 1973/DVD Release: 2000
Theatrical Distributor: American International Pictures
Home Video Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
John Milius rose up to fame as a screenwriter and director with colleagues like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and a role model like Francis Ford Coppola to light the way among the other talented writers and directors of that generation. I like John Milius' writing because he seems to be able to tap into this primal level of humanity that crosses racial and social economic boundaries unlike any of his contemporaries. Listen to Milius talk about his role in co-writing "Apocalypse Now" or his shared audio commentary track on Universal's "Conan The Barbarian Collector's Edition" DVD and I think some of you who are reading this might understand what I mean. So when I received this DVD of "Dillinger" from MGM I was quite excited because I had never seen "Dillinger" before and being a fan of Milius' work, I was looking forward to screening this DVD.
In terms of film story, "Dillinger" is a somewhat stylized and very well crafted crime drama with Warren Oates as public enemy number one and Ben Johnson as the FBI Agent determined to bring Dillinger and his gang to justice. The movie was released in an era that celebrated the exploits of legendary robbers whether they were real or fake. When watching "Dillinger" I could not help but be reminded of the many films of that time period that captured the movie going public's imagination. Films like "The Wild Bunch", "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid", "Bonnie & Clyde", and "Bad Lands" among many others all celebrated the outlaw as a folk hero. A theme explored and exploited by Oliver Stone many years later in "Natural Born Killers" and as was the case with the few films I have cited, there are some extreme scenes of Tommy gun violence, though it is probably not so graphic compared to the films that have been released recently in many genres.
There is some good characterization, excellent juxtaposition of black and white stills and color photography, and one great performance from Warren Oates and a supporting cast that includes Richard Dreyfuss as Baby Face Nelson, a sociopath character unlike any I have never seen Dreyfuss bring to life at that stage of his career, but a role that he manages to bring to life so well, that he nearly steals every scene he appears in. The seemingly ageless Harry Dean Stanton also lends a great sense of ironic humor to his character that just never seems to have a good day. The film is narrated from the point of view of the FBI Agent leading the campaign to capture Dillinger, but most of the film plays from the point of view of Dillinger and his gang.
MGM's DVD edition is a mixed blessing, but still a good DVD never the less. It features an anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio presentation with a transfer that is uneven. There are flecks on the print itself and there are scenes with considerable grain. However, there are other shots that look so clear one might not think this film is over twenty-five years old when seeing them. I wish the transfer was solid throughout, but at least it is 16 by 9 enhanced and despite the flaws, it is still a very enjoyable viewing experience on DVD.
The sound track is English 2 channel mono and has a good clarity to it. Not having a 5.1 mix really did not matter to me, but while purists might appreciate the mono track more, others might be disappointed. English Closed Captions and French and Spanish Subtitles are also encoded on to this DVD.
The theatrical trailer is also presented in the widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio and is somewhat worn looking. There are no other extras on this DVD. The menus are standard stills that are easy to navigate. The DVD is single layered with the cover art from the keep case on the top of the DVD itself. The insert simply lists the cast members and chapter stops and there is no other production notes and information on the film included on this disc.
"Dillinger" is worth checking out regardless, especially if you are a fan of John Milius' work or are curious about the film generally. It will be available on DVD on September 19, 2000.
© Copyright 2000 By Mark A. Rivera