Dillinger Blu Ray Review (MGM)

Dillinger is a 1973 crime film written and directed by John Milius (The Wind and the Lion, Conan the Barbarian, Farewell to the King, Red Dawn, Big Wednesday, The Twilight Zone, and Flight of the Intruder). It was executive produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff (Dressed to Kill, The Amityville Horror, The Haunting, Squirm, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Comedy of Terrors, The Raven, The Tomb of Ligeia, Witchfinder General, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Blacula franchise, Coffy, and The Town That Dreaded Sundown) for American International Pictures. It had an estimated budget of $1,000,000. John Dillinger (played by: Warren Oates from Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia) is Public Enemy Number One as he takes on the banks and robbing whatever he can. His dangerous gang includes Baby Face Nelson (played by: Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws), Pretty Boy Floyd (played by: Steve Kanaly from Dallas), Homer Van Meter (played by: Harry Dean Stanton from Wild at Heart), Charles Mackley (played by: John P. Ryan from It’s Alive franchise), Harry Pierpont (played by: Geoffrey Lewis from The Devil’s Rejects), and Eddie Martin (played by: John Martino from The Godfather). Dillinger puts fear on the streets and others idolize him. The dedicated G-men led by the infamous Melvin Purvis (played by: Ben Johnson from The Wild Bunch) hunt down the criminals for a violent showdown between both sides, who will survive???? Dillinger was made by A.I.P. to capitalize on the success of Bonnie and Clyde. Action packed crime features were big box office in the 70’s so did their own take on it. Unknown writer and director John Milius at the time was given the opportunity to adapt the wild story of the infamous robber John Dillinger. They have made so many movies and television projects based on the legendary villain and this is still the best version all the way from 1973. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed Public Enemies in 2009 but this older adaptation is still better. Warren Oates brings charisma as the nasty bad guy John Dillinger. He was known in my state of Indiana so I am very familiar with his past and crimes. Oates actually resembles him in every possible way. It’s his best performance and it was a rarity for him getting the lead role because he was a career character actor. He has a powerful presence that can’t be denied, the audience is glued to the screen when he’s around. Ben Johnson gives Oates a run for his money as lawman Melvin Purvis. He’s with the government but he is a little sneaky sometimes and he damn crosses the line at some points. It’s a top notch hero performance that doesn’t back down from anything. He becomes a slasher towards the end, hunting everyone down one by one in the most ruthless ways. The Dillinger gang is morbidly hilarious like in the gas station scene and they are just as brutal as their boss. Oates had some amazing support when it came to his group. It’s loaded with familiar faces in early roles with Richard Dreyfuss, Harry Dean Stanton, Geoffrey Lewis, John P. Ryan, and Steve Kanaly. The rest of supporting cast includes Cloris Leachman (Young Frankenstein), Frank McRae (48 HRs), Michelle Phillips (Knots Landing), Roy Jenson (Chinatown), Read Morgan (Fatal Beauty), Terry Leonard (Death Wish II), and Jerry Summers (Catchfire). Dillinger is extremely violent, it’s more gruesome than most horror movies. It has a decent body count. There’s so much bloody violence and shoot outs during it. It’s filled with tension as Oates and Johnson try to outsmart each other during these crimes. I love it’s chaotic and unpredictable atmosphere, it keeps everyone on their toes. It still holds up after 53 years, that’s beyond impressive. It’s highly entertaining, fun, and it delivers on everything that you would want from something like this. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation from MGM! This 1080p (1.85:1) transfer is the same as the 2016 Arrow Video restoration. It was scanned in 2K from the original 35mm interpositive from DaVinci Resolve. Last time I watched Dillinger was on MGM’s 2000 home video release so this blows it away and it’s a huge improvement. It has an English: LPCM Mono track on the disc. It’s action packed with some brutal violence so the audio really spikes during those suspenseful moments. All of the dialogue is crisp, the tension is elevated, and the music has a big boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has a “Theatrical Trailer” for Dillinger. It has the “Behind the Scenes Gallery” with a variety of photos from the movie. Don’t let the promo artwork for this online fool you, this is a pro pressed home video release and it’s not a BD-R. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com!!!!