Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- violent
- tough
- bleak
- crime movie night
- 1970s film retrospective
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film stylish and forcefully acted, especially by Warren Oates, but overly derivative, episodic, and dominated by violence.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film contrasts Dillinger's bank robberies and killings with his public image as a Depression-era folk hero.
Shoot-outs, bank robberies, and bloodshed dominate the film's depiction of Dillinger and the gang.
The story moves through jail escape, gang expansion, robberies, and the escalating federal manhunt in a necessarily episodic structure.
John Milius's debut draws on the era's stylized, violent treatment of American criminal history while revisiting Depression-era outlaw mythology.
Films like Dillinger, and why
Bonnie and Clyde
shared New Hollywood crime filmmaking, Depression-era gangsters, stylized violence, and folk-hero mythology
The Lady in Red
shared historical gangster subject matter, bank robbery, episodic criminal exploits, and violent period realism
Public Enemies
shared outlaw biography, Depression-era setting, bank robberies, and morally ambivalent criminal protagonists
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
shared hard-edged crime drama, charismatic outlaw figure, and gun-heavy New Hollywood style
Movie Details
- Director
- John Milius
- Release Date
- 1973-07-20
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (124)
Cast
- Warren Oates
- Ben Johnson
- Michelle Phillips
- Cloris Leachman
- Harry Dean Stanton
- Geoffrey Lewis
- John P. Ryan
- Richard Dreyfuss
- John Martino
- Roy Jenson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Artiflix
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dillinger about?
- A brutal, episodic portrait of John Dillinger's violent rise from escaped prisoner to America's most wanted bank robber.
- What is Dillinger like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dillinger as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Dillinger violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Dillinger as graphic.
- What did critics think of Dillinger?
- Critics broadly found the film stylish and forcefully acted, especially by Warren Oates, but overly derivative, episodic, and dominated by violence.
- Which films are like Dillinger?
- Films with a similar feel include Bonnie and Clyde, The Lady in Red, Public Enemies, and The Friends of Eddie Coyle.
- How long is Dillinger?
- Dillinger runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dillinger?
- In United States, Dillinger streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Artiflix.
