Review of Dillinger (1945) by Flike S — 17 May 2012

The first official film made on John Dillinger, Public Enemy #1. Although, I am reading that the smoke bomb bank robbery scene was actually spliced in directly from the 1937 film "You Only Live Once".

So we are told a short and brief story of Dillinger, in only 70 mins. A very smart montage was used to accelerate the "coming up" phase of the story, as is used in so many other gangster flicks.

We are given insight into the mind of Dillinger, and what made him tick, so to speak. He was driven by his greed, and love for women. We learn how ruthless he was, and how his audacity took him to the top, and essentially brought him back down.

A very primitively shot film, but with great intent, and solid acting from Lawrence Tierney as Dillinger. A very dark film, naturally, and has been debated whether or not deserves the title of 'noir'. Regardless, I say it's a damn fine American classic, that should be in any moviehead's repertoire.