Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Dillinger

Play trailer Poster for Dillinger Released Mar 2, 1945 1h 10m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 3 Reviews 44% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
John Dillinger's (Lawrence Tierney) crime spree ends in 1934 when the lady in red (Anne Jeffreys) shows the FBI where he is.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Dillinger

Critics Reviews

View All (3) Critics Reviews
James Agee TIME Magazine A tough, tight, tense, tricky little melodrama. Feb 22, 2018 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com A powerful, bleak B-level biopic of the legendary gangster made just a decade after his death. Rated: B Aug 14, 2011 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid This 70-minute classic from Monogram Studios is the epitome of what they call "lean and mean." Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 1, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (49) audience reviews
Steve D Strange narrative and an uninteresting topic Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/27/24 Full Review Audience Member The best movie character ever portrayed: Lawrence Tierney as John Dillinger! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Lawrence Tierney stars as John Dillinger in his film debut. He goes to jail for stealing $7 from a grocery store and his cell mate is Edmund Lowe, an expert at bank robbery. Tierney breaks Lowe and his gang out of jail and joins them as they go on a bank robbing spree. As Tierney gets better at robbing banks, he muscles Lowe out as gang leader. This is a really sleek, violent gangster film produced by the King Brothers for Monogram. The plot is kind of by-the-numbers, and it's not visually stylish in the way of their later productions like "Gun Crazy", but it gets by on a strong cast that also includes Elisha Cook, Jr, Marc Lawrence and Eduardo Ciannelli as the rest of the gang. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Lawrence Tierney's starring debut as the titular bank robber is a no frills bio pic (of sorts) shot for Poverty Row studio Monogram. Highlighted by an early script from noir specialist Philip Yordan - best known for Johnny Guitar - the film is concise at 70 minutes and keeps its action to a minimum, favouring blunt talking instead. However, Tierney would snarl more, with more wicked charm, in Born to Kill (1947) and, of course, Reservoir Dogs (1992). So, if you are looking for Film Noir or heist films, this isn't the place to start but it's not bad for a B genre film if this is your bag. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Tough guy actor Lawrence Tierney, who was arrested more times that John Dillinger, the real life criminal he was portraying here, does a bang up job as a mean and violent Dillinger. Written by Philip Yordan, it's a smart, tight little script for a low budget production, which isn't too conceded with telling the true story of Dillinger, but more tells an entertaining yarn with a few correct facts here and there. This is a must see for Tierney fans, even if it isn't exactly a gangster film classic. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member B-movie quickie, mostly of historical interest, as it was rushed onto screens shortly after Dillinger's death. The grim tone is fine, and Tierney is electric, but it's just a little TOO lean and cardboard cheap for my tastes. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Dillinger

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis John Dillinger's (Lawrence Tierney) crime spree ends in 1934 when the lady in red (Anne Jeffreys) shows the FBI where he is.
Director
Max Nosseck
Producer
Frank King, Maurice King
Screenwriter
Philip Yordan
Distributor
Monogram Pictures Corporation
Production Co
King Brothers Productions
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 2, 1945, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 4, 2012
Runtime
1h 10m
Most Popular at Home Now