The 1973 film Dillinger has all the things a solid crime thriller should have: lots of guns, violence, cigars and a fine line between cop and criminal. Directed by the gun-obsessed John Milius (Red Dawn, Apocalypse Now), Dillinger follows the notorious Depression-era criminal John Dillinger (played by a grinning Warren Oates), hunted by FBI agents after five of their own get murdered in a shoot-out. The dynamic between Dillinger and lead FBI agent Melvin Purvis (played by Ben Johnson) captures the interesting relationship between devil-may-care criminals and the men who want them off the streets — is there a difference between the man who kills at will and the man who kills a killer? Plus, the movie is filled with some really excellent one-liners: Before robbing a bank, Dillinger deadpans, “OK, boys. Let’s go make a withdrawal.” The film is co-presented by the Belcourt and Third Man Records as part of Peripheral Visions, a monthly screening series of cult action and horror films from the ’70s and ’80s. AMANDA HAGGARD
Peripheral Visions: Dillinger
