Dillinger (1945)

Dillinger (1945) is a cheapo-epic biopic crime heist, robbery, murder, prison and prison-break film noir which was the breakthrough role for tough guy villainous noir actor Lawrence Tierney, directed by Max Nosseck and co-starring Anne Jeffreys, Edmund Lowe, Marc Lawrence, Elisha Cooke Jnr and Eduardo Cianelli. 

Packed with fun, action and menace, and oddly replete with cinematic meta-mechanics, Dillinger (1945) cannot be flawed for anything other than historical accuracy. 

Historical accuracy might have gone against the grain, too. The minute makers of 1945, fresh off the tracks of the great crime film experiments of the 1930s, which incidentally probably amount to the greatest body of work of 1930s cinema, were imminently to collide with state forces and the Production Code was in fullest sway, and so accuracy might have been well sacrificed.

It can indeed by sacrificed for fun, menace, magic and it's so much so that the word Dillinger is sufficient, and all else is dressing. It's incredible good value as a film noir and despite its fast action, it encompasses so many of film noirs sub and side genres that it qualified as an upfront noir, and an epic noir, and is like all good movies held captive to its alluring star.

Jailbirds of film noir — Elisha Cook Jnr., Marc Lawrence, Lawrence Tierney, Eduardo Cianelli and Edmond Lowe in Dillinger (1945)

Lawrence Tierney were in the following releases of 1945, of '45:

Dillinger (1945) as John Dillinger

Those Endearing Young Charms (1945) as Lieutenant Ted Brewster

Back to Bataan (1945) as Lieutenant Commander Waite

Mama Loves Papa (1945) as Sharpe

Sing Your Way Home (1945) as Reporter in Paris (uncredited)

If film noir does one thing well, and bearing in mind it did many things well, it was most concerned with framing. The framing in this minor B-cheapo epic is that of a cinema news reel, audience within an audience, and an actor playing John Dillinger's father appears in a movie theatre, to address the crowd with the story that is about to take place. Quite unique.

Philip Yordan, an up-and-coming luminary in the literary world, had been in collaboration with the esteemed George Beck. The King Brothers, having secured a deal with Monogram Pictures, sought Beck’s writing prowess but were unable to meet his customary fee. 

Consequently, Beck, in a gesture of magnanimity, recommended the prodigious Yordan. Yordan, after penning three scripts for the Kings, crafted the screenplay for Dillinger. His final script, 

When Strangers Marry, was co-written with the film’s director, the illustrious William Castle, who also lent his expertise to the Dillinger script, aspiring to direct it himself, Yordan fondly reminisced about Castle’s invaluable contributions.

The Hollywood Reporter divulged that the original narrative for the script, John Dillinger, Killer, was the brainchild of William K. Howard and Robert Tasker. Yordan, officially the King Brothers’ script editor, ensured his name was prominently featured as the sole credited writer on their films.

Yordan recounted that all major studios had a tacit agreement to eschew films that might glorify real-life gangsters by name, a pact Monogram Pictures was not privy to. He claimed that Louis B. Mayer implored Frank King to obliterate the film’s negative, an entreaty King rebuffed due to Mayer’s lack of compensation.

Yordan asserted the film grossed a staggering $4 million, of which he received a third. However, this assertion is erroneous, as 20th Century Fox had already completed and released Roger Touhy, Gangster shortly before Monogram announced the Dillinger project. The only censorship in effect was a wartime embargo on the export and import of ‘Gangster’ films, which could potentially undermine a film’s profitability. 

The Hays Office introduced a prohibition on films depicting real-life criminals in August 1945 to forestall a resurgence of gangster movies following the success of the Touhy and Dillinger films and Crime, Inc.

The King Brothers sought an unknown actor for the role of Dillinger, believing that a familiar face would be incongruous with the character. They advertised in the trade press, seeking a Tough Guy to Play JOHN DILLINGER. A month later, Lawrence Tierney, after an audacious visit to the Kings’ office and allegedly pilfering a copy of the Dillinger script, was cast in the role.

Yordan lamented that he was unjustly overlooked for the Academy Award for Best Script, attributing the snub to Walter Wanger’s influence, which favored Marie Louise, "a film nobody had ever seen". He also claimed that Dillinger was a pioneering crime film, frequently screened by Darryl Zanuck, who purportedly used it as a template for numerous Fox productions. In Yordan’s words, he had created a style.

Lawrence Tierney’s performance in Dillinger is rightly tightly enjoyed and hailed as a defining moment in his career. Portraying the infamous gangster John Dillinger, Tierney brought a raw intensity and authenticity to the role that captivated audiences and critics alike. 

Elisha Cook Jr. was having a great year and were in the following releases of good old 1944 to 1966:

Phantom Lady (1944) as Cliff

Up in Arms (1944) as Info Jones

Dark Mountain (1944) as Whitey

Dark Waters (1944) as Cleeve

Dillinger (1945) as Kirk Otto

Why Girls Leave Home (1945) as Jimmy Lobo

Blonde Alibi (1946) as Sam Collins

Cinderella Jones (1946) as Oliver S. Patch

The Falcon's Alibi (1946) as Nick

Joe Palooka, Champ (1946) as Eugene

Two Smart People (1946) as Fly Feletti

The Big Sleep (1946) as Harry Jones

His portrayal was marked by a menacing presence and a brooding charisma, which perfectly encapsulated the notorious criminal’s persona. It elevates this fast-action cheapy to the higher materials of the film noir principalities.

Tierney’s ability to convey Dillinger’s ruthless nature, combined with moments of vulnerability, added depth to the character, making him more than just a one-dimensional villain. This nuanced performance helped to elevate the film and set a new standard for crime dramas of the era.

Despite being relatively unknown at the time, Tierney’s compelling performance in Dillinger catapulted him to fame and established him as a formidable actor in Hollywood. His work in the film is still remembered as one of the standout portrayals of a gangster in cinema history.

Lawrence Tierney’s portrayal of John Dillinger in the Poverty Row epic from Monogram Pictures is nothing short of pure evil. From the opening moments to the climactic shootout at Chicago’s Biograph Theater, Tierney’s performance leaves no room for sympathy for the infamous outlaw. 

This role was a breakout for Tierney, who would go on to play a series of criminal characters in films like Badman’s Territory, Hoodlum, and Born to Kill. The latter film even garnered a scathing review from New York Times critic Bosley Crowther, notorious for his disdain for many crime films now considered classics. Crowther described it as not only morally disgusting but an offense to normal intellect.

Directed by Max Nosseck, Dillinger maintains a brisk pace throughout its 70-minute runtime. The cast features a who’s who of crime film regulars, including Marc Lawrence, Eduardo Ciannelli, and Elisha Cook Jr., all part of Dillinger’s gang. Anne Jeffreys plays John’s girl, the infamous Lady in Red. Historically, the Lady in Red was not Dillinger’s girlfriend but a prostitute named Ana Cumpanas, who made a deal with the FBI to betray Dillinger in exchange for avoiding deportation.

Expecting historical accuracy or a stylish production from this film would be misguided. It is unmistakably a product of Monogram Pictures on Poverty Row, where time and budget constraints were paramount. 

Unlike some low-budget films that used dark lighting to create a noir atmosphere and mask minimal sets, Dillinger features flat and dull lighting. Economical measures included using footage from Fritz Lang’s 1937 film You Only Live Once for a bank robbery scene. Despite these limitations, Dillinger remains a fast-paced, action-packed crime film, bolstered by Tierney’s powerhouse performance.

Tierney revisited the Dillinger story in 1991 with a small role in a TV movie starring Mark Harmon. In Michael Mann’s 2009 film Public Enemies, Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Dillinger was criticized for being too modern and slick for the 1930s setting. 

The best Dillinger film is arguably the low-budget 1973 version directed by John Milius, with Warren Oates in the lead role, bearing a striking resemblance to the real Dillinger.

Despite its low budget and straightforward approach, the 1945 Dillinger is an entertaining film that does not disappoint. Tierney and director Max Nosseck collaborated on four films, despite reportedly disliking each other. The screenplay even received a surprising Oscar nomination, highlighting its impact.

There is some great trope work addressing the fact that this an all male world, because the criminal team, like the sports team, and the haulage team, and the prison team, and this is a prison team, they are all male, so the monocolour gangsters hate it when a woman is brought into the team, and there is a round of nasty man stares, just as the beautiful Yoko hoves in, and Anne Jeffreys is excellent, throughot.

Plus she does not do a Yoko on the team either. They have their own internal voices, and it is ratting. There is rat-rat-ratting in the team, what might be called the Specs Dillinger gang.

This Specs Dillinger contest contrast went into the lobbies in full action force with these shock-by-shock advertising lines, bringing it on:

SHOCK-BY-SHOCK STORY OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS BANDIT OF OUR TIMES!! (original print ad - all caps)

EVERY BLASTING THRILL IS TRUE! (print ad - Lubbock Morning Avalanche - Arcadia Theatre - Lubbock, Texas - July 4, 1946 - all caps)

A COLD BLOODED BANDIT! And A Hot Blooded Blond! ...who stopped at NOTHING! (print ad - Lubbock Morning Avlanche - Arcadia Theatre - Lubbock, Texas - July 4, 1946)

HERE IS MIGHTY MOTION PICTURE ENTERTAINMENT! (print ad - Lubbock Morning Avalanche - Plains Theatre - Lubbock, Texas - October 4, 1946 - all caps)

HE LOOTED! HE KILLED! HE LOVED! (print ad - Lubbock Morning Avalanche - Plains Theatre - Lubbock, Texas - October 4, 1946 - all caps)

SCHOCK BY SHOCK BIOGRAPHY! (print ad - Lubbock Morning Avalanche - Plains Theatre - October 4, 1946 - all caps)

LIFE STORY OF THE DEADLIEST OUTLAW OF OUR TIMES! (Print Ad-Daily Argus, ((Mount Vernon, NY)) 2 July 1945)

HE LEFT HIS MARK ON THE ROARING THIRTIES! (print ad -Lubbock Morning Avalanche - Palace Theatre - Lubbock, Texas - July 10, 1945 - all caps) 

For the first time on the screen you can see the thrill-shot life story of the most wanted outlaw of our times! (print ad -Lubbock Morning Avalanche - Palace Theatre - Lubbock, Texas - July 10, 1945)

SHOCK-BY-SHOCK STORY OF THE MOST WANTON OUTLAW OF OUR TIMES! (Print Ad-Indianapolis Times, ((Indianapolis, Ind.)) 4 July 1945)

YOU'LL GASP AS THE THRILL-SHOT CAREER OF THE MOST INFAMOUS OUTLAW OF OUR TIMES RUNS ACROSS THE SCREEN! (Print Ad-Daily News, ((Los Angeles, Calif.)) 10 July 1945)

His Story Is Written in Bullets, Blood and Blondes!

A Cold Blooded Bandit and a Hot Blooded Blonde ... who stopped at Nothing!

This film, like Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde, takes significant liberties with historical facts, despite being made shortly after the actual events. It’s a low-budget production with re-used sets, poor rear projections, and California scenery standing in for the Midwest. 

While the acting is decent, the script feels disjointed. John Milius provides an interesting but factually uncertain commentary on the DVD. For a more accurate account, the book Dillinger’s Wild Ride is recommended.

Marc Lawrence bust out the following roles, all films released in that mid-decadial film noir high point of 1945: 

1945 Dillinger as "Doc" Madison

1945 Flame of Barbary Coast as Joe Disko

1945 Don't Fence Me In as Clifford Anson

1945 Club Havana as Joe Reed

1945 Life with Blondie as Pete, Blackie's Henchman

With its succinct, no-nonsense title, the 1945 cinematic endeavor Dillinger ostensibly promised a crisp, newsreel-esque biography of its infamous subject, John Dillinger. A mere decade posthumously, Dillinger remained an indelible legend of the thug lifestyle in the collective consciousness. 

The film ostensibly fulfills this modest ambition, yet scarcely transcends it. At a mere 70 minutes, it propels forward with alacrity, yet paradoxically oscillates between superficiality and unwarranted corpulence. It evokes the semblance of a clip reel rather than a fully realized narrative, replete with extraneous fat and contrivances ripe for excision.

The film inaugurates with a perplexing framing narrative: an audience within a movie theater witnesses the denouement of a film about Dillinger, only to be confronted by Dillinger’s father, who ambles onto the stage. 

Awkwardly toying with his hat, he articulates in the vernacular of a rustic elder about his errant progeny. This metafictional contrivance situates 1945 audiences in the peculiar position of observing a purported 1930s film audience viewing another film about Dillinger, whose criminal exploits were contemporaneously ongoing.

It is an eccentric commencement, swiftly relegated to oblivion, yet it harmonizes in a dissonant manner with the film’s renowned conclusion. It is as meta as you can get for 1945, highly recommended, innocently enjoyable.

Also regarding cinemas, let it be seen too that the most potent sequence depicts an incognito Dillinger, adorned with a wispy mustache and round dark spectacles, attending the cinema himself.

The film’s trajectory essentially escorts the audience from observing another audience watching a film about Dillinger, to observing a film about Dillinger themselves, culminating in observing Dillinger watching a film. It is, above all, a film about observation, about the cinema. 

Dillinger, it is reputed, harbored such an ardent affection for the movies that he fashioned his tough-guy persona after Hollywood gangsters and crime lords. It was the movies that inexorably led to his demise, driven by an insatiable desire to witness Myrna Loy on screen in Manhattan Melodrama, the film he was viewing when the law ultimately apprehended him, terminating his criminal escapades and his life. 

It is a romantic demise for a cinephile, to perish due to an overwhelming love of cinema, and it is apropos that this film about Dillinger should be so preoccupied with the essence of movies.

Nevertheless, the introduction’s peculiar cinephiliac meta devices swiftly yield to a straightforward recounting of John Dillinger’s life, as portrayed by Lawrence Tierney, in his inaugural star turn. Tierney embodies Dillinger with perfection and is unequivocally the film’s paramount asset. 

Even when the narrative falters or accelerates precipitously, Tierney’s clenched jaw and malevolent gaze are electrifying. He enacts Dillinger as a man in perpetual defiance of the world, the sort who punctuates every utterance with an implicit oh yeah? — a challenge to confront him, to oppose him, to hazard his lethal wrath. 

He is swift with his tongue and swifter with his firearm, a lethal and conscience-free young malefactor who embarks on a life of crime seemingly on a whim, initially as a means to procure money, and subsequently perhaps merely because he can. Tierney exudes the requisite swagger, with the smug smirk of an audacious young ruffian who esteems himself so highly that he actualizes his ambitions: he perceives himself as the preeminent crook and inexorably becomes it.

Dillinger is a film that proffers much with its title and premise but delivers in a manner that is both hasty and padded. Its most memorable moments are inextricably linked to its exploration of cinema itself, mirroring Dillinger’s own cinematic infatuation. 

Lawrence Tierney’s performance is a standout, encapsulating the quintessence of Dillinger’s defiant and perilous persona. Despite its shortcomings, the film affords a captivating glimpse into the life of one of America’s most notorious criminals, viewed through the prism of his cinematic obsessions.

Lawrence Tierney delivers a rough-edged performance as John Dillinger, though his character remains largely a flat cipher. The supporting cast, including Edmund Lowe, Elisha Cook Jr., and an underutilized Anne Jeffreys as Dillinger's lover Helen, performs capably despite limited material.

An innovative overhead shot of an armored car robbery presents the audience with a bird's-eye view of the chaos unleashed by Dillinger's gang. Smoke streams from strategically placed explosives as the criminals efficiently subdue the guards and abscond with their prize, all captured in a single, masterfully composed shot that emphasizes both the precision and the brutality of the heist.

The precisely staged final showdown utilizes mirror reflections to create tension and anticipation. As Dillinger catches glimpse of law enforcement closing in through a reflected image, the scene builds to its inevitable climax, demonstrating Nosseck's ability to create suspense through visual storytelling rather than dialogue or action alone.

Because of the super short running time, Nosseck's eye for detail is often lost in the film's rushed pacing, but that is not to criticise.

The character's transformation from an aspiring stockbroker to a notorious criminal mastermind occurs with jarring suddenness, but it is exciting. It's good jarring suddenness, remember that B-Movies get us ready for television viewing.

At the same time, yes, offering little insight into the psychological evolution that would drive such a dramatic change. This abruptness undermines the credibility of Dillinger's character arc and leaves the audience struggling to understand his motivations.

Throughout the film, Dillinger's internal drives and decision-making processes remain opaque, presenting him more as a collection of criminal actions than a fully realized character. This opacity extends to his relationships and personal philosophy, leaving crucial aspects of his personality unexplored.

The film's structure of course suffers from a lack of fully developed scenes, instead relying on a montage-like approach that sacrifices depth for breadth. While this technique can be effective for showing the passage of time or a series of similar events, its overuse here results in a shallow narrative that fails to engage viewers on an emotional level.

The script rarely rises above functional dialogue, missing opportunities for character development and thematic exploration. Of course it does. It still provides intensity because it is always moving towards violence. Conversations serve primarily to advance the plot rather than reveal character or explore the moral implications of Dillinger's crimes.

The film generates minimal dramatic tension, partly due to its rushed pacing and partly due to the predictable nature of its storyline. Even potentially suspenseful moments feel muted by the film's determination to move quickly to the next plot point.

The film largely keeps violence offscreen through various techniques. Instead of showing direct violence, the camera frequently focuses on close-ups of Dillinger's eyes during violent acts, letting the audience's imagination fill in the blanks. This technique, while potentially powerful, sometimes comes across as evasive.

The limited showing of casualties reflects the production codes of the time, but also serves to sanitize Dillinger's actions. By not fully depicting the human cost of his crimes, the film inadvertently minimizes their impact on both the characters and the audience.

The raw brutality implied rather than shown must have been shocking for its contemporary audience. However, viewed today, this approach seems overly cautious, as if the filmmakers were reluctant to fully confront the consequences of their protagonist's actions. This hesitancy creates a disconnect between the film's portrayal of Dillinger as a dangerous criminal and its unwillingness to show the full extent of his violence.

There are not so many B-movies have made as significant an impact as Monogram Studios' Dillinger (1945). This gritty bastard of  a prison heist gang on the run crime drama not only catapulted the small Poverty Row studio into the spotlight but also launched the career of Lawrence Tierney, transforming an obscure bit player into a film noir icon virtually overnight. 

The King Brothers production, which earned Monogram its first Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay, proved that sometimes the most remarkable cinematic achievements emerge from the most modest circumstances.

Though technically billed as "Introducing Lawrence Tierney," the actor had already appeared in minor roles for RKO in films like Ghost Ship (1943) and Back to Bataan (1945). However, it was his loan-out to Monogram that would define his career.

Tierney's portrayal of the notorious bank robber John Dillinger is a masterclass in contained menace. His Dillinger is an unflinching psychopath, as comfortable slicing up a waiter with a broken beer mug as he is wielding an axe against a would-be deserter from his gang. When he growls, "No tank town jail can hold me, I'll be out before the month," the threat carries bone-chilling credibility.

Despite its B-movie origins, DILLINGER boasts an impressive supporting cast, unusual for a Monogram production. Anne Jeffreys, another RKO loan-out, brings hard-boiled authenticity to her role as Helen, Dillinger's moll and the infamous 'Lady in Red.' The criminal gang is populated by veteran character actors, including Edmond Lowe as the ill-fated Specs, Eduardo Ciannelli as Marco, Marc Lawrence as Doc, and the quintessential noir supporting player, Elisha Cook Jr., as Kirk.

Working within the constraints of a limited budget, director Max Nosseck, one of many German émigrés in Hollywood, demonstrated remarkable resourcefulness. The film's spectacular armored car robbery sequence was borrowed from Fritz Lang's YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE (1937), while the climactic theater scene incorporated footage from a Mickey Mouse cartoon and audio from MGM's MANHATTAN MELODRAMA - the actual film Dillinger watched before his death. 

Despite these economic compromises, cinematographer Jackson Rose's noirish visuals elevate the production beyond its modest means.

Dillinger's success marked a turning point for both its star and studio. Tierney would go on to become a stalwart of film noir, reuniting with Nosseck for THE HOODLUM and KILL OR BE KILLED. For Monogram, the film represented a breakthrough from B-movie purgatory to mainstream recognition, proving that compelling storytelling and powerful performances could transcend budgetary limitations.

Today, DILLINGER stands as a testament to the potential of B-movies to surpass their humble origins. Through Tierney's ferocious performance, Nosseck's economical direction, and the contributions of its talented supporting cast, this low-budget crime drama carved out its place in cinema history, demonstrating that sometimes the most impactful films come from the most unexpected places.

Dillinger (1945)

Directed by Max Nosseck

Genres - Action-Adventure, Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller  |   Sub-Genres - Biographical Film  |   Release Date - Apr 25, 1945  |   Run Time - 70 min.