Comments on: DILLINGER DISAPPOINTMENT?

By: Boris

Boris — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:16:29 +0000

The actual guns favored by Dillinger were not .45 but Colt Gov .38 Super, for the much greater penetrating power.
Liked the film, it’s not historical, but its still true to the 1930s era, guns are spot on, and Mann just modified a thing here or there to make the story more “appealing”. The death of almost everyone at Little Bohemia, even if not historically true, shows the man on his last limit : no friends left, he’s got to get back on his feet on his own…
I loved the fact that they used a perfect replica of Dillingers full-auto Colt Gov .38 Super, even if only Nelson used it in the movie.

By: nevada_slim

nevada_slim — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:40:30 +0000

My wife thinks that John Dillinger, not Johnny Depp, was a pretty good looking guy. I’ll get it when it comes out on DVD. I get a lot more enjoyment out of movies if I can stop the action to review and savor certain details. That will be pretty important given the period ordnance in this film.

By: BikerRN

BikerRN — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:23:50 +0000

Mas,

I’m looking forward to this movie.

I read about John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd and other criminals of that era when I was a kid in school. I always wanted to be an F.B.I. Agent until I grew up and found out what they are really like. While they have some good points, and even a few good people, they are not well loved by LEO’s everywhere, myself included.

My Dad was born and raised in Chicago and had been to that theater. The day after Dillinger was shot someone told him about it and he went and looked at the spot where Dillinger fell. I wish he was still alive so I could pick his brain.

I’ll make it a point to take the wife to see this movie on my next set of day’s off. You writing about it has whetted my appetite even more.

Biker

By: Long Island Mike

Long Island Mike — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:47:21 +0000

Erich von Stroheim once ordered that the extras on a period piece wear embroidered underwear for authenticity. Didn’t win him any attaboys from the front office.

Movies are ment to be periods in a dark room with others who all suspend disbelief for 2 hours. Remember your only watching flickering lights on cloth…it’s not real to begin with.

By: marc

marc — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:53:00 +0000

He must want it for a keepsake . From what I,ve read and seen on documentarys about movie guns, once they’re extensively modified for blank fire they can’t be returned to use real ammo.

By: Miguel

Miguel — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:15:24 +0000

Regarding the huge muzzle flashes, Stembridge Gun rentals was probably the company that supplied the Thompsons. I don’t recall where I got the info, but the alleged explanation from Stembridge is that the guns will flash for 2 reasons: one is the obvious cinematic appeal to the average viewer and also because the guns require a bigger powder load to cycle with blanks. I don’t know how accurate this info is but I am just passing it along.

By: Tom Horton

Tom Horton — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:55:36 +0000

Many years ago, I had an acquaintance with a PhD in History, specializing in Roman history. She was hired by a Hollywood film maker as a consultant for a movie set in Rome around the early Christian era. She was outraged for she wanted the costumes to fit the particular time setting, whereas the film maker just wanted something that fit a broad time era. I laughed and pointed out that only she and maybe a thousand other people in the whole world would know that the costumes did not fit that particular time period. Authentic and Hollywood are oxymorons. If you want authentic watch a PBS documentary or the Discovery Channel, for though they may be wrong some times, at least they try to be accurate.

By: Drizzle

Drizzle — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:07:56 +0000

Thanks for the review. I saw it last weekend, and while I did notice the historical inaccuracies and timeline changes (I was hoping to see a scene set in St Paul, where Dillinger hid out after escaping from Crown Point), I enjoyed the show. Mann is one of my favorite directors, and I’ll see it again to just watch it, not wait to see what happens next and how close it will be to history.

By: Air Wolfe

Air Wolfe — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:49:13 +0000

Mas,

Thank you for the wonderful History lesson with your links. the movie will have more meaning now when I see it.

Thanks!

By: AJ187

AJ187 — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:20:38 +0000

Wow, thanks, Mas. I was hoping for something like this. Hollywood always takes some liberties with stories, but i’m glad the gun work really came through.