He gained this reputation (and the nickname "Jackrabbit") for his graceful movements during bank heists, such as leaping over the counter (a movement he supposedly copied from the movies) and narrow getaways from police. His exploits, along with those of other criminals of the 1930s Depression era, such as Bonnie and Clyde and Ma Barker, dominated the attentions of the American press and its readers during what is sometimes referred to as the public enemy era, between 1931 and 1935, a period which led to the further development of the modern and more sophisticated FBI.
Here's an image of Dillinger alongside Depp. Kinda looks more like a character Daniel Day Lewis would play.
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You probably already know a little about the demise of Dillinger. If you have seen HIGH FIDELITY (which of course you have), you will remember that John Cusack told us the story of how Dillinger was given up to the FBI by his girlfriend (who was Romanian) for the promise of American citizenship. She did so by attending the movie theatre with Dillinger and wearing a bright red dress, so she could easily be spotted amongst the crowd, giving Dillinger up to the authorities. He was shot three times, one in the heart. This betrayal is supposedly is where the term 'lady in red' comes from. Really exciting project right here and it should probably see Michael Mann change the directing style we have seen him utilise in his last two movies COLLATERAL and MIAMI VICE. I'm guessing this one will have more of a nostaligic 50's era/gangster style, than the very modern and shaky cam technology he has been playing around with recently. This surely is one of the more interesting projects that has come together because of the strike. source - variety
