“Dillinger was the greatest bank robber in American history,” Michael Mann declared in interview recently shown on MTV. According to the director of the soon-to-be-released Public Enemies, Dillinger “outran, outfought, and outsmarted law enforcement,” and in so doing, he “won the heart of the nation [. . .] and became this kind of outlaw-hero.” Johnny Depp would agree with that assessment. “John Dillinger spoke to the people, and owned them while he was speaking to them.”

Michael Mann acknowledged Dillinger’s strong connection with the public. “Dillinger had this love for life. He was smart, charming, and charismatic,” Mann explained. In his view, Dillinger emerged from prison with an overwhelming desire to live life to the fullest, and a need to experience what had been denied to him while he was incarcerated. “I think Dillinger had found himself, and was at peace with the fact that it probably wasn’t going to be a very long ride,” Johnny said. “But it was going to be a significant ride.”

To see a larger version of the new photo of the outlaw-hero John Dillinger, CLICK HERE. The Zone thanks AnaMaria and Contacto Digital on Flickr for the photo. You can hear the promotional interview for Public Enemies on You Tube HERE. You will get to hear a few comments from Christian Bale, too. Thanks to Theresa and laudepp126x for sharing the video clip. –Part-Time Poet