American Experience: Public Enemy #1 on AllMovie

John Dillinger was a no-good bank robber in Indiana who captured the public imagination with his bravado and humor. Perhaps it was the Great Depression and the practices of many banks that made the populace root for the man who robbed banks and sent postcards saying "Wish You Were Here" to the Indiana police. Once Dillinger crossed the state line in a stolen car, his capture became the main focus of federal law enforcement officers. The new chief of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, launched a counter attack to Dillinger's positive press, by branding the outlaw "Public Enemy #1." The saga ended in a rain of bullets outside a movie theater; John Dillinger, "Public Enemy #1," was dead, and the G-Men mythology was born. This documentary tells the story with archival film clips, photographs, personal accounts, and commentary by historians.