Introduction / Sypnosis:

The film opens in 1933 as John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) is brought to a penitentiary by his partner John “Red” Hamilton, under the guise of a prisoner drop. They are actually there to break out the rest of their gang. Dillinger and Hamilton however overpower several guards and free their partners. After a gangmember gets violent, a gun is used to kill a guard alerting the rest of the prison. A shootout ensues as the gang makes a run for the getaway car. This results in Dillinger’s mentor Walter Dietrich being killed. After beating and disposing of the gangmember who caused the shootout, Dillinger and the gang take refuge in a country house before going off to rob banks.

Elsewhere, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) and several other FBI agents are running down Pretty Boy Floyd. Purvis kills Floyd in self defense. As a result, Purvis is upgraded by J. Edgar Hoover, who is protecting the FBI from scrutiny by politicians, to lead the hunt for John Dillinger.