What the OK Corral story is to the western genre, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre is to the gangster film, a story told and retold where the characters have assumed some mythic proportions. Funny thing is I think both Al Capone and Bugs Moran would have scoffed at the idea they would become modern mythic characters.
Though it boasts color and better production values, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre is really just a warmed over version of what the public had seen only a few years ago on The Untouchables. For that matter The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was also released too soon after the film Al Capone that starred Rod Steiger in the title role.
Jason Robards, Jr. as Al Capone and Ralph Meeker as Bugs Moran fit the roles well. Robards seems to be having a great old time in the part. He overacts like crazy, but then again so did Robert DeNiro in the big screen version of The Untouchables and so did Steiger in his film. The role just seems to call for that.
Speaking of overacting, George Segal is also having a great old diet of scenery as one of Moran's trigger men. This was his first film after getting his Oscar nomination for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and it certainly is a lot different than the young college professor in that film.
In fact with Robards leading the pack everyone seems to be throwing away all restraint. The film stops just this side of being played for laughs.
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre is a good factual retelling of the tale that kind of brought the gangster era in Chicago to a close.
Though it boasts color and better production values, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre is really just a warmed over version of what the public had seen only a few years ago on The Untouchables. For that matter The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was also released too soon after the film Al Capone that starred Rod Steiger in the title role.
Jason Robards, Jr. as Al Capone and Ralph Meeker as Bugs Moran fit the roles well. Robards seems to be having a great old time in the part. He overacts like crazy, but then again so did Robert DeNiro in the big screen version of The Untouchables and so did Steiger in his film. The role just seems to call for that.
Speaking of overacting, George Segal is also having a great old diet of scenery as one of Moran's trigger men. This was his first film after getting his Oscar nomination for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and it certainly is a lot different than the young college professor in that film.
In fact with Robards leading the pack everyone seems to be throwing away all restraint. The film stops just this side of being played for laughs.
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre is a good factual retelling of the tale that kind of brought the gangster era in Chicago to a close.