The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

Howard Browne (writer)

Release Date:

30 June 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

Chicago February 14th 1929. Al Capone finally establishes himself as the city's boss of organised crime...

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Cult Favorite | Stabbed In The Ear

Cast

Jason Robards	...	Al Capone
George Segal	...	Peter Gusenberg
Ralph Meeker	...	George Clarence 'Bugs' Moran
Jean Hale	...	Myrtle
Clint Ritchie	...	Jack McGurn
Frank Silvera	...	Nick Sorello
Joseph Campanella	...	Albert Wienshank
Richard Bakalyan	...	John Scalise
David Canary	...	Frank Gusenberg
Bruce Dern	...	Johnny May
Harold J. Stone	...	Frank Nitti
Kurt Kreuger	...	James Clark
Paul Richards	...	Charles Fischetti
Joe Turkel	...	Jake 'Greasy Thumb' Guzik (as Joseph Turkel)
Milton Frome	...	Adam Heyer

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (Suggested for Mature Audiences) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2006 uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (1967 cut) | Iceland:16 | USA:TV-PG | France:-12 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1967) | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Los Altos Productions

Trivia:

Although most of the facts in the film are close to the truth, the only real deviation concerns the fate of Joe Aiello. While the movie does accurately portray Aiello aligning himself with George Moran and conspiring to kill Mafia chieftain "Patsy" Lolardo, he was not killed personally by Al Capone on a train (though Capone was known to kill when seized by a fit of personal rage). As shown in the film, Aiello, knowing he was marked for death by Capone, did arrange to have a cousin purchase a train ticket for him at the last minute so that he could skip town. However, he was killed by machine gunners from an apartment window opposite his apartment building as he was leaving to catch the train on October 23rd, 1930: A year and nine months after the massacre, not before.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the scene where Jack McGurn is showing the killers how to get to the Clark Street garage from the Wood street location, McGurn's spoken directions are correct but while he is saying "east on Webster" his finger is traveling north on Wood Street. Then while he is saying "south on Clark" his finger is traveling east on Webster.

Quotes:

Reporter: Y'know some are sayin' that it really was the cops who shot those men.
Bugs Moran: You must be new to this town, mister. Only Al Capone kills like that.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Married with Children: Valentine's Day Massacre (#8.17)" (1994)

Realistic and mostly accurate

"The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre" is a very good gangster movie, released five years before the all-time great "The Godfather". It's pretty accurate in its chronology, according to the books and documentaries I've seen about the incident, only a couple of dramatic licenses taken. The film unfolds like a documentary, showing the dynamics of the rival gangs and their blood feud. Opening with the killers leaving the garage and then the neighbors discovery of the massacre, it proceeds to detail the buildup to the crime. The victims are introduced, along with the killers and planners. Lots of good actors are in this, veterans of both the big and little screen. Jason Robards has been slammed for his over-the-top portrayal of Al Capone, but everything I've seen about Scarface shows that he was over-the-top himself. George Segal is especially good as a Moran gang member, Peter Gusenberg. Ralph Meeker is a tough , barrel chested Bugs Moran. Both gangs are filled with familiar, competent actors. Jean Hale has a nicely done cameo as a classic "gun Moll", Myrtle, Pete's squeeze. Even Jack Nicholson shows up as a Tommy gunner! The climactic massacre is chillingly accurate using forensic evidence to show how the victims fell and their final positions. All-in-all, a really good movie and record of one of the most famous and shocking events in American criminal history. 8 of 10.