In 1920s Chicago, a fierce territorial gang war rages. Having eliminated two of three major opponents – Earl 'Hymie' Weiss (Reed Hadley) and Dion O’Bannion (John Agar) – mob boss Al Capone (Jason Robards) locks horns with his third bitter rival, George 'Bugs' Moran (Ralph Meeker). As the final, troublesome obstacle to dominance, the antagonistic Moran finally triggers Capone’s naked wrath, resulting in the infamous execution that rocked American crime. The St Valentine’s Day Massacre was Corman's first production for a major studio, with a million dollar budget, and made an important contribution to the evolution of the 'gangster' genre, to which he would return for his boisterous 1970 classic Bloody Mama. He chooses to portray his unscrupulous characters and their actions without moral judgment, peppering the cinematically nostalgic feel of the film – lavish studio sets from expensive productions, reused to good effect – with explosive bursts of contemporary violence: the demolition of a restaurant set by machine gun, a vicious physical fight between a man and a woman, and a brutal re-enactment of the title event. Providing bold, colourful renditions of their biographically amoral roles, Corman’s talented and experienced cast were clearly enjoying themselves. Initially cast as 'Bugs' Moran, then recast as Capone, Robards – replacing Orson Welles, who was vetoed by the studio – is unforgettable; his volcanic interpretation of the infamous gangster evokes a fury that he’s barely able to contain. There’s also sterling work from Meeker (providing Robards with a suitably provocative nemesis), George Segal (in a memorably cocky performance as wisecracking enforcer Pete Gusenberg) and Bruce Dern (as unfortunate mechanic John May). There are also fleeting appearances from Corman regulars Jack Nicholson, shrewdly earning seven weeks' pay for two days' work as a hit man, and Dick Miller as a hoodlum disguised as a cop. Although adapting a well-known story, clever use of Paul Frees’ solemn, informative narration lends the film a documentary feel, with the steadily unfolding factual drama ingeniously interspersed with action sequences. The result is a masterfully constructed staccato time-bomb that remains continually enthralling, as it ticks relentlessly towards the inevitable conclusion.