Cinema: Another Shot at Scarface

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

Al Capone has a compelling fascination for actors. Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger and Paul Muni have all had their shots at Scarface. Now it is Jason Robards' turn.

In this flat-footed travelogue of Gangland, 1929, Capone is champion of bootlegging, extortion and all other racket sports. The simple art of murder has placed him at the top alone—until George ("Bugs") Moran begins muscling in on Chicago's North Side. "I want that son of a bitch hit!" rages Al, and assigns exterminators to get rid of the Bugs in his operation. On Feb. 14, a bunch of thugs dressed as cops enter Moran's garage and gun down everyone—except Moran, who happens to be off the premises. The St. Valentine's Day Massacre arouses public indignation. Thus begins the long Chicago cleanup and Capone's downfall.

As a heavy, Robards turns out to be strictly middleweight. His lean features and nasal drawl are foreign to the squat Neapolitan hustler. Occasionally, someone in the cast does lend an air of authenticity, notably Ralph Meeker as Moran and David Canary as a flat-faced machine gunner who seems to have stepped out of a lineup onto the set. But all too often the period costumes and a fleet of chuffing phaetons, landaus and flivvers look like the only genuine articles on view.