Lean, mean and paranoid, convict Hank McCain (John Cassavetes) is sprung from prison by West Coast mobster Charlie Adamo (Peter Falk) to rob a Las Vegas casino that is owned by an East Coast Mafia boss in the same syndicate. Adamo’s underhanded attempt to muscle in on his fellow gangster’s territory ignites a gangland war between factions with McCain caught in the middle and running for his life after he successfully pulls off a $2 million dollar heist. Along the way, McCain is double-crossed by his own son, hooks up with Irene (Britt Ekland), a bar hostess, is briefly reunited with his former mistress Rosemary (Gena Rowlands) and goes down fighting in a genuine noir finale. Although it didn’t get any respect from the critics or even much notice from film reviewers at the time, Machine Gun McCain (Italian title: Gli Intoccabili, 1968) is a remarkably taut, fast-paced B-movie crime thriller that is as feral and cagey as its title hero. Cassavetes imbues his role with a pent-up intensity that threatens to explode at any moment and often does. It’s one of his best performances and demonstrates why he was more in-demand as an actor in Hollywood instead of a director.