Home :: DVD :: Mystery & Suspense :: Crime  

Blackmail, Murder & Mayhem
British Mystery Theater
Classics
Crime

Detectives
Film Noir
General
Mystery
Mystery & Suspense Masters
Neo-Noir
Series & Sequels
Suspense
Thrillers
The Untouchables

The Untouchables

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $17.99
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 .. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Near Perfect Genre Masterpiece
Review: This is DePalma's Dance with Wolves, his Braveheart. He's never topped it and I don't think he ever will. Everything came together in this one. Kevin Costner was near the top of his career, and still likeable. Sean Connery is at his best, and he hadn't yet become overexposed. In fact, I blame his role in this film on his subsequent resurgent popularity. He's ridden that one to the bank! But I wept like an idiot in the theatre during his final scene. What a great movie! What a great look! It's big and showy and full of attitude.

Excellent entertainment.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: To quote the reviewer for Amazon --
Review: "If you're inclined to be critical, the movie gives you reason to complain." Well, I'm inclined to be critical, and *The Untouchables* gave me several reasons to complain.

The biggest reason is Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness. This actor is simply too lightweight for this role, and Mr. Ness, if legend is to be believed, was anything but a lightweight. More often than not, Costner's fellow "untouchables" seem to be bucking him up rather than following his lead. But in fairness to Mr. Costner, I don't think ANY hero would be sufficient to deal with Robert De Niro's ludricous Al Capone. De Niro and De Palma intrepret the legendary gangster as a comic-book villian, a sort of Joker gone fat. There are two De Niros: one, the brilliant, psychological actor . . . the other, an over-the-top ham. He's the latter in this one. The truest performance by far is turned in by Sean Connery as a street-wise South Side beat cop.

De Palma's group of "untouchables" appear too puny here to mount a serious attack against Chicago's underworld, which the director imbues with massive glamor. (Indeed, it requires the assistance of about a hundred Canadian State Troopers to deal Capone's thugs.) The corollary of course is that all this diminishes our heroes, despite De Palma's efforts to photograph the small band in dramatic fashion. The final effect is one of sentimentality, and never mind the excessive blood and gore that's splashed all over this picture. I can only recommend *The Untouchables* if you have a personal interest in the subject.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: He Died Like Pig
Review: This movie was so craftly well done with sequences and acting. This must have been Kevin Costner's best movie and Connery's greatest performance. When I first saw this movie when I was 3 De Niro scared the hell outta me with that baseball bat. You will not be disapointed when watching this and you might think it's even funny when the guy in the white suit explains how Kevin Costner's friend dies like a pig. (I don't want to give it away who is friend is for people who have not seen it)Just watch it and be suprised as this was De Palma's best movie since Scarface.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Where's the Beef?
Review: What kind of incompetent nutbag puts out a classic like this on DVD without 1 single extra feature. Come on.. Where's the bonus material? Where's the Commentary, Deleted Scenes, etc? It's not like Kevin Costner is too busy doing other movies! There should be a law against putting out DVD's that only contain the movie without extra stuff. It's not only a waste of valuable space, it's very nearly a ripoff. Thank you, goodnight.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Enjoy....But Don't Think Too Much
Review: The Untouchables chronicles the beginnings of Eliot Ness and his crusade to put 1930's mob boss Al Capone (DeNiro) behind bars. After an embarrassing beginning in the hunt for evidence against Capone, Ness (Costner) surrounds himself with three men (Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, and Charles Martin Smith) who can assist him in his crusade against Capone.

For years I've said that director Brian DePalma is as close as we're ever going to get to another Alfred Hitchcock. DePalma is an expert at giving audiences exciting stories set with all the finest details and expertly photographed. But essentially, The Untouchables is an action film and should be treated as such. The action is great: The train station sequence is expertly done. The Canadian border scene, Ness's encounter with Walter Mitty, and many others are excellent. The problem with this action picture is in the acting. Not that it's bad, it's good. In fact, it's too good. I agree with another reviewer: all the performances are very good with the exception of Kevin Costner. Typical action movies don't depend on great acting. You don't really need it if the action is good. (After all, you don't go to a Arnold Scwartzenegger movie to see character development.) In the midst of DeNiro, Connery, and Smith, Costner's portrayal is a bit lacking. But, like I said, don't think too much and it won't bother you.

I viewed The Untouchables today for the first time since I saw it in it's initial release. It's still a good action film and has some hard hitting moments (literally), but is fairly easy to figure out, regardless of what you know about Al Capone or Prohibition. The Untouchables is a reasonably good 2 hour action film. You could do a lot worse. (Watch for a famous blooper that occurs when Costner goes to Connery's house for the first time.)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Solid
Review: So it is historically inaccurate...you kind of get that idea from the movie, even if you don't know the real history. So I don't hold the movies inaccuracies against it. (Incidentally, in reality Capone had three traitors tied to chairs following a lavish feast, then he beat them with a baseball bat, until they were pulp, but did not in fact kill them. A subordinate then fired a bullet through their heads. That's were the "baseball bat" scene is from). Costner is an anemic actor, but he does have charisma, that shines through. So I like him despite his rather soft performance. (After NO WAY OUT, though, his performances really have stunk). This is sort of contrived in spots, but that gives this an "old movie" feel that I like. A good movie! (And for those taking notes, the baby carriage scene is lifted--openly--from Eisentstein's movie THE BATTLESHIP POTEMPKIN).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Untouchable in its Greatness
Review: This movie is one of the greatest films ever made. Powerhouse performances all around sparked by Connery's Oscar-winning role as Jim Malone, DeNiro's flawless portrayal of Al Capone, Andy Garcia as rookie cop Guiseppe Petri (George Stone), and Charles Martin Smith's energetic performance as Oscar Wallace. In fact the entire cast gives great performances with the exception of one. This movie delivers the goods at a great pace, but the entire film is overshadowed by the climactic shoot-out, that owes more than a lot to POTEMKIN. This movie is by far de Palma's greatest film to date, and it has an opening score that you don't want to end. This film is more than a must-see, it is a must-buy. It has but one flaw I'm afraid. Costner is horribly cast in the pivitol role of Eliot Ness. This guy can't act worth crap. Whoever did the casting for this movie should have gone over more choices. Though Costner's acting is dreadful, as usual, this movie has enough good acting and action to rate the full five stars. Even if you haven't seen this movie buy it. You will love it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the greatest entertainment films ever!
Review: Ever since I first saw this film on cable it has been one of my favourites, always in at least my top twenty favourite films. It is a great example of a really good entertainment movie. I usually prefer an artistic or more complex film but there are a few entertainment films that are just so stylish and exciting that I always count them among the great films. This is one of them.

In my opinion, "The Untouchables" is Brian DePalma's best film. It is an exciting, interesting and suspenseful movie, full of great gunfights and wonderful characters. This is one of the only good Brian DePalma films along with "Mission: Impossible" and "Carlito's Way"... The Untouchables", however, is a very good film... The film takes place in prohibition era Chicago. This group of "untouchables" becomes involved in many highly dangerous and exciting liquor raids and battles throughout the film, from a battle on a bridge at the Canadian border to the final roof top fight.

The acting is one of the movies best features (besides the action), with Sean Connery being the best as Malone ("Alright, that's enough of this running sh$#.") but all of the players are great. Kevin Costner effectively plays Elliot Ness, Andy Garcia is great as Stone, Charles Martin Smith is fantastic and Robert DeNiro is delightful as the infamous Capone. Connery won an Oscar for his role and the others are definitely worthy of Oscars.

Brian DePalma's directing is nothing revolutionary or rule breaking but it suits the movie and is excellent during action scenes. The most famous sequence in the film (and the best) is the one near the end on the stairs at a train station. This scene plays out with such suspense and such excitement, you'll find yourself really getting into it. Everything plays perfect in this scene: the slow-mo, the quick camera cuts, the angles, the action. It is one of the great scenes of all time.

This is not an art film. It is a film of entertainment and escapism but it is so stylish and expertly played out that I feel that both the summer movie crowd and the art-house crowd will enjoy this movie.

Thanxs...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Untouchables
Review: This is a great movie with great actors. The only thing in my opinion that they could have done better was the hotel scene. Where Ness encountered Capone in the hotel. I think it was looked pretty fake. But the rest of the movie was great!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: one of my all time favorite movies!
Review: this movie is completely acted out with talented performers! this movie has a great plot and t5he actors all bring realism to it. as for Loren from USA's comment, honey, you sound like you wish to be mafia buff but really, you are not and actually, you sound so ridiculous trying to sound like a official reporter. oh well, like the other viewer stated, get off your high horse not because you might be knocked off, you will. this movie rocks!


<< 1 .. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates