Rating: 
Summary: Unexciting but entertaining.
Review: The sets, and the cinematography are beautiful, and DePalma's direction is as good as always, particularly his long panning shots. However Costner is a disgrace to this movie. How this man was a leading man in hollywood only adds volumes to what was known as a terrible time for movies - the late 80s-to early 90s period. "I want to get Capone" Pay attention to when Costner utters this lifeless line. It leaves the viewer wanting to scream at him just to get it right. Bobby D is great as Capone, however "they aint enough of 'em." I have no idea why this movie is fictionalized. Anyone who has read Ness' real Untouchable account, would find it filled with excitiement. I wanted to see speakeasies, and flapper girls, beer stills, and drive by's in Ford model A sedans, Wall Street. C'mon. This era was one of the most exciting in American history, and this movie, blatantly ignores all of it. Plus there is no justification for Capones demise in the movie other than little man constantly hinting at income tax evasion, granted Ness DID NOT cause the demise of Capone. I do like the opening scene with the expolsion at the local five and dime. The music leading that scene is great, then BANG!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Good versus Evil in a deadly dance of operatic proportions.
Review: Sometimes dubbed "the Master of the Macabre," director Brian De Palma is best known for his enactments of the supernatural ("Carrie"), mania ("Dressed to Kill") - and his mob stories. The latter part of his reputation is primarily grounded on four of his movies from the ten-year period between 1983 and 1993: "Scarface" (1983, starring Al Pacino), "Wise Guys" (1986, starring Danny De Vito, Joe Piscopo and Harvey Keitel), "Carlito's Way" (1993, again starring Pacino) ... and "The Untouchables" (1987), featuring an all-star cast including Robert De Niro, Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia and Charles Martin Smith. Among these, "The Untouchables" stands out as the only movie not primarily told from the gangster's but from the lawmen's perspective - but what it does share with all of De Palma's works is an almost voyeuristic appeal to its audience's visual senses; going far beyond the lavish display of film blood it is most often cited for.Less fact-based than cinematic grand opera par excellence, the movie takes as its premise the end of the career of Chicago's ganglord of ganglords, Al "Scarface" Capone, who (after a few half-hearted attempts to prosecute him for murder had failed due to the unavailability of witnesses) pled guilty, in 1931, to evading federal income tax, and was sentenced to an 11-year prison term and a $50,000 fine. Capone's downfall was brought about by a group of initially 50 but later only nine Treasury Agents, formed in 1929 (not in 1930, as suggested here) with the express purpose of breaking up his operations, and headed by Eliot Ness, whose 1957 book "The Untouchables" posthumously gave new rise to his fame - Ness died of a heart attack without ever having witnessed the full extent of his book's success - and inspired, inter alia, the like-named 1959 television series starring Robert Stack and Brian De Palma's 1987 movie. Scripted by Pulitzer Prize winner and Chicago native David Mamet ("Glengarry Glen Ross"), "The Untouchables" is not so much a study in character development as based on a western's classic "good versus evil" setup; although that doesn't mean that its protagonists are two-dimensional in any way. On the contrary: Robert De Niro imbues his Capone with a ruthlessness and glib charm very likely matching those of the real "Scarface," who was known for his little hesitation to commit murder and other acts of violence as much as he cultivated a reputation as a savvy businessman and benefactor of the poor, for example by running several soup kitchens. (And yes, all of De Niro's mannerisms are on full display, too; but rarely have they fitted a role as well as here.) Kevin Costner's Eliot Ness may be a little too assertive - Robert Stack once commented, after several conversations with Ness's nearest and dearest, that the real-life Treasury Agent had been described to him as "rather soft-spoken, but very effective and brave" - but mildness is certainly not the principle trait written into the larger-than-life role of the man who "got" Al Capone, and Costner *is* an effective lead; although he is matched (not entirely sidelined, but darn near outplayed) by Sean Connery, who deservedly won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a National Board of Review Award as the crotchety old-timer Malone who has seen it all, somehow managed to stay both clean and alive, and now lets Ness talk him into becoming his tutor in all things Chicago Gangland. Andy Garcia, in his break-through role, is instantly likable as George Stone, the smart, fast kid from the South Side who doesn't take kindly to put-downs of his origin but can nail a human target with one hand while lying down and holding a baby stroller with the other hand. Charles Martin Smith finally brings humanity and subtle humor to the character probably closest to the real-life "Untouchables," accountant Oscar Wallace, who first has the idea to charge Capone for income tax evasion. Strong performances by Billy Drago as Capone's right-hand man Frank Nitti (who of course was not really thrown off a rooftop by Ness), Richard Bradford as Police Chief Mike Dorsett, Patricia Clarkson as Ness's wife, Jack Kehoe as Capone's bookkeeper Walter Payne and others round out an altogether impressive cast. Unmistakeably scored by Ennio Morricone (whose style often, and certainly here, doesn't even take a full bar to recognize; and who with an ASCAP Award, a Grammy and a BAFTA Award was the movie's other major winner besides Connery), "The Untouchables" lives off its splendid cinematography, production design - costumes courtesy of Giorgio Armani - and the exquisite timing of its sharp-edged dialogue and editing: Not only is screenwriter Mamet known to have his actors practice their lines according to a metronome; the editing of some of the movie's most memorable scenes has the distinct feeling of a carefully choreographed, veritable ballet. This is particularly true for Malone's death, pointedly set against the aria "Vesti la Giubba" from Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera "I Pagliacci" ("The Clowns"), which is based on a real-life murder and which Capone attends while his lieutenants waylay Malone in his own apartment; and the famous shoot-out in Chicago's Union Station, which turns into a deadly dance of bullets, blood and a baby stroller, shot almost entirely in slow motion. Paradoxically, the one plot element this movie is most often criticized for - the jury switch at Capone's trial - is one of the few facts that actually did take place (although Capone's attorney would have had to be given the right to conduct a new voir dire). But ultimately, it doesn't even really matter how much of the plot is fact-based and how much fiction: Even if "The Untouchables" doesn't quite reach the mythical status of the "Godfather" trilogy - particularly its Parts 1 and 2 - as the mob movie to end all mob movies, it is one of only a handful other films that at least come close to the proportions of Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Booze, Blood and Baseball
Review: Upon seeing this movie again for the first time in a while, I realized it just wasn't as good as I remembered. There's so much talent, too; this could have been spectacular.
Sometimes the direction is a bit heavy handed for De Palma. The movie looks great, incredible really. The clothes, the cars, the sets, some exterior Chicago shots, all look amazing and new, as if you're back in 1930. There are some problems, though. One is the acting. Kevin Costner is not a good actor. His face and physical presence are perfect for Elliot Ness, the Treasury agent dedicated to bringing down Al Capone in bootleggin' Chicago. But he's a wooden actor, and some lines are awful. (After shooting a mobster he is very upset and screams "What is this, some knid of game?") Then there's DeNiro, yes Robert DeNiro as Capone himself. Apparently DeNiro found Capone's original tailors and even wore the same kind of silk underwear Capone wore. He's also fat and round like Capone, looking even more stretched out than Jake LaMotta. But he's too over the top, doing the DeNiro we all know: doing that face, the mugging, screaming, cursing, and generally acting like a lunatic. The performance is in the wrong movie, and the script (by Mamet, too) does nothing to illuminate the man. Given that Capone is central to the story--this is about an obsession with taking him down--we have no idea how or why this volatile figure became so powerful. The handling of the material is not very subtle, but then again, this is based on the old TV series, not on history, hence the many broad liberties taken with certain events such as Frank Nitti's death (he wasn't tossed off a building in broad daylight) and Capone's trial. (Uh, not sure you can switch juries during a trial...) The film most resembles a pulpish Western set in 1920s Chicago. It is entertaining, giving us someone to root for, someone to hate, and including good side characters like Connery's (he won an Oscar) and Garcia's. It's very violent, very stylish (it's DePalma) and a good enough time. Unfortunately, the DVD has virtually no extras. We get a trailer, but none of the behind the scenes, which are always good when it comes to a period film.
Rating:
Summary: Great Gangster Film From the Opposite View
Review: Yes the Untouchables is a gangster film, yet it follows the other side of the law, yes the cops. In this movie Kevin Costner gives an excellent performance as Eliot Ness, a Treasuery Agent who vows to take down Al Capone. Al Capone is played play Robert De Niro, and he gives a very accurate performance from what ive read about the real Al Capone. Yet on Costners first raid to stop a shipment of liquior he ends up stopping a shipment of umbrellas. So Costner asks Sean Connery or Malhone to teach him how to take down Capone. They form an elite squad that includes Andy Garcia and some other guy who i forgot his name, and they eventually take down Capone. Its a great story and its kinda accurate, also there a quite a lot of funny puns in there so it has a comic element, so I really suggest this. Its one great movie.
Rating:
Summary: Effective and entertaining. The all-star cast delivers!
Review: What do you expect from a film in which Kevin Costner and Sean Connery star as the good guys and Robert DeNiro plays all-time Bad Guy Al Capone? A great movie! And that's what this is--a really really good gangster flick. No, it is not The Godfather, but then again nothing but The Godfather is The Godfather. Having said that, this is a wonderful film that actually does a pretty good job of explaining what Elliot Ness was up against when he was given the job of enforcing prohibition, gunning for Al Capone and cleaning up Chicago. Costner is effective in his role as Elliot Ness. Connery does fine as the Chicago policeman Ness recruits to show him the ropes as to how things in Chicago operate. De Niro is matchless as Al Capone. My favorite scene is the one in which Elliot Ness joins forces with the Canadian Mounties. Hilarious! This movie is good entertainment and the storyline manages to move along pretty well without dragging and losing the viewer's interest. The film never makes the mistake of taking itself too seriously, and its use of humor is effective and prevents the movie from waxing pompous, which would have been easy for it to do, given the serious theme. This is one that you'll watch again and again. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Untouchables is a classic
Review: The Untouchables is my favorite gangster movie of all time besides Scarface, also directed by Brian De Palma. The actors and casting is great, featuring early performances by Kevin Costner and Andy Garcia and powerful acting by both De Niro and Sean Connery(the latter won an Oscar for best supporting actor). The action sequences are very involving and De Palma know how to incorporate drama in his movies without slowing down the pace. A classic.
Rating:
Summary: Ok Video!
Review: Frank Nitti (The Enforcer) did not get pushed off a building he commited suicide.
Rating: 
Summary: We're Untouchable!
Review: Wondefully directed by Brian DePalma, this outlook on 1930's Chicago is so realistic you'll think you are actually among the citizens. An all star cast and interesting action scenes put this film above others.
Having sworn to take down the mighty Al Capone (Robert De Niro), naive federal agent Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) forms a band of "Untouchables", including streetwise beat cop Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery), a rookie marsman (Andy Garcia), and a federal accountant (Charles Martin Smith).
The only real problems with this film are that some lines are subpar, the shootout in the train station is ridiculous, the scene where Eliott chases the assassin Frank Nitti (Billy Drago) across the rooftops is stupid, and the music in that chase scene is repetitive and awful. But if you haven't seen this amazing flick, you owe it to yourself to.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT film
Review: Costner and De Niro deliver top notch performances. Tension and pacing are perfect. Not too gory. Just a well done film all the way around. The intriguing story of Capone and the heroic intentions of his capturers. Historic information and an entertaining film. WHat more could you want?
Rating:
Summary: Eminently Watchable
Review: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia and Charles Martin Smith are the good guy cops and federal agents going after De Niro's Al Capone in this slick and very effective gangster movie. It's one of Brian de Palma's better efforts, excellently paced, engaging, utterly shameless in its manipulation of the audience. Capone is wanted for bootlegging, finally caught for tax dodging. But his baddie status is primarily as a menace to the cute, innocent and vulnerable: the little girl blown up in the near-opening scene, Costner's picture-perfect all-American wife and daughter family unit and of course the smiling baby whose pram plummets perilously down the railway station steps in the rather self-conscious quotation from "Battleship Potemkin" that is the focus of the climactic action scene. Costner, Connery and Garcia all have a high capacity for being monumentally annoying but they work well enough here and Smith is excellent as the diminutive tax accountant. "The Godfather" it ain't but with de Palma directing like an old pro, a script by David Mamet and a score by Ennio Morricone, it's one of Hollywood's most watchable and enjoyable gangster movies.
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