Rating: Summary: Not GodFather or GoodFellas, but.... Review: It has classic scenes and is a classic movie. Any collection that has any mob movies should have this one. The music and feel to the movie give it that surreal mob time feel. And like I said, the classic scenes are enough to propel the entire movie into the "must have."
Rating: Summary: Two Thumbs Up! Review: Ahh...Untouchables, one of the greatest gangster movies ever made. The plot and theme are infallable. The action sequences are heartstopping, and what movie can be better with the cast of actors such as Robert de Niro, Kevin Costner, Sean Connery and Andy Garcia. A definte two thumbs up film.
Rating: Summary: Let's be careful out there Review: Looking at this flick, it's easy to see how elegant but crime-ridden Prohibition-era Chicago could have become the city that hosted "Hill Street Blues". Mind you, I'm know history buff on the subject, so I can't vouch for how close this flick comes to the true story (which was anyway pummeled by the FBI, probably because it gave so much credit to the treasury department. The flick opens with Chicago beset by a gang war. Though many gangs are involved, none doubt that Al Capone is responsible for everything. A young child's death only highlights the human costs of the war and spurs renewed calls to bring Capone down. To at least look like they're doing something, the Federal gov't enlists the Treasury Dept. to take Capone out. Kevin Costner plays head T-Man Eliot Ness as a dumb white male, falling for every trick Capone throws his way. With Capone's tentacles tpuching almost everything (and everybody) in Chicago, Ness's job seems impossible. Ness's fortunes change when he meets Jimmy Malone (Connery), an over-the-hill beat cop who teaches Costner how things really work in Chicago (besides the crooked cops and corrupt aldermen that he learned of himself). Assembling a team that also includes a soft-spoken IRS agent (Charles Martin Smith from "Starman" and "Never Cry Wolf") and an utterly fearless PD recruit named George Stone nee Giuseppe Petri (Andy Garcia) Ness digs into Capone's empire. After some sucesses, Capone fights back. It's fun to watch our heroes adapt to Capone's ever dirtier warfare (especially when Smith's character totes a shotgun and goes out on a raid) even though we know that Capone will always retain the upper hand. Smith's role is meant to highlight the historical irony that sent Capone away for tax evasion rather than racketeering or murder.How accurate is this flick? Who knows, but you'd think that an accurate story would tell mention the FBI, if only to explain why we weren't hearing more from them. The script also has Frank Nitti as Capone's right hand man, never apart from a chrome-plated .45 that dishes semi-automatic death - this despite some accounts that Nitti was just a convenient front-man for the figures who really inherited the imprisoned Capone's crime empire. Even though Capone survived Nitti, the "Enforcer" lived to see his old boss go to Alcatraz, and died of a gunshot (likely self-inflicted) in 1943, rather than from being thrown off a building during Capone's tax evasion trial. Even so, "Untouchables" is loads of fun. De Niro's Capone is probably too far-over-the-top, but Connery and Costner's understated performances are enjoyable themselves. The action climaxes in a prolonged shoot-out near a stairway in the Chicago train station that will keep you at the edge of your seat, even if you've never seen "Battleship Potemkin" (DePalma parodied the stairway scene in "Carlito's Way" with Pacino and the escalators at NY's Grand Central, but nothing that matched the power of this flick). Even if you don't understand what's going on, you'll never forget the great lines of this flick. My favorite - when told by RCMP mounties that they don't approve of Ness's methods, Costner replies "Oh yeah? Well, you're not from Chicago".
Rating: Summary: Great film that tells history and shows drama Review: Great film that has great sound and value in the VHS tape. If you like Sean Connery and Kevin Costner films you will love this one. Great cast. Number one film. Better than the Godfather films.
Rating: Summary: De Palma's best work. Review: Don't get me wrong, I loved CARLITO'S WAY, but THE UNTOUCHABLES is director De Palma's best film (please note I have not seen all of his films). This is also one of Sean Connery and Kevin Costner's best films as well. Both are great and truly believable in their parts-Costner as Elliot Ness 'special agent of the treasury' and Connery as the over-the-hill beat cop in gangland Chicago. Robert DeNiro is also good as Capone although I did kind of think he walked thru the part. Did anyone else? He was good, but he's always good. Anyway, De Palma captures the era and mood just right here; the outfits are superb (Armani I believe), the script is wonderful ('you know, in Roman times....'), and the locations are awesome (I walk down the stairs at Union Station every day). The film itself is worth five stars, unfortunately the DVD is WEAK to say the least. Just look at the extras provided. This film deserves a criterion collection release.
Rating: Summary: Capone Meets His Match (or Pay Your Taxes!) Review: Chicago, 1930, gangsters are running amok in the city trying to take it over. Tommy guns and hand grenades are as common a sight on the streets as cell phones are today. At the top of the chain (and the most wanted list) is Al Capone. The police dept is as corrupt as the gangsters. Enter the United States Treasury Dept and it's top agent Elliot Ness. Ness will use every LEGAL means necessary to get Capone , and make the streets of Chicago safe. He forms a small task force, which include a 20 year beat cop, a rookie sharpshooter, and another treasury agent who is an accountant. Bloody battles ensue, as they go after Capone and his men, and in the end as history tells us they get him on tax evasion. Everything about this film is terrific.The acting is right on. Kevin Costner plays a very convincing Elliot Ness, Robert DeNiro plays Capone as cool as the other side of the pillow, Sean Connery as the savvy beat cop, Andy Garcia and Charles Martin Smith all turn in excellent performances. Also look for Billy Drago as "Netti". Written by David Mamet, the story pulls you into it. The score by Ennio Morricone stays with you long after the movie is over, and under the direction of Brian De Palma, this is an incredible film. There are some heart stopping scenes done in slo-mo that really keep you on the edge of your seat.I was even impressed by the 1930's costume designs. I loved the DVD(Paramount) itself.The picture and sound qualites were very impressive (In widescreen and 5.1 surround) Colors were excellent. The only thing that would have made the DVD better was maybe a special feature that included some commentary relating to the real-life characters portrayed here. I'm not one who will usually shell out extra for a DVD because it has extra features, but in this case I wouldv'e like to have had some idea of how these roles were prepared for. That doesn't warrant me taking any of the stars off my rating, I can always read a book about it. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did...
Rating: Summary: Worst mob movie ever? Review: I love a good gangster story, but this was one of the worst-made mob movies ever with the possible exception of Mafia!, which was at least supposed to be bad (and it even spoofed part of this flick). The Untouchables was like watching a stage play with an awful soundtrack that seemed to upstage every scene -- perhaps on purpose. The acting was overly melodramatic, and most of the shallow dialog was delivered tongue-in-cheek without any sense of spontaneity. DeNiro, Connery and Garcia might as well have been cartoon characters while Costner bumbled and mumbled through his lines. The film is full of editing blunders, even. It's as if DePalma was afraid to reshoot scenes that were obviously bad takes. You can see dead guys breathing, for example. And one ganger's shirt is splattered with his own blood before the bullet even hits him. Plus, the whole slo-mo stairway scene was so contrived it was comical. And as for Ennio Morricone's lauded score, I challenge you to name one movie he hasn't ruined!
Rating: Summary: The best Review: This movie captures exactly what I imagined 30's Chicago to look like. The casting is nearly perfect, and the story a classic. I am not a Costner fan by any means, but he makes a really good Eliot Ness, and the rest of the cast seem to fit perfectly into their parts. If you missed this one, by all means see it!
Rating: Summary: Awesome Movie Review: Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Sean Connery, and Andy Garcia are great in this movie.It's a 1930's crime story about catching Al Capone. A must see.
Rating: Summary: Something is missing Review: Ok, everybody compares this movie to the Godfather... but you shouldn't. This movie is nice but cannot be compared to the masterpiece "The Godfather". Why? Simply the Godfather covers the personal life of the gang, wives & children... love and hate... struggle and dreams. But the Untouchables never comes near this side of De Niro... It's one of the best movies for Kevin Costner. But certainly not the best of De Niro or Sean Connery. Besides such DVD deserves additional features... but there isn't any in this edition.
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