The Untouchables

Rating:
Summary: "If someone messes with me...I'm gonna mess with him."
Review: Brian De Palma delivers a beautifully photographed and very stylish version of "The Untouchables" that would please any fan of the gangster genre as well as ordinary film buffs.

The movie is set in Chicago during the Prohibition Era where the streets are ruled by perhaps one of America's most famous wiseguys,Al Capone (Robert De Niro).On the good side of the law, there's Eliot Ness(Kevin Costner), a naive, goody-goody cop, who, along side fellow police officers, Stone(Andy Garcia) and Malone(Sean Connery in his Oscar-winning role), as well as an accountant(I forgot his name! oops!), work to bring Big Al down.

Robert De Niro makes Al Capone look like he should've run for President. :)His vision of the gangster is a jovial, comedic,and evil politician. A thug-celebrity! He hosts fabulous parties, wears nothing but Armani suits, and always takes time to answer the questions of the swarm of reporters who follow his every move. There's also that dangerous side of him who's not afraid to take care of business in the middle of an extensive dinner party. This gangster is a lot more fun-loving when compared to, say, De Niro's portrayal of young Vito Corleone in "The Godfather Part 2." There's a different, yet similar contrast in their personalities. De Niro steals the show. Hands down! He's absolutely fun to watch.

Kevin Costner is generally good in this film. However, there is one scene that falls a little flat. When Ness goes to the hotel where Capone is staying to pick a fight with him after he finds the accountant murdered in an elevator, he's not very convincing.
De Niro however is reminiscent of Jake La Motta(Raging Bull); talking trash to his opponent, "You wanna do it now? You wanna go to the mat now?" :)There was a lot of confidence and strength missing from Costner's protagonist.But all in all, he did a nice job. Some scenes could have been better-acted though.

Andy Garcia and Sean Connery are awesome in this movie. They bring cockiness and ruthlessness to their characters and it really works!

There are many violet scenes, but what do you think this is? Disney? :) Thanks to De Palma's direction, the film's near-flawless cinematography,and not to mention a bat-swinging,spiffy Armani-wearing lord of the Underworld,"The Untouchables" is one [...] of a movie!

I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: The Untouchables
Review: An action filled history film that'll keep you on the edge of your seat! The depiction of 1930s Chicago and the accuracy of the events is great and even better yet, the casting/acting is terrific! Kevin Costner shines here in one of his breakthrough films with his role as a classic good-guy hero, in this case it's Treasury Cop Elliot Ness. Sean Connery delivers a remarkable performance as the hard-nosed, confrontational policeman "Malone", who has nothing to loose. And of course, Robert Di Nero fits his role as head gangster Al Capone to the nth degree. All the co-stars do a nice job as well. It's rare when a big-budget history movie can be so artsy, so precise. One of the best mobster flicks ever!

Thank You

Rating:
Summary: 5 stars? not quite there
Review: Yes, it's a brilliant movie like what most of the other reviewers say. Honestly I bought it because Brian De Palma directed it [Scarface was awesome] but I can't give it a 5 because of some scenes that really tick me off. You know sometimes you watch a B-rated horror film and there's this zombie running straight at the guy and they're like 40 feet apart from each other but the guy doesn't run for his life until the zombie is about 5 centimetres away from him? That's annoying isn't it? Well, I've gotta tell you, some parts of this film is -like- that. There's a part where Kevin Costner tries to help this mom to get her baby's carriage up the stairs. Meanwhile, he's looking out for these bad hats. Then when he's only ONE step away from a flat platform where the baby could be all safe and sound, he decides to let go the carriage. NO - it's not like he was trying to avoid a bullet or anything. He's just thinking. So, go figure. It makes you wanna scream at him. Sorry to all who thinks this movie should deserve a 5 star but.. that part -really- ticked me off. Also, what's up with the part where Sean Connery is shot like.. 49583 times and he doesn't die at the spot whereas other bad hats die by just being shot ONCE? That's another McGyver scene for you. Yeah go watch it. It really is not bad. Just remember to have something to clutch on when those scenes appear.

Rating:
Summary: JUST A GREAT HOLLYWOOD SHOOT-'EM-UP
Review: Violent and Ambitious. Not as fantastically staged as a John Woo Hong Kong Gangster Thriller but a strong addition to American Crime Cinema. De Palma like Peckinpah loves to shoot in bloody slow-motion. The shotgun blast effects are extremely noteworthy. Frighteningly realistic. What more could you want in a movie about gangsters and G-men. The cast is great. Don't listen to people criticizing the performances in this film. They are terrific and compelling.

A NOTE ON KEVIN COSTNER: Lay off Kevin Costner. Kevin has been vilified and panned over the years for being a less than stellar actor. I totally diagree. I appreciate Kevin's subtle instincts and charismatic everyman quality. This man couldn't chew a piece of scenery if a Production Designer dipped The Set in chocolate. Anyone who disagrees should check out Kevin's final speech in JFK. I'm moved to tears every time I see it. 'Nough said. Academy Award caliber, baby. Kevin, you are one of our finest actors. Why haven't we seen you in anything lately? (Bankability due to THE POSTMAN? Completely under-rated flick as far as I'm concerned.)

De Niro and Connery? What can you say about two of the finest actors in Hollywood? Celluloid dynamite!!! I'd love to see these two in a small character driven Art House Caper together. Like Connery's FAMILY BUSINESS. Vincent Patrick could flesh out the script. Copolla could direct.

A pox one anyone who says this is a bad flick. Some people are too cynical. Relax, it's just a movie. As for there being no DVD extras; I just want to see the film. You want extras? Find yourself a book on Brian De Palma or Elliot Ness. This flick is better than 99.9 percent of the [stuff] out there, in a mostly dwindling cops and robbers genre. SEE IT NOW!!!

Rating:
Summary: Great Lines, Great Suspense, Great Suits
Review: For me this is the greatest gangster movie ever made, even better than The Godfather which was draggy in places. Its a terrific plot, all the more incredible for its being true. But there have been many films with good plots let down by a bad script. David Mamet makes no mistake here, this is his best script since "House Of Cards" , and a joy to listen to, some of the lines burn into your brain like coffee at six a.m. The film is full of dazzling set pieces - the unforgettable liquor raid at the Canadian border , Andy Garcia's recruitment into The Untouchables (this was the role which launched his subsequent career), De Niro's baseball speech, and many others but it would give the plot away. The two main leads Costner as the naive civil servant turned policeman, and Connery as the acidic seen-it-all-before Irish cop have a terrific chemistry together, and this drives the film. The cinematography is exquisite and the soundtrack by Morricone is uplifting and deeply moving in places, especially memorable are the saxophone pieces. Finally no money was spared on costumes and sets to recreate the feel of 30s Chicago, and when you watch the film, you realise why Armani is more than just a name ! I have watched this film countless times, and it still has the same impact. Brian De Palma's best film, a true classic of the genre. Buy the video, not the DVD !

Rating:
Summary: The movie is terrific, the DVD is abysmal
Review: This is probably one of the greatest gangster movies of all time, and the fact that it is based on a true story makes it all the more compelling. The acting was first-rate, the cinematography exquisite, and the music fit the setting very well. For the few reading this review that do not already know the plot, it is the story of how Elliot Ness's band of "untouchable" agents brought down Al Capone. The band was formed because prohibition-era law enforcement was so corrupt, Ness could not trust anyone, not even the police or his fellow treasury agents. The film is fab, there's nothing wrong with it. The problem is the DVD. I don't see why anyone would bother to release a modern classic on DVD with no extras whatsoever. No behind-the-scenes footage, no deleted scenes, no interviews, no historical documentaries, nothing. The picture and sound quality are excellent, but you don't get very much bang for your buck with this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: A MOVIE THAT SUFFERS FROM AN IDENTITY CRISIS
Review: One of the most ambitious, disappointing, and sometimes laughable films I've seen in recent memory, The Untouchables is part made-for-TV movie, part Cowboy-Western (hear Morricone's lame score, one of his worst ever!), part farce, and part brilliant Brian De Palma doing what he does best: suspense. Tape and stitch it all together and you have a big mess, an uneven, incohesive, movie. The film seems to be at war with itself. It doesn't know how to decide on a tone. What makes all this even more frustrating is that the movie's story--Eliot Ness trying to bust Al Capone--is so compelling. Add to that great stars like Robert De Niro and Sean Connery and a cast of other great actors. But in the end you get a great embarrassment of a movie. There are long sequences here of eye-rolling stiff, sentimental dialogue and scenes of hideous melodrama and bathos, resulting from the fact that the characters are so poorly developed. If you want to cringe from watching talented people sink in the awkward embarrassment of a movie with a major identity crisis, then spend two hours watching The Untouchables.

Rating:
Summary: One of my very favorite movies
Review: Sean Connery clearly delivers the performance of his career here but if there's something totally underrated about this movie is Ennio Morricone's terrific score, one of the best you'll ever get to hear. My only complaint on this DVD is the lack of extras, still, this is easily the best "The Untouchables" has ever looked and sounded.

Rating:
Summary: One man's struggle with alcohol
Review: Some lessons may never be learned, no mater how often history has to show us our folly. Prohibition is one of these lessons. The US government outlawed the sale and consumption of alcohol in 1920. As a direct result, crime rates sky-rocketed, the crime syndicates were strengthened, corruption flourished and large numbers of everyday people were arrested. It failed to achieve any of the objectives its legislators had hoped for and was finally repealed in 1933. Despite this, most modern governments use exactly the same approach to manage drugs today.

But "The Untouchables" is not a study on the effectiveness of prohibition. It is a study of the men who accepted responsibility for enforcing that counterproductive law. Eliot Ness, (Kevin Costner), an agent for the Federal Treasury Department, is sent to Chicago to try and stem the flow of liquor being channeled and protected by Al Capone's crime family. Costner depicted Ness as a true John Law, dedicated, honorable and naive, who has much growing up to do before he can truly make a noticeable impact on Capone's business.

Sean Connery plays Jim Malone, an Irish cop still walking the beat after many years on the force. We are forced to conclude, as does Ness, that this can only have come about because Jim has been unwilling to play the game and cave in to corruption. His competence is so obvious that, following a disastrous solo effort, Ness asks Malone to join his team. Thus begins a mentoring role that was largely absent in Ness's autobiographical recountings.

One of the first things Malone suggests is to recruit directly from the police academy. "If you're afraid of getting a rotten apple, don't go to the barrel, pick it off the tree." Their selection is George Stone, (Andy Garcia), a crack shot Italian lad who's enthusiasm and bravery are memorable. But it is accountant Oscar Wallace, the forth and perhaps least impressive member of the team, who gives them the leverage needed to finally arrest Capone on charges of income tax evasion.

Ness is the only married man on the team and we are drawn into his personal life when his daughter is indirectly threatened by Frank Nitti, Capone's chief assassin. Nitti is introduced to us early on, as he commits a brutal act resulting in the death of several innocents, including a young girl. So, the threat is as real to the audience as it is to Ness. This is just the tip of the iceberg for Eliot as he is constantly asked the question, "How far are you prepared to go?"

This is not a gangster film. It does not glorify crime or criminals; although DeNiro's performance during Capone's baseball speech is one of the best in cinema history. Nor does it try to justify the law of prohibition. What it does do is expose the forced development and denouement of a moral man. This is best illustrated towards the end of the film when Ness is trying to convince a judge that Capone has rigged the trial. He says, "I have for foresworn myself. I have broken every law that I swore to defend. I have become what I beheld, and I am content that I have done right."

Rating:
Summary: What was de palma thinking?
Review: I have not see the dvd version of this film, but watched the video recently. I have enjoyed many de palma films, and heard good things about this one. The movie was allright until the sean connery death scene, and it was all downhill from there. he recieved about 7 rounds in the chest/stomach area and still lived long enough to give costner the case winning clue. yeah right! capone was featured in all of about five scenes, which was disapointing. dialouge was repeated over and over, for instance, "it's nice being married huh?" and "we can get capone for tax evasion!" were both repeated about five times throughout the movie, which totally grated on my nerves. the shot of the guy being falling off the roof screaming with the sky behind him was so cheesy. also, elliot ness makes a point of saying if they are going to uphold the law than they first have to do it by example, then you see sean connery pouring himself a shot and beating up other cops! HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE! I don't even know why i sat thourgh the whole thing!