An important gangster film and critically acclaimed gangster flick, the Untouchables is only partly ‘fully’ acted out well by leading star Kevin Costner (as Eliot Ness, famous as the cop who brought Al Capone down). On the other good hand, it’s an almost glorious look at the Prohibition gangster time of 1930s.
In Chicago, early 1930s, Al Capone owns the streets. Eliot Ness takes control of the Chicago police, determined to bring Capone down. With help of an experienced Irish cop, Jim Malone (in an almost exceptional performance by Connery), Malone takes the fight to Capone and his gangsters.
Connery undoubtedly gives the best performance, with some memorable lines and quotes. Robert De Niro, one of the most accomplished actors of the last 20th century, is all right as Capone, who only appears in a few scenes. Andy Garcia George Stone, one of the cops brave enough to join Ness.
The Untouchables is directed by Brian De Palma (the director of Scarface and Mission Impossible). Palma doesn’t do an overly great job, but he does vividly portray the atmosphere of the ‘30s.
Hailed as one of the best films of 1987, and a box-office success, the Untouchables received its greatest acclaim for its glorious portrayal of life in the prohibition era, Connery’s performance, and the set pieces. On the whole, there was nothing wrong with these aspects of the movie. The role of Capone was seriously undermined though overall, even if he was the motivation for Ness to go on his charge against the gangsters and not much else is done otherwise on the development of the characters.
Fortunately the Untouchables had sense into it, and did not get lost as to becoming an irrational shoot em up action.
*** ½/5
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