The Untouchables
Composite Score: 84.1
Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, Brad Sullivan, Billy Drago, and Patricia Clarkson
Director: Brian De Palma
Writer: David Mamet
Genres: Crime, Drama, Thriller, Action
MPAA Rating: R
Box Office: $76.27 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Untouchables is Brian De Palma’s film about the work of Eliot Ness and his team of investigators to bring down Al Capone during the Prohibition Era in Chicago. The film is loosely based on Ness’s autobiography of the same name but takes so many artistic liberties that it functions mostly as historical fiction by the time it’s all said and done. It stars Kevin Costner as the leading lawman, aided by Jim Malone (Sean Connery), Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith), and George Stone (Andy Garcia) as they work to take down Capone (Robert De Niro). As a semi-true-crime thriller/gangster flick, this film shines with plenty of mobster action and political machinations to please any fan of the genre. Also supporting its case are its Oscar nominations for Best Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score for Ennio Morricone and its Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor for Sean Connery.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Great as the fictionalized version of this story is, its glaring inaccuracies should not be ignored. The methods used by Ness and his Untouchables would have most convictions dropped and investigators placed on administrative leave. They desecrate corpses, throw guys off buildings, set up armed ambushes, and more, which makes for excellent cinema but questionable historic fiction. In the modern context, I don’t know that we should be celebrating and glorifying excessive police force and extralegal practices, but maybe that’s just me. Obviously, Capone and his Chicago Outfit were deserving of some serious consequences, but that’s for the courts/justice system to determine, not the police.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
The Untouchables lives and dies on its own entertainment value, which is bolstered by the strong ensemble of actors at its center and some excellent directorial choices from De Palma and his director of photography Stephen H. Burum (Hoffa and Carlito’s Way). There are some truly captivating and creative shots in this film, usually involving the framing of De Niro’s Capone, showcasing the lavishness of his lifestyle and his near-kingly status as head of the Chicago Outfit. Perhaps the most memorable shot, though, is not of Capone but of the attempted assassination of Connery’s Malone. Toward the end of the second act, the conflict between the mob and the Untouchables is reaching its climax as their case begins to close in on reaching a definitive link that could nail Capone, and an assassin is brought to bear against the belligerent Malone in a chilling extended point-of-view shot from the perspective of the would-be assassin that follows Malone through his house menacingly, aided in its tension-building by the score from Morricone. The visual iconography of The Untouchables is only outshined by the work put in by its leading men.
Charles Martin Smith leverages an almost comic-relief performance as the Bureau of Investigation accountant, Oscar Wallace, who first has the thought to prosecute Capone for tax evasion. He fits the role well, rounding out Ness’s crew solidly. Andy Garcia, in one of his earlier roles, gives a memorable turn as the rookie sharpshooter in the Untouchables, oozing the coolness that has come to define the majority of his career. It’s hard to beat a good 1980s Kevin Costner leading performance in terms of solid action heroes, and he delivers another satisfying turn as Eliot Ness in this one. His conviction and resolve only serve to elevate his cool factor as he leads the team and holds his own across from two acting powerhouses in De Niro and Connery. De Niro’s Capone might not be the most unique gangster performance in history (nor even of De Niro’s own career), but he makes up for it through the sheer weight of his performance, lending a visceral confidence to the character that lives up to the infamy of the iconic gangster. Connery steals the show in his Oscar-winning performance as the aging beat cop, Jim Malone (fictional as far as I can tell), who is willing to do anything necessary to bring Capone and his gang down. It’s one of those iconic supporting performances that steals the show thanks to the actor’s willingness to fully commit to the character’s unique place in the film – serving as both mentor and foil to Ness while also acting as the emotional core of the team. It’s a fun performance that feels different enough from most of Connery’s other roles to stand out as award-worthy.
The excellently cast group of leading men, gorgeous and memorable visuals, and moving score of The Untouchables make it a standout film in the gangster genre, worthy of a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time. The fictional actions of Ness’s group portrayed in the film might not be the most praiseworthy, but they make for a truly great crime action film. It is currently available to rent on most streaming services for anyone looking to check it out soon.
