Movie-A-Day #416: The Untouchables (1987)

[Shane]

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Cast:

Kevin Costner - Eliot Ness
Sean Connery - Jim Malone
Charles Martin Smith - Oscar Wallace
Andy Garcia - George Stone
Robert De Niro - Al Capone
Director: Brian De Palma
Producer: Art Linson

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Like the TV series that shared the same title, The Untouchables (1987) was an account of the battle between gangster Al Capone and lawman Eliot Ness, this time in the form of a feature film boasting big stars, a big budget, and a script from respected playwright David Mamet. Kevin Costner stars as Ness, a federal agent who has come to Chicago during the Prohibition Era, when corruption in the local police department is rampant. His mission is to put crime lord Capone (Robert De Niro) out of business, but Capone is so powerful and popular that Ness is not taken seriously by the law or the press. One night, discouraged, he meets a veteran patrolman, Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery), and discovers that the acerbic Irishman is the one honest man he's been seeking. Malone has soon helped Ness recruit a gunslinger rookie, George Stone (Andy Garcia), and, joined by nebbish accountant Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith), the men doggedly pursue Capone and his illegal interests. At first a laughingstock, Ness soon has Capone outraged over his and Malone's sometimes law-bending tactics, and the vain mobster strikes back in vicious style. Ultimately, it is the most unexpected and minor of crimes, tax evasion, which proves Capone's undoing. All of the credits for The Untouchables boasted big names, including music from Ennio Morricone and costumes by Giorgio Armani. Director Brian De Palma continued his tradition of including a homage to past masters of the cinema with a taut stairway shoot-out reminiscent of a similar sequence in Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin

Has an 82% Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes and an average of 8 out of 10 stars at IMDB.

My Review: Just an overall great movie IMO. The acting is top notch from everyone in the cast. I especially love the performances by Robert Deniro and Sean Connery who won an Oscar for his role. The shootout in the station and the cinematography were superb. I was actually quite shocked that this movie wasn't already on the list. IMO should Qualify for the one of the "new classics" of the last 25 years.

 

[Gaddabout]

The music makes that movie. One of the best soundtracks ever.

 

[Chaplin]

The scene in the train station was pure genius--taken almost shot for shot from the Potemkin sequence, which was spectacular in its own right.

Hard to believe Brian DePalma was so good back then, and then almost overnight became so BAD.

 

[Cheesebeef]

weird... this was just on TV yesterday. Such a freaking classic movie.

I was reading in the living room and my roommate was watching TV and from the very first NOTE of the score, i immediately put my book down. Love movies where you're sucked in by literally the first note of music.

everyone is spectacular in this. Chap mentioned the train station sequence which is hypnotic, but I also love the opera/assassination sequence as well.

this one doesn't get it's due in the history of mob/crime films IMO.

 

[Cheesebeef]

and with ya on DePalma Chap. Guy was nails up through Raising Cain and i even liked the first Mission Impossible, but he's rolled snake eyes ever since then... snake eyes... get it?! I kill me (said in Alf voice)!

 

[Shane]

this one doesn't get it's due in the history of mob/crime films IMO.

Completely agree with this statement!

I also can and will watch it anytime I see it on the TV.

 

[Chaplin]

and with ya on DePalma Chap. Guy was nails up through Raising Cain and i even liked the first Mission Impossible, but he's rolled snake eyes ever since then... snake eyes... get it?! I kill me (said in Alf voice)!

Actually, thinking about it more, the scene that really, really got me was the first major scene with DeNiro where he beats his henchman with a baseball bat. So gloriously violent and yet DeNiro's acting has rarely been better. Giving a motivational speech and then BAM! Amazing.

And has there ever been a better bit of minor character casting than Billy Drago as Frank Nitti?

Ness: I'm going to see you burn, you son of a bitch, because you killed my friend!
Frank Nitti: He died like a pig.
Ness: What did you say?
Frank Nitti: I said your friend died screaming like a stuck Irish pig. Now you think about that when I beat the rap.
[He runs a comb through his hair and walks toward the door. Ness, enraged, grabs him from behind and pushes him past the door]
Ness: Hey... hey!
[Ness propels him toward the ledge]
Frank Nitti: HEY!
[Ness pushes him off the roof. He falls, screaming]
Ness: Did he sound anything like THAT?

 

[Shane]

Actually, thinking about it more, the scene that really, really got me was the first major scene with DeNiro where he beats his henchman with a baseball bat. So gloriously violent and yet DeNiro's acting has rarely been better. Giving a motivational speech and then BAM! Amazing.

And has there ever been a better bit of minor character casting than Billy Drago as Frank Nitti?

Ness: I'm going to see you burn, you son of a bitch, because you killed my friend!
Frank Nitti: He died like a pig.
Ness: What did you say?
Frank Nitti: I said your friend died screaming like a stuck Irish pig. Now you think about that when I beat the rap.
[He runs a comb through his hair and walks toward the door. Ness, enraged, grabs him from behind and pushes him past the door]
Ness: Hey... hey!
[Ness propels him toward the ledge]
Frank Nitti: HEY!
[Ness pushes him off the roof. He falls, screaming]
Ness: Did he sound anything like THAT?

Freaking AWESOME! Love both scenes! The guy that played Nitti was freaking awesome!

 

[Shane]

Off topic a little but I may be one of the few who actually enjoyed this one by Brian De Palma:

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[Cheesebeef]

Off topic a little but I may be one of the few who actually enjoyed this one by Brian De Palma:

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i'd say you're exactly right... you ARE one of the few who actually enjoyed that movie.

 

[Shane]

i'd say you're exactly right... you ARE one of the few who actually enjoyed that movie.

About 1 in 4

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_to_mars/

 

[Chaplin]

i'd say you're exactly right... you ARE one of the few who actually enjoyed that movie.

+1

 

[AzStevenCal]

Off topic a little but I may be one of the few who actually enjoyed this one by Brian De Palma:

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I enjoy it too or perhaps I should say it keeps my interest when I watch/re-watch it. It's not a great movie and it under-utilizes a good cast but I think it's worth a watch every couple of years. But it's not The Untouchables by any means. I put Untouchables up there with Tombstone as the 2 movies I can't ignore when I channel flip and run across them.

Steve

 

[Shane]

I enjoy it too or perhaps I should say it keeps my interest when I watch/re-watch it. It's not a great movie and it under-utilizes a good cast but I think it's worth a watch every couple of years.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I have never seen The Untouchables.

 

[Gaddabout]

I have never seen The Untouchables.

I've never met a person who didn't at least enjoy watching it once.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I have never seen The Untouchables.

The only people I know that disliked the movie went into it expecting an action flick. They were fooled by the trailers and the cast and were anticipating a much faster paced film.

Steve

 

[Dr. Jones]

This is a great flick.

 

[Gaddabout]

The only people I know that disliked the movie went into it expecting an action flick. They were fooled by the trailers and the cast and were anticipating a much faster paced film.

Really? The emotional payoff in the action sequences are well worth the wait. Were they expecting Rambo or something?

Just the idea that it probably happened in reality a lot like the movie was enticing to me.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Really? The emotional payoff in the action sequences are well worth the wait. Were they expecting Rambo or something?

I love the movie, but yeah, they were expecting a shoot 'em up film because that's pretty much the way the trailer showed it to be. I've tried for 20 some years to convince them to give the movie another try but no luck yet. It has some great action sequences but it's paced like a drama/character study and if you're expecting something like Die Hard you're set up for disappointment.

Steve