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All rights reserved.The Untouchables (2004, DVD)
Top Reviews
"He brings a knife, you take a Gun"
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.
I am what you could call a relatively new movie fan. I have always liked movies, but I didn´t use to watch too many of them. Things have changed, but due to that previous attitude, I still have a lot of old movies to “discover”. That is the reason why from time to time I find some jewels that were released a long time ago, but that are totally new to me. “The untouchables” (1987) is, of course, one of such movies.
This film is set in Chicago, during the prohibition, a time were mobsters had enormously increased their influence due to the contraband of alcohol. The most important of all mobsters was Al Capone (wonderfully played by Robert De Niro), whose influence was pervasive and somehow accepted by most as a fact of reality. Capone controlled Chicago with force and bribes, and a philosophy that the scriptwriter of this movie (David Mamet) summed up in a phrase that the actor that plays Capone said: “Somebody messes with me, I'm gonna mess with him”.
Things change when a newcomer to the city, Federal agent Elliot Ness, forms a small group to fight crime and target Capone´s shady dealings. The group formed by Ness, an old Chicago cop (Sean Connery), a rookie police officer (Andy Garcia) and an accountant (Charles Martin Smith), replays in a highly entertaining way Brian de Palma´s cinematographic version of “The untouchables”.
I should point out that you shouldn´t expect a movie that tells you the historical truth about that period in America´s history. If that is your purpose, you are likely to be sorely disappointed. However, if you want to watch a great film, with wonderful performances and marked by a dynamic pace, rent this movie :)
This film is set in Chicago, during the prohibition, a time were mobsters had enormously increased their influence due to the contraband of alcohol. The most important of all mobsters was Al Capone (wonderfully played by Robert De Niro), whose influence was pervasive and somehow accepted by most as a fact of reality. Capone controlled Chicago with force and bribes, and a philosophy that the scriptwriter of this movie (David Mamet) summed up in a phrase that the actor that plays Capone said: “Somebody messes with me, I'm gonna mess with him”.
Things change when a newcomer to the city, Federal agent Elliot Ness, forms a small group to fight crime and target Capone´s shady dealings. The group formed by Ness, an old Chicago cop (Sean Connery), a rookie police officer (Andy Garcia) and an accountant (Charles Martin Smith), replays in a highly entertaining way Brian de Palma´s cinematographic version of “The untouchables”.
I should point out that you shouldn´t expect a movie that tells you the historical truth about that period in America´s history. If that is your purpose, you are likely to be sorely disappointed. However, if you want to watch a great film, with wonderful performances and marked by a dynamic pace, rent this movie :)
Review ID: 10000000001253349
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Iconic movie!I have always loved this movie and finally got it on DVD. Costner is a little wooden, but Connery and the supporting case make the movie.
Review ID: 10000000007156493
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Officer Malone Describes The UntouchablesReview created: 01/06/01
by: Joubert -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
All star cast, terrific script
All star cast, terrific script
Cons:
Action gets cartoonish at times
Action gets cartoonish at times
The Truth About The Untouchables The Real Ones and The Movie Ones As told by Chicago Police Officer Jim Malone, played by Sir Sean Connery in an Academy Award winning performance Aye, you ve got microbreweries and people brewin beer at home all over the country now. They re fancy, with their books and chemicals and such, but we didn t have such things. The way everyone is so open about it now, the temperance people would ve passed out from fear. Back when I was poundin a beat on cold Chicago streets, those people would be hoo-haahing all day long on street corners, jabbering about there bein..
Review ID: 10000000000653900
Solid EntertainmentReview created: 07/14/00
by: George_Chabot-- a member of Epinions and Advisor in Movies
Pros:
Lush sets, good supporting cast
Lush sets, good supporting cast
Cons:
Costner a little wooden
Costner a little wooden
Untouchables (1987) Director Brian DePalma brought the story of the classic rivalry between ganglord Al Capone and federal agent Eliot Ness to the big screen in this genre hit. The theme of the movie is, "What are you prepared to do?" This is enunciated by Sean Connery as former beat cop Jim Malone, when he confronts the incredibly naive Ness with the realities of organized crime in Chicago. The story is well known from the television series starring Robert Stack, as well as dozens of gangster movies that preceded DePalma s effort. Capone, aptly played by Robert DeNiro, is the crime lord of...
Review ID: 10000000000653892
Without a doubt this is De Palma's best work...The E&E Write-Off.Review created: 08/12/04
by: scotte1218 -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
Script, screenplay, acting, direction, set design, emotional
Script, screenplay, acting, direction, set design, emotional
Cons:
None really
None really
As is so often the case with me, I was channel surfing the other night when I cam across a film that I hadn't seen in many years. A film that I loved when I was younger for it's violence and bloodshed, but loved now for it's emotion and depth. That film is The Untouchables. Released in 1987, it boasts an all-star cast and accurately depicts 1930's Chicago during prohibition. A brutal time when gangs ruled the streets, corruption was rampant, and Al Capone reigned supreme. The film opens in 1930 and we are introduced to Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner). Ness is a U.S. Treasury Agent who is assigned.
Review ID: 10000000000653899
the baby carriage is still fallingReview created: 11/01/03
by: spus025 -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
the Battleship Potemkin homage is extraordinary
the Battleship Potemkin homage is extraordinary
Cons:
over-the-top, Costner
over-the-top, Costner
Brian De Palma directed two of the most overrated films of the 1980's. People adore both the ultra-violence of "Scarface" and the Prohibition melodrama of "The Untouchables." The common thread between the films is the lack of subtlety - everything is played over the top. While this self-indulgence worked to a certain extent for the Pacino flick (with brilliant moments of unintentional comedy), De Palma in "The Untouchables" forces the viewer to hold sympathy with Costner's Eliot Ness, one of the most wooden and unlikeable heroes in film history. The film opens with an Al Capone (Robert De...
Review ID: 10000000000653901
Engaging storyline reasonably well toldReview created: 12/12/03
by: jenmnevada -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
Costner-Connery interaction, and the basic structure of the film
Costner-Connery interaction, and the basic structure of the film
Cons:
Disappointing performance from DeNero, not a good choice for someone already depressed.
Disappointing performance from DeNero, not a good choice for someone already depressed.
Foreward to this review: It seems that there are two schools of thought with regard to Epinions movie reviews. One thinks that revealing the key aspects of the plot (thereby ruining much of the film's impact for viewers) is okay and perhaps even representative of a "complete" review. Another school of thought is that reviewers ought not to do this. My views are in line with the second school of thought and therefore, my reviews will refrain from giving away a detailed plot or commenting on resolution or presenting a summary of the storyline. Those expecting a nostalgic visit to the old TV...
Review ID: 10000000000653898
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