Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780792167228
ISBN: 0792167228
Sales Rank: 169319
Theatrical Release Date: June 03, 1987
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video:
As noted critic Pauline Kael wrote, the 1987 box-office hit The Untouchables is 'like an attempt to visualize the public's collective dream of Chicago gangsters.' In other words, this lavish reworking of the vintage TV series is a rousing potboiler from a bygone era, so beautifully designed and photographed--and so craftily directed by Brian De Palma--that the historical reality of Prohibition-era Chicago could only pale in comparison. From a script by David Mamet, the movie pits four underdog heroes (the maverick lawmen known as the Untouchables) against a singular villain in Al Capone, played by Robert De Niro as a dapper caesar holding court (and a baseball bat) against any and all challengers. Kevin Costner is the naive federal agent Eliot Ness, whose lack of experience is tempered by the streetwise alliance of a seasoned Chicago cop (Sean Connery, in an Oscar-winning performance), a rookie marksman (Andy Garcia), and an accountant (Charles Martin Smith) who holds the key to Capone's potential downfall. The movie approaches greatness on the strength of its set pieces, such as the siege near the Canadian border, the venal ambush at Connery's apartment, and the train-station shootout partially modeled after the 'Odessa steps' sequences of the Russian classic Battleship Potemkin. It's thrilling stuff, fueled by Ennio Morricone's dynamic score, but it's also manipulative and obvious. If you're inclined to be critical, the movie gives you reason to complain. If you'd rather sit back and enjoy a first-rate production with an all-star cast, The Untouchables may very well strike you as a classic. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.com:
As noted critic Pauline Kael wrote, the 1987 box-office hit The Untouchables is 'like an attempt to visualize the public's collective dream of Chicago gangsters.' In other words, this lavish reworking of the vintage TV series is a rousing potboiler from a bygone era, so beautifully designed and photographed--and so craftily directed by Brian De Palma--that the historical reality of Prohibition-era Chicago could only pale in comparison. From a script by David Mamet, the movie pits four underdog heroes (the maverick lawmen known as the Untouchables) against a singular villain in Al Capone, played by Robert De Niro as a dapper caesar holding court (and a baseball bat) against any and all challengers. Kevin Costner is the naive federal agent Eliot Ness, whose lack of experience is tempered by the streetwise alliance of a seasoned Chicago cop (Sean Connery, in an Oscar-winning performance), a rookie marksman (Andy Garcia), and an accountant (Charles Martin Smith) who holds the key to Capone's potential downfall. The movie approaches greatness on the strength of its set pieces, such as the siege near the Canadian border, the venal ambush at Connery's apartment, and the train-station shootout partially modeled after the 'Odessa steps' sequences of the Russian classic Battleship Potemkin. It's thrilling stuff, fueled by Ennio Morricone's dynamic score, but it's also manipulative and obvious. If you're inclined to be critical, the movie gives you reason to complain. If you'd rather sit back and enjoy a first-rate production with an all-star cast, The Untouchables may very well strike you as a classic. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - An absurd battle that should never have started
The film came long after the 1960s series and it was able to improve the discourse a lot from pure police and gangster violence and counter violence and counter counter violence to some kind of calmer and sounder vision of prohibition. The least we can say is the whole case was absurd. Absurd because prohibition was an idiotic policy and in 1931 it was on the very verge of being abrogated, nullified and voided. Absurd because they could never get Al Capone for his crimes since he never did anything himself but only through and via other people. Absurd because even tax evasion was nearly derailed by bribes to the members of the jury, to the judge probably and many other people. But it is also true that this famous case managed to make gangsters and the mafia think twice and start moving to legal operations for their own gangs and abandoning illegal operations to the street gangs, those they did not even try to control. It was also before the time of street gangs, mainly held and controlled by the Blacks and the Latinos, which was supposed to happen after WW2 with heroin and cocaine. The film here shows how fragile and brittle the police is when confronted to that crime. Apart from shooting first they have little moral certainty to hold in front of heavy corruption and hefty bribes. The film shows how these battle are necessarily in public places and they become some kinds of street war and there have to be collateral victims in the public. This is emphasized by the pram and baby scene, a scene borrowed ... Read More
Rating:  - Still Untouchable
Even after all these years, this film great!! And being remastered to blu-ray is awesome.
Rating: - A Bloody Prohibition Era Mob Drama by DePalma. I'll Drink to That!
DePalma's dramatization of the legendary showdown between US treasury agent Elliot Ness and original American Gangster Al Capone is a solid, suspenseful film, even if it draws only loosely from historical facts.
Prohibition allows Capone (DeNiro) to build-up an extensive and lucrative criminal empire. In a bid to bring Capone down, the US Treasury sends Elliot Ness (Kostner) to uncover hard evidence of Capone's illicit income in order to charge him with tax evasion. Ness leads an unlikely team consisting of a Gruff beat-cop (Connery) an aloof rookie (Garcia) and a bookish accountant (Smith) on a mission to bring down not just Capone, but ultimately the entire corrupt system which protects him.
The film makes it clear that the 'Untouchables', as Ness's team came to be called, are not high-minded idealists who truly believe in the value of prohibition. It is not the 'evils' of alcohol that persuade them to face down Capone and their own corrupt colleagues in the government, but rather a faith in the rule of law and an unwillingness to see justice undermined by greed. This concept is only subtly suggested in the film, but it adds a layer of depth to what is essentially a cops vs. robbers movie.
DePalma, who directed 1983's "Scarface", lets the blood flow as often as possible in Untouchables, with mixed results. The brutality and violence is often effective (see Capones 'baseball' speech) but sometimes is so over-the-top that it's unintentionally funny (one character ... Read More
Rating:  - Not quite untouchable...
`The Untouchables', from a distance, looks wonderful. I mean in all seriousness it is a beautifully shot film that is rich with some stellar performances, some thrilling action sequences and a moral that will have you fighting for justice. But when one takes a closer look at the film it starts to fall apart a bit. It's missing something, and that small something makes the film feel less than great.
The film tells the story of lawman Eliot Ness who waged an all out war against Al Capone. He rallied behind him a few men, a Chicago cop named Jim Malone, an accountant named Oscar Wallace and a rookie marksman named George (real name Giuseppe).
The film soars when exploring the seedy underground and back alleys that permeate most of the films running time. When following the screen as it filters through each detailed set piece one is enthralled by each passing scene. The performances, for the most part, are equally rich with character and appropriate mood. The action sequences are also wonderfully shot, scenes littered with abrupt violence (that baseball bat scene in particular) or sustained suspense (that whole scene within Malone's apartment) and these scenes, and many others, help carry the film to its conclusion.
Sadly though, when all is said and done, `The Untouchables' feels rather empty.
I don't know if this has to do with Costner, who just seems to green for the role. He comes off out of place amidst the rest of the cast. I just think that ... Read More
Rating: - Great then, and even better now on Blu-ray
With the passage of time, regard for THE UNTOUCHABLES continues to rise. What can I say that hasn't been said by every critic about this movie? It's a classic, and beautifully filmed. Blu-ray makes it even better.
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