The Untouchables (1987)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers:

Oscar Fraley (suggested by book) and
Eliot Ness (suggested by book) ...

Release Date:

3 June 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | History | Thriller

Tagline:

The Chicago Dream is that big

Plot:

Federal Agent Elliot Ness sets out to take out Al Capone; because of rampant corruption, he assembles a small, hand-picked team.

Plot Keywords:

Treasury Agent | Accountant | Federal Agent | Prohibition | Police

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 9 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Kevin Costner	...	Eliot Ness
Sean Connery	...	Jim Malone
Charles Martin Smith	...	Agent Oscar Wallace
Andy Garcia	...	Agent George Stone / Giuseppe Petri
Robert De Niro	...	Al Capone
Richard Bradford	...	Police Chief Mike Dorsett
Jack Kehoe	...	Walter Payne
Brad Sullivan	...	George
Billy Drago	...	Frank Nitti
Patricia Clarkson	...	Catherine Ness
Vito D'Ambrosio	...	Bowtie Driver
Steven Goldstein	...	Scoop
Peter Aylward	...	Lt. Anderson
Don Harvey	...	Officer Preseuski
Robert Swan	...	Mountie Captain

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Brazil:14 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:16 (cut) | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

40 miles south, Great Falls, Montana, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

William Hurt was considered for the role of Elliot Ness but was too busy with other projects.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the movie Ness is portrayed as married with children. In real life, Ness was a young bachelor living with his parents when he was hired as a prohibition agent and used political/family connections to get his Chicago assignment.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Title Card: 1930. Prohibition has transformed Chicago into a City at War. Rival gangs compete for control of the city's billion dollar empire of illegal alcohol, enforcing their will with the hand grenade and tommy gun. It is the time of the Ganglords. It is the time of Al Capone.
Reporter: [to Al Capone] An article, which I believe appeared in a newspaper, asked why, since you are, or it would seem that you are, in effect, the mayor of Chicago, you've not simply been appointed to that position.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro (2001) (VG)

Soundtrack:

MOOD INDIGO

My brief review of the film

A perfect rendition of events is created in the film, thanks to excellent costumes and art direction, and a very well researched screenplay. Superb music by Ennio Morricone and excellent cinematography provide the film with an exciting epic swoop without ruining its historical credibility. Sean Connery, in a role he won an Oscar for, Kevin Costner, and Robert De Niro, in a brilliant realisation of Al Capone, are all in top form. If being nit-picky one might fault the film in over-glorifying Eliot Ness, but that hardly subtracts from this exciting, excellently filmed experience, which has both style and substance.