Customer Reviews

The Untouchables [VHS]

5 star:		(121)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Sometimes dubbed "the Master of the Macabre," director Brian De Palma is best known for his enactments of the supernatural ("Carrie"), mania ("Dressed to Kill") - and his mob stories. The latter part of his reputation is primarily grounded on four of his movies from the ten-year period between 1983 and 1993: "Scarface" (1983, starring Al Pacino), "Wise Guys" (1986, starring Danny De Vito, Joe Piscopo and Harvey Keitel), "Carlito's Way" (1993, again starring Pacino) ... and "The Untouchables" (1987), featuring an all-star cast including Robert De Niro, Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia and Charles Martin Smith. Among these, "The Untouchables" stands out as the only movie not primarily told from the gangster's but from the lawmen's perspective - but what it does share with all of De Palma's works is an almost voyeuristic appeal to its audience's visual senses; going far beyond the lavish display of film blood it is most often cited for.

Less fact-based than cinematic grand opera par excellence, the movie takes as its premise the end of the career of Chicago's ganglord of ganglords, Al "Scarface" Capone, who (after a few half-hearted attempts to prosecute him for murder had failed due to the unavailability of witnesses) pled guilty, in 1931, to evading federal income tax, and was sentenced to an 11-year prison term and a $50,000 fine. Capone's downfall was brought about by a group of initially 50 but later only nine Treasury Agents, formed in 1929 (not in 1930, as suggested here) with the express purpose of breaking up his operations, and headed by Eliot Ness, whose 1957 book "The Untouchables" posthumously gave new rise to his fame - Ness died of a heart attack without ever having witnessed the full extent of his book's success - and inspired, inter alia, the like-named 1959 television series starring Robert Stack and Brian De Palma's 1987 movie.

Scripted by Pulitzer Prize winner and Chicago native David Mamet ("Glengarry Glen Ross"), "The Untouchables" is not so much a study in character development as based on a western's classic "good versus evil" setup; although that doesn't mean that its protagonists are two-dimensional in any way. On the contrary: Robert De Niro imbues his Capone with a ruthlessness and glib charm very likely matching those of the real "Scarface," who was known for his little hesitation to commit murder and other acts of violence as much as he cultivated a reputation as a savvy businessman and benefactor of the poor, for example by running several soup kitchens. (And yes, all of De Niro's mannerisms are on full display, too; but rarely have they fitted a role as well as here.) Kevin Costner's Eliot Ness may be a little too assertive - Robert Stack once commented, after several conversations with Ness's nearest and dearest, that the real-life Treasury Agent had been described to him as "rather soft-spoken, but very effective and brave" - but mildness is certainly not the principle trait written into the larger-than-life role of the man who "got" Al Capone, and Costner *is* an effective lead; although he is matched (not entirely sidelined, but darn near outplayed) by Sean Connery, who deservedly won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a National Board of Review Award as the crotchety old-timer Malone who has seen it all, somehow managed to stay both clean and alive, and now lets Ness talk him into becoming his tutor in all things Chicago Gangland. Andy Garcia, in his break-through role, is instantly likable as George Stone, the smart, fast kid from the South Side who doesn't take kindly to put-downs of his origin but can nail a human target with one hand while lying down and holding a baby stroller with the other hand. Charles Martin Smith finally brings humanity and subtle humor to the character probably closest to the real-life "Untouchables," accountant Oscar Wallace, who first has the idea to charge Capone for income tax evasion. Strong performances by Billy Drago as Capone's right-hand man Frank Nitti (who of course was not really thrown off a rooftop by Ness), Richard Bradford as Police Chief Mike Dorsett, Patricia Clarkson as Ness's wife, Jack Kehoe as Capone's bookkeeper Walter Payne and others round out an altogether impressive cast.

Unmistakeably scored by Ennio Morricone (whose style often, and certainly here, doesn't even take a full bar to recognize; and who with an ASCAP Award, a Grammy and a BAFTA Award was the movie's other major winner besides Connery), "The Untouchables" lives off its splendid cinematography, production design - costumes courtesy of Giorgio Armani - and the exquisite timing of its sharp-edged dialogue and editing: Not only is screenwriter Mamet known to have his actors practice their lines according to a metronome; the editing of some of the movie's most memorable scenes has the distinct feeling of a carefully choreographed, veritable ballet. This is particularly true for Malone's death, pointedly set against the aria "Vesti la Giubba" from Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera "I Pagliacci" ("The Clowns"), which is based on a real-life murder and which Capone attends while his lieutenants waylay Malone in his own apartment; and the famous shoot-out in Chicago's Union Station, which turns into a deadly dance of bullets, blood and a baby stroller, shot almost entirely in slow motion.

Paradoxically, the one plot element this movie is most often criticized for - the jury switch at Capone's trial - is one of the few facts that actually did take place (although Capone's attorney would have had to be given the right to conduct a new voir dire). But ultimately, it doesn't even really matter how much of the plot is fact-based and how much fiction: Even if "The Untouchables" doesn't quite reach the mythical status of the "Godfather" trilogy - particularly its Parts 1 and 2 - as the mob movie to end all mob movies, it is one of only a handful other films that at least come close to the proportions of Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece.

Also recommended:
The Untouchables
Eliot Ness and the Untouchables: The Historical Reality and the Film and Television Depictions
Capone: The Life and World of Al Capone
Scarface
Carlito's Way
Wise Guys
GoodFellas
Casino (Widescreen 10th Anniversary Edition)
Once Upon a Time in America (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Godfather DVD Collection (The Godfather/ The Godfather - Part II/ The Godfather - Part III)

This isn't a documentary style film - it's a gorgeous, over-the-top retelling of one of the most famous periods in America's history. Al Capone and Eliot Ness are well known, as is the Chicago in which they lived. De Niro and Connery are fantasic in their roles, and the cinematography is beautiful. Costner as Ness also shines, but with these other two powerhouses his performance is almost overshadowed.

Great plot, great dialogue, great action, the movie is definitely a fun romp through an appealing period in history. The movie has even more significance as The Sopranos becomes a huge hit - people being drawn into learning about the mob way of life want to trace the roots of this drama and see where it's taking its guidance. Many Sopranos scenes are taken from this movie, and the characters even quote it at times.

Highly recommended - a DVD you'll watch many times over!

What do you expect from a film in which Kevin Costner and Sean Connery star as the good guys and Robert DeNiro plays all-time Bad Guy Al Capone? A great movie! And that's what this is--a really really good gangster flick. No, it is not The Godfather, but then again nothing but The Godfather is The Godfather. Having said that, this is a wonderful film that actually does a pretty good job of explaining what Elliot Ness was up against when he was given the job of enforcing prohibition, gunning for Al Capone and cleaning up Chicago.

Costner is effective in his role as Elliot Ness. Connery does fine as the Chicago policeman Ness recruits to show him the ropes as to how things in Chicago operate. De Niro is matchless as Al Capone.

My favorite scene is the one in which Elliot Ness joins forces with the Canadian Mounties. Hilarious!

This movie is good entertainment and the storyline manages to move along pretty well without dragging and losing the viewer's interest. The film never makes the mistake of taking itself too seriously, and its use of humor is effective and prevents the movie from waxing pompous, which would have been easy for it to do, given the serious theme. This is one that you'll watch again and again. Recommended.

I've always been a big fan of this movie, which I remember as first marking Brian DePalma as a "blockbuster" director. It's filled with sharp dialog, Oscar winning acting, some inspired (clearly by Hitchcock) camerawork, a dramatic score by Ennio Morricone, and a nostaglic/patriotic retelling of a truly gritty real-life crime drama.

As far as this blu-ray goes, it features a very nice transfer that ups the detail, contrast, color and stability considerably over the previous DVD release. Unfortunately it also introduces nearly constant edge halos and some shimmering - both presumably artifacts of edge enhancement used to make the film look more appealing to modern audiences.

On the Audio front the 6.1 DTS-HD track does a very fine job considering the age of the film. I was particularly impressed by the dynamic range of the score and the use of discrete effects in the Union Station shootout.

Overall, if it were not for the digital retouching, I would have rated this release at 5 stars. Since I can't give 4 and a half I had to downgrade it full star for the botched digital enhancements.

Hopefully someday there will be a untouched version of The Untouchables.

What kind of incompetent nutbag puts out a classic like this on DVD without 1 single extra feature. Come on.. Where's the bonus material? Where's the Commentary, Deleted Scenes, etc? It's not like Kevin Costner is too busy doing other movies! There should be a law against putting out DVD's that only contain the movie without extra stuff. It's not only a waste of valuable space, it's very nearly a ripoff. Thank you, goodnight.

The verdict:

Sean Connery -- A career performance*
Andy Garcia -- A glimpse of a great young actor.
Robert De Niro -- A huge impact in just a few scenes.
Kevin Costner -- Not bad, actually.

* So what if the accent was rated as the worst of all time? (Empire magazine)


The argument:

The plot isn't deep but the sets and costumes are beautiful and the writing (Mamet adapted the screenplay) is top-drawer. Connery's Malone and De Niro's Capone get the choicest bits.


The evidence:

Malone: You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way! And that's how you get Capone.


Capone: A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms. Enthusiasms, enthusiasms... What are mine? What draws my admiration? What is that which gives me joy? Baseball! A man stands alone at the plate. This is the time for what? For individual achievement. There he stands alone. But in the field, what? Part of a team. Teamwork... Looks, throws, catches, hustles. Part of one big team. Bats himself the live-long day, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and so on. If his team don't field... what is he? You follow me? No one. Sunny day, the stands are full of fans. What does he have to say? I'm goin' out there for myself. But... I get nowhere unless the team wins. [cue baseball bat]

A fabulous movie, but totally wasted on DVD. Paramount is only going for a money grab on this one. No features, shoddy sound quality. One measley trailer. All of this for a kings ransom in price. This DVD is simply not worth purchasing...Garbage!

Shame on Paramount for this obvious money grab. Next time spend more than 10 minutes on moving a masterpiece onto a terrific forum. You have done the movie no justice.

A must own HD DVD - disregard reviews that mention "edge enhancements" - those are faults on reviewers systems - this disc will provide a more detailed view than even the original judder-ridden commercial film stock. We use chapter 22 as a demo and are delighted - we will use this at CES 2008 to show what great 1080p HDTVs are capable of delivering.

Our compliments to Paramount Home Entertainment for a superb technical efffort that this film so well deserves.

JS
ISF

For a solid mix of action, drama and thrills, "The Untouchables" delivers like few movies can. Thanks to a fantastic cast, great story and a solid script, this is one of the most entertaining movies you will ever see in your life.

Taking place in prohibition-era Chicago, top kingpin Al Capone (Robert De Niro) has brought a wave of crime and corruption to the city. Determined to bring him down is federal agent Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner). When a bad sting makes him the laughing stock of the town, he considers giving up. Until he receives help from aging police officer Jim Malone (the one and only Sean Connery), who gives him the will to continue. Working as allies along with Ness's two partners (Charles Martin Smith and Andy Garcia), Ness and Malone tear apart at Capone's empire. The film has many an exciting sequence, most famously the train station showdown near the end.

This film is brilliant on all counts. Costner imbues the character of Ness with the perfect lvel of charisma and heroicism. I really don't know why everyone ahtes on his performance, I think he's great. De Niro puts on one of his most underrated performances as Capone, capturing the mob legend to a T. Charles Martin Smith and Andy Garcia provide ample support as Ness's men, especially Garcia. But the best is by far Connery. Connery is the heart and soul of this movie. Connery is one of cinema's true legends, and he proves it in this film. As Malone, he provides humor, toughness, presence, and so much more that the film would've suffered greatly without him. He deservedly won an Oscar for this.

"The Untouchables" is absolutely excellent and is worth owning. A must have for all film fans.

... but a horrible DVD. As a film alone, I would give it 5 stars. But this rating is for the DVD. Yes, we all know that The Untouchables is a great movie. It's one of DePalma's best, if not the best. Peformances by Costner, Connery, and DeNiro are top rate. Mamet pulls off a tight screenplay.

However, what about the features in this DVD? I mean isn't that why we buy DVD's over VHS? For the great bonus features? They waited for awhile to release The Untouchables on DVD and all we get is the standard set of options... chapter search, subtitles, widescreen, etc... What DVD doesn't have that already? Where are the deleted scenes, directory/actor commentary, making of film, storyboards, interviews, etc...? Any features on this DVD are scant and disappointing.

Being a huge fan of this movie, I was disappointed with this DVD. The lack of features makes me believe that they will issue a Collector's Edition in the future with all these great bonuses. If you already have the widescreen VHS version of The Untouchables, don't bother.