The Untouchables (1987)

The Untouchables (1987)

1987 R 119 Minutes

Crime | Drama | History | Thriller

Young Treasury Agent Elliot Ness arrives in Chicago and is determined to take down Al Capone but it's not going to be easy, because Capone has the police in his pocket. Ness meets Jimmy Malone a ve...

Overall Rating

8 / 10
Verdict: Good

User Review

  • The Untouchables is good old fashioned gangster fun. Harking back to those classic films where henchmen are firing tommy guns on the streets of Prohibition-era America. There are loads of films depicting this time in history, but not all of them are nearly as fun as this. A federal agent vows to bring down the legendary kingpin Al Capone where an experienced police officer teaches the agent how to beat the mob. It's just the classic story of good versus evil. Law against crime. The beauty of such a simple premise allows the ability to have rich characters and an absorbing world. The production values are off the charts, this truly felt like Chicago and the costumes were authentic. Whilst the story as a whole is not particularly memorable, the film is built up on set pieces to keep the viewer enthralled. A great example would be a shootout in a train station where a baby in a pram is slowly falling down some stairs. That, is what I will remember. Acting was solid all round, Costner and De Niro were great however it was the legendary Sean Connery that made me smile. He is such a natural talent on screen, his charisma just shines through instantaneously. The character Eliot Ness' development was well executed where he starts to take the law into his own hands towards to the end. I would've liked to have seen Al Capone being used more in the film, but I fully realise that he got his henchmen to do the dirty work which is fine. Also admired one scene where Brian DePalma switches to a POV shot of a man sent to kill a police officer. Slyly moving throughout the house, I thought it was a creative method. The level of violence is hit and miss and sometimes borders on cheap but for the most part it was gritty and exciting to watch. The Untouchables is definitely one of the most entertaining films of its genre and I can easily imagine myself watching it again soon.