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LowComDom Performances Presents
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LowComDom Performances Presents
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Film Review - Untouchables, The
Movie audiences love gangster films. Good Fellas, The Godfather, and Casino have all intrigued us by opening the doors to a world we normally don't see. The Untouchables is similar to the gangster genre, but misses the mark by putting us on the right side of the law.
Based on the book by Elliot Ness, The Untouchables is about the good guys who had the job of taming Chicago during the Prohibition Era. Elliot Ness shows up in town not realizing the level of corruption in the Chicago police department. His raids are an embarrassment until he learns who he can trust. But honestly, after he has built his Magnificent Four, this movie tanks. All that is left is the Ness versus Al Capone struggle in court.
Kevin Costner is at his best as Elliot Ness. This is the film you want to see Costner in. But it is Sean Connery who shines as Jim Malone, a beat cop who explains to Ness just how it is in Chicago. He's kind of the Yoda of this film.
If I have something to gripe about in the film it's this horrible scene in the train depot. Costner is helping a lady movie a baby carriage up a flight of stairs. The bad guys show up, and a shoot-out begins. The baby carriage starts rolling back down the stairs a la The Battleship Potemkin. What a rip off!
The Untouchables has a good costume drama feel. If you're looking for a good against bad cops-and-robbers film, this might be for you. It's not a great film, just middle of the road.
Film Facts
Directed by Brian De Palma
Released in 1997
MPAA Rating: R
Reviewed by Mongo
