Review of The Untouchables (1987) by Chris B — 27 May 2017

Brian DePalma is a Director who knows the medium he works in and does it proud, "The Untouchables" his 1987 feature is a solid gangster thriller that takes a hard look not only into the gangsters but into the people who are to enforce the law.

While in the beginning we are shown the tactics of the gang (bribing, extortion and murder) on anyone who doesn't look the other way or aid them, Ness (Kevin Costner) steps up as a force of justice.

With his newly acquired friend Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery) he assembles a group to combat the dangerous Al Capone and his men. Throughout the film DePalma does a great job of conveying the various characters and the war fought between the law and the gang of Al Capone ultimately leading to Capone's arrest and 11 year prison sentence.

Along the way though Ness loses nearly his entire group of men and changes as a person himself. While not the greatest gangster film ever made this is no slouch either and makes for a great portrayal and everyone involved holds their own and delivers impressive performances.

The staircase scene near the end of the film is DePalma's homage to the legendary Sergei Eisenstein's "Battleship potemkin" from 1925 which both my brother and I (Brad too) watched and thoroughly enjoyed!