Review of The Untouchables (1987) by Senor C — 10 Dec 2010
I love this one. The revisionist history and iconography are undercut just enough by Mamet's penchant for profanity and De Palma's Hitchcock-meets-giallo violence, forging a compelling middle ground between the reality of Prohibition era Chicago and the unreality of the Hollywood version of it (it stays nicely in tune with what its source material while doing us the favor of elevating it just enough).
De Palma's never been anything special, but his fascination with genre (and the innovation of old Hollywood) matched the film perfectly. It's moody and lush and funny, emotionally wrenching, sports a gloriously scenary-chewing DeNiro, a likable cast, and some great Mamet dialogue. It barely takes time to breath, what with it's 89 climaxes, breakneck pacing and unabashedly non-stop use of the setup-payoff formula for how to make your audience laugh, cry and scream.
It's like a brilliant pop song. Definitely a favorite.
This review of The Untouchables (1987) was written by Senor C on 10 Dec 2010.
The Untouchables has generally received very positive reviews.
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