Review of The Untouchables (1987) by Peter F — 19 Feb 2011

It's a strong and well-made movie, but it does a lot of things wrong. It's chock-full of authentic performances, particularly from Costner and De Niro, who clearly has been cultivating his silly face for quite a while.

While being clever enough to stay a little light, it doesn't get in the way of the storytelling, which is easily the best part of the film. The script refuses to falter for a moment and more than holds up its responsibilities, evolving from a professional goal to a personal vendetta.

Now, on to the problems. Such as... a character getting shot a dozen times, but living long enough for the *police* to arrive so that he may impart some crucial information... or the fact that the movie is set in 1930, but everything except for the cars and clothes screams 1960.

.. or the family-friendly sidekick who has no place in this movie... or the underwhelming ending, despite being loosely based on what actually happened. About halfway through, I commented that this movie reminds me of The Dark Knight without superheroes.

That hero endurance still holds true, but The Untouchables is not good enough to match up.