The Untouchables

For film number 2, I will be taking a gander at an interesting Kevin Costner movie. Why is it interesting? Because in this one he doesn't bore the crap out of us! But that's not all it has going for it. It's a well paced, well directed and very entertaining flick.

Directed by Brian De Palma (Scarface, Mission: Impossible), and released in 1987, The Untouchables tells the story of Al Capone's (Robert De Niro) domination of the city of Chicago during prohibition-era America. Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) is an agent from the Bureau of Prohibition, charged with stopping Al Capone's criminal reign. But since Capone has most of the city under his thumb, it seems the odds are stacked against him. So he decides to put together a crack team to take him down.

The first future member he encounters is hard-nosed Irish cop Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery, in an Oscar winning performance, despite never once do an Irish accent). He's down-to-earth, dedicated and most importantly, incorruptible. Since so many people have been affected by Capone's influence, they next recruit a trainee officer, George Stone (Andy Garcia), because of his skilled marksmanship and his coolness under pressure. Finally, Ness is assigned an accountant from Washington D.C., Oscar Wallace, (Charles Martin Smith) who informs Ness that despite all the money Capone has accumulated, he has never once filled an income tax return form. So if nothing else, they can snare Capone for Tax Evasion.

So the group, dubbed 'The Untouchables' by an Alderman of Capone's who attempt to bribe Ness,  conduct raids on Capone's assets, including a post office and an exchange at the Canadian Border. Over time the group beings to attract the wrath of Capone's men, resulting in death threats, shoot-outs and even cold-blooded murders.

The group begins to fall apart, but Ness remains determined to finish what he started, and in the end (as I'm sure you know) Capone is brought in front of a judge, with the charges of Tax Evasion being his Achilles Heel. With that, we have the fitting happy ending and one of the coolest lines in the film, as well as one of Costner's best:

Journalist: "The city council may re-appeal Prohibition. What will you do then?"
Ness: "I think I'll have a drink."

Snap!

So, while I certainly don't regard this film as highly as I do Leon (my last review if you haven't read it), I still really enjoy it. The story and characters are engaging, though I would like to have seen more of Capone. But in a way, that does help the movie. Rather than seeing Capone, we see his influence and power, and the effects it has on many of the characters. I don't know if that's whats the filmmakers we're going for, but I think it works. De Niro, as usual, does a great job. You only have to mention the fact that he gained 14kg solely for the film to truly appreciate the effort he made. As well as that, the action scenes are enjoyable, the sets look great, and as I mentioned before Costner manages to overcome his usual dry-toast, monotone blandness and gives a pretty solid performance.

All I can say is, check it out. You won't regret it.