The Untouchables

This is a classic film, which won Sean Connery a much-deserved Supporting actor Oscar. It is the tale of the eventual capture of Al Capone on the charge of tax evasion, by a group of men headed by Elliot Ness (Costner), The Untouchables. Connery plays Jim Mallone an old Irish world-weary cop who Ness cajoles into helping him catch and imprison Capone. The other members of the group are newly qualified cop George Stone (Garcia) and accountant Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith).

One of the most memorable scenes sees the group on the Canadian border waiting to arrest one of Capone’s men. They have one of the villains in a log cabin and are trying to extract information from him. Mallone goes out of the cabin, grabbing the body of an already dead man, and threatening to shoot him if he won’t talk, so needless to say he shots the guy. Having the desired affect.

This film looks spectacular in 70mm, benefiting from the improved clarity the medium gives, and along with the accompanying score from Ennino Morricone complimenting the cinematography, and acting from the main character and supporting roles.

Kirsty Stokes

Chicago, 1930. The time of Prohibition, but also the time of the ruthless gangster Al Capone (De Niro).

Eliot Ness (Costner), a Special Agent from the US Treasury Bureau, has been appointed to head a task force and put an end to the violence of Al Capone's organisation. Being duped during a raid on a shipment of Canadian whisky, Ness finds out that the Chicago Police Department is corrupt and his only chance to arrest Capone is to proceed without its help.

To fight Capone he decides to lead a team comprising of Malone (a street cop), Oscar Wallace (a Bureau accountant) and George Stone, a guy who is still in Police training. Together, they are the Untouchables, determined to put Capone in jail.

After a successful raid over prohibited goods, Ness will soon have to face the wrath of the gangster and realizes that a violent battle is going to start.

Brian De Palma, director of Carrie, Body Double and more recently Raising Cain, has combined several key elements in making a successful film: a once popular TV series, some authentic facts, superb music (provided by the brilliant Ennio Morricone) and excellent actors like Connery and De Niro.

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