Sunday, November 9, 2008

The Untouchables (Paramount 1987)


I love this movie, and I think you will too (if ya' haven't seen it yet!) Next to Open Range, this may be Kevin Costner's best film.

I guess you could say it's in the same spirit of High Noon, though Costner's character Elliott Ness gets at least some help to fight Al Capone's ruthless gang. The people of Chicago love the benefits Capone has brought businesses during Prohibition, but also live in fear of his brutal thugs and terror attacks across the city.

The only ones who will stand up to the infamous mobster are ridiculed by there own and terrorized by Capone's henchmen.

Here is a plot synopsis from IMDb...

1920's prohibition Chicago is corrupt from the judges downward. So in going up against Al Capone, Treasury agent Eliot Ness picks just two cops to help him and his accountant colleague. One is a sharp-shooting rookie, the other a seen-it-all beat man. The four of them are ready to battle Capone and his empire, but it could just be that guns are not the best way to get him.

The Untouchables is a classic good vs. evil film...but asks a simple question that so many people have a hard time aswering...which side are you on?

Here is the trailer...



The baseball scene (kinda violent so be prepared.)

7 comments:

Brooke said...

What a good show! I watched this one not too long ago.

Papa Frank said...

I love this exchange here:

Malone: You said you wanted to get Capone. Do you really wanna get him? You see what I'm saying is, what are you prepared to do?
Ness: Anything within the law.
Malone: And *then* what are you prepared to do? If you open the can on these worms you must be prepared to go all the way. Because they're not gonna give up the fight, until one of you is dead.
Ness: I want to get Capone! I don't know how to do it.
Malone: You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. *That's* the *Chicago* way! And that's how you get Capone. Now do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that? I'm offering you a deal. Do you want this deal?
Ness: I have sworn to capture this man with all legal powers at my disposal and I will do so.
Malone: Well, the Lord hates a coward.
[jabs Ness with his hand, and Ness shakes it]
Malone: Do you know what a blood oath is, Mr. Ness?
Ness: Yes.
Malone: Good, 'cause you just took one.

Mantha said...

i do like this movie, for the most part, but the violence in this is really intense.

of course, sean connery. 'nuf said. :sigh:

great story, great plot and intrigue. but being the girlie-girl i am, the violence is just a bit much for me.

nanc said...

great movie - i just wish someone would tell costner that he is quite possibly one of the worst and most overrated actors on the planet - he always sounds as though he's reading his lines off cue cards.

ANYTHING with sean connery in it is superb, however.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I totally loved this movie when I first saw it. It's by far the best acting I've seen Costner do.

My brain got all frazzled, though. I thought that baseball scene was in Goodfellas. DeNiro is in so many gangster movies. I crush on him when he's not crushing people's skulls. ;-)

elmers brother said...

Malone: Isn't that just like a wop? Brings a knife to a gun fight

madeline said...

The baby carriage rolling down the stairway at the railroad station is a direct rip-off of the carriage in the Odessa Steps sequence of Eisenstein`s Potemkin.