The Untouchables
Academy Award × 1·National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
Elliot Ness, an ambitious prohibition agent, is determined to take down Al Capone. In order to achieve this goal, he forms a group given the nickname “The Untouchables”.
What critics thought
De Palma's gangster showcase landed mostly well with critics, who relished its propulsive energy and period atmosphere, but the fault lines were clear: some found it a masterfully crafted thriller, while others — including Ebert and Kael — felt the script's moral simplicity and De Palma's style-over-substance direction kept it from true greatness. Sean Connery's Oscar-winning performance was almost universally singled out, even as his Scottish accent playing an Irishman became a long-running joke.
“not a great movie; it's too banal, too morally comfortable. The great gangster pictures don't make good and evil mutually exclusive, the way they are here [...] But it's a great audience movie—a wonderful potboiler.”
Pauline Kael·The New Yorker
“somehow we're put off here by the spectacular stuff he throws up onto the screen. De Palma's storytelling instincts have given way completely to his interest in film as a visual medium. His only real concern is his own style.”
Hal Hinson·The Washington Post
“Mamet's elegantly efficient script does not waste a word, and De Palma does not waste a shot. The result is a densely layered work moving with confident, compulsive energy”
Richard Schickel·Time
“vulgar, violent, funny and sometimes breathtakingly beautiful”
Vincent Canby·The New York Times
Genres
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorBrian De Palma
StarringKevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia
ComposerEnnio Morricone
The Untouchables
Academy Award × 1·National Film Registry
Elliot Ness, an ambitious prohibition agent, is determined to take down Al Capone. In order to achieve this goal, he forms a group given the nickname “The Untouchables”.
What critics thought
De Palma's gangster showcase landed mostly well with critics, who relished its propulsive energy and period atmosphere, but the fault lines were clear: some found it a masterfully crafted thriller, while others — including Ebert and Kael — felt the script's moral simplicity and De Palma's style-over-substance direction kept it from true greatness. Sean Connery's Oscar-winning performance was almost universally singled out, even as his Scottish accent playing an Irishman became a long-running joke.
“not a great movie; it's too banal, too morally comfortable. The great gangster pictures don't make good and evil mutually exclusive, the way they are here [...] But it's a great audience movie—a wonderful potboiler.”
Pauline Kael·The New Yorker
“somehow we're put off here by the spectacular stuff he throws up onto the screen. De Palma's storytelling instincts have given way completely to his interest in film as a visual medium. His only real concern is his own style.”
Hal Hinson·The Washington Post
“Mamet's elegantly efficient script does not waste a word, and De Palma does not waste a shot. The result is a densely layered work moving with confident, compulsive energy”
Richard Schickel·Time
“vulgar, violent, funny and sometimes breathtakingly beautiful”
Vincent Canby·The New York Times
Genres
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorBrian De Palma
StarringKevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia
ComposerEnnio Morricone
Rent/Purchase