The Untouchables (1987)

Federal Agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop Al Capone; because of rampant corruption, he assembles a small, hand-picked team.

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers:

Oscar Fraley (suggested by book), Eliot Ness (suggested by book),

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Charles Martin Smith

Top 250 #246 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 13 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Costner	...	Eliot Ness
Sean Connery	...	Jim Malone
Charles Martin Smith	...	Agent Oscar Wallace
Andy Garcia	...	Agent George Stone / Giuseppe Petri
Robert De Niro	...	Al Capone
Richard Bradford	...	Police Chief Mike Dorsett
Jack Kehoe	...	Walter Payne
Brad Sullivan	...	George
Billy Drago	...	Frank Nitti
Patricia Clarkson	...	Catherine Ness
Vito D'Ambrosio	...	Bowtie Driver
Steven Goldstein	...	Scoop
Peter Aylward	...	Lt. Anderson
Don Harvey	...	Officer Preseuski
Robert Swan	...	Mountie Captain

Storyline

Federal agent Elliot Ness assembles a personal team of mob fighters to bring Chicago crime boss Al Capone to justice using unconventional means during the mob wars of the 1920s. This fictionalized account of the arrest of Al Capone is heavy on style and gunfire. The end shootout combines a baby carriage and stairs with a nod to Eisenstein's _The Battleship Potemkin_.

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Plot Keywords:

treasury agent | accountant | federal agent | corruption | baby | 

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Taglines:

Never stop fighting till the fight is done

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | History | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los intocables

Filming Locations:

40 miles south, Great Falls, Montana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$76,270,454 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The train station scene was parodied in Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult.

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Goofs

Although the name "George Stone" does not translate to "Guiseppe Petri" in Italian, the character didn't necessarily directly translate his name. The Petri part - "Stone" - is correct, however "George" in Italian is "Giorgio". Guiseppe is actually "Joseph".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: 1930. Prohibition has transformed Chicago into a City at War. Rival gangs compete for control of the city's billion dollar empire of illegal alcohol, enforcing their will with the hand grenade and tommy gun. It is the time of the Ganglords. It is the time of Al Capone.
Reporter: [to Al Capone] An article, which I believe appeared in a newspaper, asked why, since you are, or it would seem that you are, in effect, the mayor of Chicago, you've not simply been appointed to that position.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The title of the aria "Vesti la giubba" from Leoncavallo's opera "Pagliacci" is misspelled in the closing credits of the film: "Vesti la guibba".

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Connections

Spoofed in The Untouchable Family (1988)

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Soundtracks

"Vesti la giubba"
aria from opera "Pagliacci"
Written by Ruggero Leoncavallo
Performed by Mario Del Monaco
Conducted by Francesco Molinari Pradelli
Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Roma
Courtesy of London Records, A division of PolyGram Classics, Inc.

User Reviews

Few Films Can Touch Its Excellence.

Outstanding production that was the best film of 1987 with the exception of the very dominant "The Last Emperor". "The Untouchables" is the story of Elliot Ness (perfectly played by Kevin Costner) who tries to bring down Chicago Mob boss Al Capone (Robert DeNiro in one of his most under-rated roles) during the early-1930s. Illegal liquor smuggling and other much more serious crimes are running amok and corruption is all over. Costner realizes very fast that he must hand-pick his own men to bring DeNiro down for good. Thus he enlists the help of a young cop from the academy (Andy Garcia), a wimpy book-keeper (Charles Martin Smith) and a hard-nosed Irish beat cop (Oscar-winner Sean Connery in the performance of a lifetime). Together they slowly start to peel through the multiple layers of protection to get DeNiro for good. It seems that the fact that DeNiro has been lax in paying his income taxes could be his ultimate downfall. Beautifully directed by Brian De Palma, "The Untouchables" stands very tall with the other great productions of the 1980s. Ennio Morricone's Oscar-nominated score is one of the finest the cinema has ever experienced. Really excellent. I have no negative comments on this production. 5 stars out of 5.