The Untouchables (1987)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers:

Oscar Fraley (suggested by book) and
Eliot Ness (suggested by book) ...
(more)

Release Date:

3 June 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The Chicago Dream is that big

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Treasury Agent | Federal Agent | Accountant | Baby | Shootout

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 12 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

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
John J. Walsh	...	Bartender
Del Close	...	Alderman
Colleen Bade	...	Mrs. Blackmer
Greg Noonan	...	Shooting Range Master
Sean Grennan	...	Cop Cousin
Larry Viverito Sr.	...	Italian Waiter
Kevin Michael Doyle	...	Williamson
Mike Bacarella	...	Overcoat Hood
Michael P. Byrne	...	Ness' Clerk
Kaitlin Montgomery	...	Ness' Daughter
Aditra Kohl	...	Blackmer Girl
Charles Keller Watson	...	Reporter
Larry Brandenburg	...	Reporter
Chelcie Ross	...	Reporter
Tim Gamble	...	Reporter
Sam Smiley	...	Bailiff
Pat Billingsley	...	Bailiff
John Bracci	...	Fat Man
Jennifer Anglin	...	Woman in Elevator
Eddie Minasian	...	Butler
Anthony Mockus Sr.	...	Judge (as Tony Mockus Sr.)
Will Zahrn	...	Defense Attorney
Louie Lanciloti	...	Barber (as Louis Lanciloti)
Vince Viverito	...	Bodyguard
Valentino Cimo	...	Bodyguard
Joe Greco	...	Bodyguard
Clem Caserta	...	Bodyguard
Bob Martana	...	Bodyguard
Joseph Scianablo	...	Bodyguard
George S. Spataro	...	Bodyguard
Melody Rae	...	Union Station Woman
Robert Miranda	...	Gunned Head
James Guthrie	...	Pagliacci
Basil Reale	...	Hotel Clerk
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Barrowman	...	Street Person (uncredited)
Jimmy Borto	...	Court Reporter (uncredited)
Stephen Burrows	...	Hoodlum (uncredited)
Ernest Capponi	...	Gangster at Round Table (uncredited)
Jack Fitzstephens	...	Train Announcer (uncredited)
Patricia E. Harrington	...	Street Person (uncredited)
Clifton James	...	District Attorney (uncredited)
Robert Minkoff	...	Bit (uncredited)

Directed by
Brian De Palma

Writing credits
Oscar Fraley		(suggested by book) and
Eliot Ness		(suggested by book)
David Mamet		(written by)

Produced by
Raymond Hartwick	....	associate producer (as Ray Hartwick)
Art Linson	....	producer

Original Music by
Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by
Stephen H. Burum

Film Editing by
Gerald B. Greenberg		(as Jerry Greenberg)
Bill Pankow

Casting by
Mali Finn

Art Direction by
William A. Elliott

Set Decoration by
Hal Gausman

Costume Design by
Marilyn Vance		(as Marilyn Vance-Straker)

Makeup Department
Michael Hancock	....	makeup artist
Bette Iverson	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Raymond Hartwick	....	unit production manager (as Ray Hartwick)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joe Napolitano	....	first assistant director
Richard Patrick	....	second second assistant director
James W. Skotchdopole	....	second assistant director
Glen Trotiner	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Robert J. Carlyle	....	property foreperson
Eve Cauley	....	research assistant
E.C. Chen	....	set designer
R. Gilbert Clayton	....	set designer (as Gil Clayton)
Gary Deaton	....	construction foreperson
Robert W. Dutton	....	lead property person
Robert W. Dutton	....	property foreperson
Gerald Gates Jr.	....	paint foreperson (as Gerald John Gates)
Dick Hansen	....	set dresser
Kim S. Hobbs	....	set dresser
Michael E. Humberger	....	lead property person
Michael E. Humberger	....	property foreperson
Steven Kerlagon	....	paint foreperson (as Steve Kerlagon)
Nicholas Laborczy	....	set designer
Sam Moore	....	property master (as Spencer A. 'Sam' Moore)
Roderick Nunnally	....	production painter (as Rod Nunnally)
Clarence Lynn Price	....	construction supervisor
Steven P. Sardanis	....	set designer
John Sweeney	....	assistant property master
Patrizia von Brandenstein	....	visual consultant

Sound Department
Michael Berenbaum	....	assistant sound editor
Elisha Birnbaum	....	foley supervisor
Amy Briamonte	....	assistant sound editor
Michael DiCosimo	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Gerald Donlan	....	assistant sound editor
Noreen Evans	....	assistant sound editor
Harriet Fidlow	....	adr editor (as Harriet Fidlow Winn)
Jack Fitzstephens	....	sound editor
Dale R. Janus	....	boom operator (as Dale Janus)
Faith Jones	....	apprentice sound editor
Kevin Lee	....	sound editor
Abe Nejad	....	sound editor
Ken S. Polk	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sanford Rackow	....	sound editor
Dan Sable	....	supervising sound editor
Lynn Sable	....	assistant sound editor
Jill Searchinger	....	assistant adr editor
Michael Steinfeld	....	sound editor
James M. Tanenbaum	....	sound mixer (as Jim Tanenbaum)
Dick Vorisek	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dick J. Vorisek)
Glenn Williams	....	cable person
Bob Olari	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Mel Zelniker	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Albert Delgado	....	special effects foreperson
Allen Hall	....	special effects coordinator
Chuck E. Stewart	....	special effects (as Charles E. Stewart)
Marvin Gardner	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Mike Menzel	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Robert G. Willard	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Janos Pilenyi	....	opticals
Phil Gosiewski	....	visual effects technician (uncredited)

Stunts
Greg Brickman	....	stunts
Gilbert B. Combs	....	stunts (as Gil Combs)
Tim A. Davison	....	stunts (as Tim Davison)
Justin De Rosa	....	stunts (as Justin DeRosa)
Eddy Donno	....	stunts
Gary Epper	....	stunts
Frank Ferrara	....	stunts
Joe Gilbride	....	stunts
James M. Halty	....	stunts (as Jim Halty)
Roy E. Harrison	....	stunts (as Roy Harrison)
Rusty Hendrickson	....	stunts
Bob Herron	....	stunts
Steve Holladay	....	stunts
Gary Hymes	....	stunt coordinator
Jeff Jensen	....	stunts
Matt Johnston	....	stunts
Rick Le Fevour	....	stunts
Stacy Logan	....	stunts
Pat J. McNamara	....	stunts (as Pat McNamara)
J.N. Roberts	....	stunts
Danny Rogers	....	stunts
Kay Whipple	....	stunts
Ted Barba	....	stunts (uncredited)
Matthew S. Harrison	....	stunt performer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
William L. Allen Sr.	....	rigging electrician (as William L. Allen)
Kelly R. Borisy	....	grip (as Kelly Borsey)
Richard Clarkson	....	second assistant camera (as Richard S. Clarkson)
Tim Griffith	....	chief lighting technician
Tom Holloway	....	grip
Mort Hyatt	....	assistant chief lighting technician (as Morton E. Hyatt)
Frank Keever	....	first company grip (as Frank J. Keever)
Mel P. Mack	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Frank Miller	....	second camera operator
Bob Munoz	....	second company grip (as Bob Munos)
Terry H. Neville	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Walter Nichols	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Zade Rosenthal	....	still photographer (as Zade Rosenthal III)
Douglas Ryan	....	camera operator
George R. Schrader	....	dolly grip
Tom Stuebe	....	grip
Robert Swander	....	grip (as Robert S. Swander)
Tom Tomko	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Alex Touyarot	....	first assistant camera
Paolo Cascio	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Gregory Lundsgaard	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)
Tim Phelps	....	rigging gaffer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Cheryl Collins	....	extras casting: Chicago
Ellen Moses	....	extras casting: Chicago

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Giorgio Armani	....	wardrobe
Winnie D. Brown	....	costume supervisor: women
Richard Bruno	....	wardrobe consultant: Mr. De Niro
Tom Dickason	....	costumer: men
Daniel J. Lester	....	costume supervisor: men (as Dan Lester)
Cheryl Weber	....	costumer: women
Deborah Ambrosino	....	specialty costume craftsperson (uncredited)
Laurie Riley	....	costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Ray Hubley	....	associate editor
Deborah Peretz	....	assistant editor
Richard Ritchie	....	color timer (as Dick Ritchie)
Donna Stern	....	apprentice editor
Tara Timpone	....	first assistant editor
Joe Violante	....	dailies advisor

Music Department
Emile Charlap	....	music supervisor
Thomas S. Drescher	....	music editor (as Thomas Drescher)
Michael Farrow	....	music recording consultant (as Mike Farrow)
Rudy Gaskins	....	assistant music editor
Ennio Morricone	....	conductor
Ennio Morricone	....	orchestrator
Greg Fulginiti	....	music engineer (uncredited)
John Moses	....	musician: clarinetist (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Hayden D. Anglin	....	transportation coordinator
Clay Bartholomew	....	driver: special equipment (as Clayton A. Bartholomew)
George DiLeonardi	....	transportation captain
Robert A. Hogan	....	transportation co-captain
James Chepon	....	on-set driver (uncredited)
Roger Halvorsen	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Cyd Adams	....	production assistant
Elinor Bardach	....	assistant: Ms. Vince-Straker
Matthew Benjamin	....	craft service
Robert F. Byrnes	....	first aid (as Robert Byrnes Jr.)
Maria Teresa Corridoni	....	personal consultant: Mr. De Niro
Maureen Cunningham	....	assistant location manager
Monica Goldstein	....	assistant: Brian De Palma
Michele Imperato	....	assistant production coordinator (as Michele G. Imperato)
Gregory A. Jackson	....	location assistant
Joan R. Johnson	....	research assistant
Douglas Kraner	....	technical advisor
Shari Leibowitz	....	production coordinator
Dennis Park	....	assistant production auditor
Edward J. Reardon	....	first aid (as Edward Reardon)
Kendall A. Reed	....	chapman crane operator
Sioux Richards	....	script supervisor
Michael Roberts	....	production auditor
Patti Roberts-Nelson	....	assistant: Art Linson (as Patti Roberts Nelson)
Manlio Rocchetti	....	personal consultant: Mr. De Niro (as Manilo Rochetti)
Eric Schwab	....	location manager
Matthew Snyder	....	production assistant
Anne Marie Stein	....	unit publicist
Daniel M. Stillman	....	production assistant (as Dan Stillman)
Jim Vatis	....	production assistant
Kevin Bassett	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Jens Bogehegn	....	intern (uncredited)
Susan J. Bonno-Buckner	....	assistant accountant (uncredited)
J.P. Gabriel	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Michael Grasso	....	firearms advisor (uncredited)
Mark Gulbrandsen	....	dailies projection technician (uncredited)
David H. Kramer	....	adr loop group (uncredited)
Steve Kraus	....	dailies projectionist (uncredited)
Rony Shino	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Sherwin Tarnoff	....	weapons master (uncredited)
Branko Wohlfahrt	....	weapon specialist (uncredited)
Albert H. Wolff	....	consultant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures Entertainment (1987) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1987) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1987) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1987) (France) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1987) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Esselte Video (1987) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Paramount Pictures (1988) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Pictures (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1990) (USA) (TV)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2003) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2003) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-edited)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2003) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (HD DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Award Winning Collection)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1987) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (198?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• CIC-Taft Home Video (Australia) (VHS)
• Esselte Video (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Finnkino (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1993) (1995) (Finland) (TV)
• Nelonen (1998) (2006) (2008) (Finland) (TV)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment Finland (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Phillips (Europe) (laserdisc)
• Pioneer LDC (Japan) (laserdisc)
• Pioneer LDCE (Europe) (laserdisc)
• Prem'er Video Fil'm (19??) (Russia) (VHS)

Special Effects

• EFX Unlimited
• Associates and Ferren

Other Companies

• A&M Records  soundtrack published by
• For Stars Catering  catering
• Giorgio Armani  costumes: men's suit
• Hastings Sound Editorial  sound editing
• Lynn Stalmaster & Associates  casting
• Montana Film Office  special thanks
• Peggy Siegal Company  publicity
• R/Greenberg Associates  title design
• R/Greenberg Associates  titles
• T.A.B. Inc.  negative cutting
• Trans / Audio  sound re-recording

Also Known As:

"Untouchable" - Japan (English title)

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Brazil:14 | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:R (Ontario) | Italy:T | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:16 (cut) | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #28287) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

40 miles south, Great Falls, Montana, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Director Brian De Palma met with both Tom Berenger and Nick Nolte to find out if they were interested in playing Eliot Ness.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: During a scene set in 1930, when Elliot Ness is listening to "Amos n Andy" on the radio, you can hear a studio audience. "Amos n Andy" didn't perform before a studio audience until December 1936. The broadcast we hear is from 16 November 1952.

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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Untouchables: Re-Inventing the Genre (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

MOOD INDIGO

My Favorite!

Quite a few words spring to my mind when I think of The Untouchables. Words like: Excellence, entertainment, larger than life and Sean Connery. These words basically summarize the entire film from my point of view of course because in my opinion (which I don't expect people to agree with) this is the best gangster film there is. Obviously people aren't going to agree because people prefer the likes of the operatic Godfather trilogy or the ultra realistic Goodfellas but in my head The Untouchables is the best.

Here are a few reasons why. First reason is that The Untouchables is just so darn entertaining. All the other films had completely different aims and even though I love a deep and brilliant story my main objective when I see a film is to be entertained and basically no film does that better than The Untouchables. That does not mean, however, that The Untouchables is just some half baked action comedy. No. There is genuine emotion and real story in this film. The story is, as most people know, loosely based on the actual events during the prohibition era in USA in the 1920s (the story is also based very, very loosely on the series that go by the same name) which to some extent means that what we see on the screen is real making the characters and general story seem that much more believable. This also adds greatly to the already very high entertainment value of the film because it draws the audience in. To add to the realism of the film the dialog is also very memorable and there are some great one-liners including some of my all time favorites in this film.

The acting is nothing short of brilliant. This is without a doubt Kevin Costner's best role. Some people have remarked that he seemed stiff and unable to portray the emotion of the character and to that I can only ask: Were we watching the same movie?! He is a hundred percent believable all the way through. In the beginning he seems a bit too much like a square I-wanna-do-some-good kind of character but as the story progresses he really evolves and becomes more and more emotionally involved in what he does. Both in his friends and in the cause. He even bends some of the rules he initially tried so hard to uphold. Brilliant. Charles Martin Smith does a good job as well and even though his character is very limited he still manages to pull the audience in. Andy Garcia appears in this film in a very limited role as well and he serves his purpose brilliantly. He is the sharpshooter of the group and he is perfectly believable in that part. He doesn't get to say much but what he does get to say is said with as much passion as I have ever heard from him (he seemed a little stale and lifeless in Godfather III). Robert DeNiro is great as Al Capone. He steals every scene he is in and he really brings the larger-than-life quality to the character which is extremely fitting. The film's best performance belongs to Sean Connery though. The film is for lack of a better expression a Sean Connery tour-de-force. Not only does he steal every scene he is in but he also brings the certain indescribable something to the character that he always does and in every situation you feel with him (as you do in all his films whether he is a villain or a hero). He also got a well deserved Oscar for his performance. People have claimed that the Oscar wasn't as much for this particular performance but an Oscar in recognition of his contributions to the film industry. This belittles his performance which I can safely say is the best of his career and one of the best displays of acting that I have ever seen.

The film also has a memorable score made by the legendary Ennio Morricone who is perhaps best known for the work he did with the equally legendary western director Sergio Leone (who doesn't know the score from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) and in my opinion the score he did for The Untouchables is the best he has ever made. The score is very unlike most scores from the 80s which does that the film doesn't feel like an 80s film as much as Scarface which I find inferior to this masterpiece. The score is grand and epic just like the story and the effects. For an 80s movie the effects are pretty amazing. Once again everything works.

All in all The Untouchables is a riveting story which is highly recommendable to all fans of crime/gangster movies.

10/10 - on my top 10 of best films