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The Untouchables

  • 19871987
  • RR
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
304K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,611
146
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Andy Garcia, and Charles Martin Smith in The Untouchables (1987)
Home Video Trailer from Paramount Home Entertainment
Play trailer2:50
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Thriller
During the era of Prohibition in the United States, Federal Agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop ruthless Chicago gangster Al Capone and, because of rampant corruption, assembles a small, hand-... Read allDuring the era of Prohibition in the United States, Federal Agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop ruthless Chicago gangster Al Capone and, because of rampant corruption, assembles a small, hand-picked team to help him.During the era of Prohibition in the United States, Federal Agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop ruthless Chicago gangster Al Capone and, because of rampant corruption, assembles a small, hand-picked team to help him.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
304K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,611
146
  • Director
    • Brian De Palma
  • Writers
    • David Mamet
    • Oscar Fraley(suggested by book)
    • Eliot Ness(suggested by book)
  • Stars
    • Kevin Costner
    • Sean Connery
    • Robert De Niro
Top credits
  • Director
    • Brian De Palma
  • Writers
    • David Mamet
    • Oscar Fraley(suggested by book)
    • Eliot Ness(suggested by book)
  • Stars
    • Kevin Costner
    • Sean Connery
    • Robert De Niro
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 578User reviews
    • 138Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 11 wins & 16 nominations total

    Videos2

    The Untouchables
    Trailer 2:50
    The Untouchables
    Patricia Clarkson's Peasant Dress Memories
    Video 1:15
    Patricia Clarkson's Peasant Dress Memories

    Photos179

    Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Andy Garcia, and Charles Martin Smith in The Untouchables (1987)
    Sean Connery in The Untouchables (1987)
    Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Andy Garcia, and Charles Martin Smith in The Untouchables (1987)
    Robert De Niro in The Untouchables (1987)
    Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Charles Martin Smith, and Brad Sullivan in The Untouchables (1987)
    Kevin Costner in The Untouchables (1987)
    Sean Connery in The Untouchables (1987)
    Andy Garcia in The Untouchables (1987)
    Sean Connery at an event for The Untouchables (1987)
    The Untouchables (1987)
    The Untouchables (1987)
    Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, and Andy Garcia in The Untouchables (1987)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kevin Costner
    Kevin Costner
    • Eliot Nessas Eliot Ness
    Sean Connery
    Sean Connery
    • Jim Maloneas Jim Malone
    Robert De Niro
    Robert De Niro
    • Al Caponeas Al Capone
    Charles Martin Smith
    Charles Martin Smith
    • Oscar Wallaceas Oscar Wallace
    Andy Garcia
    Andy Garcia
    • George Stoneas George Stone
    Richard Bradford
    Richard Bradford
    • Mikeas Mike
    Jack Kehoe
    Jack Kehoe
    • Payneas Payne
    Brad Sullivan
    Brad Sullivan
    • Georgeas George
    Billy Drago
    Billy Drago
    • Nittias Nitti
    Patricia Clarkson
    Patricia Clarkson
    • Ness' Wifeas Ness' Wife
    Vito D'Ambrosio
    Vito D'Ambrosio
    • Bowtie Driveras Bowtie Driver
    Steven Goldstein
    Steven Goldstein
    • Scoopas Scoop
    Peter Aylward
    • Lt. Andersonas Lt. Anderson
    Don Harvey
    Don Harvey
    • Preseuskias Preseuski
    Robert Swan
    Robert Swan
    • Mountie Captainas Mountie Captain
    John J. Walsh
    • Bartenderas Bartender
    Del Close
    Del Close
    • Aldermanas Alderman
    Colleen Bade
    • Mrs. Blackmeras Mrs. Blackmer
    • Director
      • Brian De Palma
    • Writers
      • David Mamet
      • Oscar Fraley(suggested by book)
      • Eliot Ness(suggested by book)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Albert H. Wolff, the last survivor of the real-life Untouchables, was a consultant on this movie, and helped Kevin Costner with his portrayal of Eliot Ness.
    • Goofs
      In the movie Ness is portrayed as married with children. In real life, Eliot Ness was a young bachelor living with his parents when he was hired as a prohibition agent and used political/family connections to get his Chicago assignment.
    • Quotes

      Malone: [talking privately in a church] 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.

    • Alternate versions
      In Belgium the first release in the theaters omitted the scene where Al Capone hits one of his henchmen with a base-ball bat. Two weeks after its release the scene was restored. Cinemas announced this to be the 'uncensored version'.
    • Connections
      Edited into Public Enemies (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      MOOD INDIGO
      Written by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills and Barney Bigard

      Arranged by Bob Wilber

      Courtesy of Wilkes College Jazz Archives

    User reviews578

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    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
    helpful•142
    72
    • MinorityReporter
    • Sep 21, 2005

    FAQ4

    • Why did Capone beat the guy to death with the bat?
    • What is the name of the song when Capone is at the opera?
    • Why are so many cops Irish?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 3, 1987 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Nesalomivi
    • Filming locations
      • Blackstone Hotel - 636 S. Michigan Avenue, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $25,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $76,270,454
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,023,094
      • Jun 7, 1987
    • Gross worldwide
      • $76,270,454
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 59 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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