The Untouchables

Name: The Untouchables
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller, Crime
Released: June 3, 1987
Duration: 119 min
Rating: 79
Cast: Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Sean Connery

1987

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 224 Ratings

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8.6

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8.6	User Score Universal acclaim based on 224 Ratings

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The Untouchables

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: June 3, 1987 | R

Starring: Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Sean Connery

Summary: Federal Agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop Al Capone with a small, hand-picked team.

Director: Brian De Palma

Genre(s): Drama, History, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 119 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

James Berardinelli

May not have much thematic depth, but it represents two hours of pure, exuberant entertainment – an epic gangster tale rendered on a grand scale. Read full review

100

Bill Cosford

This is a big, beautifully designed movie in which the filmmakers' intelligence is everywhere; it's the product of a special vision. And Brian De Palma continues to be good news from Hollywood. [3 June 1987, p.D1]

100

Richard Schickel

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. Read full review

De Palma's visual acuity tends to blur into mere gimmickry without the benefit of a resonant script. He got one in Carrie and another in Blow Out. Here, Mamet makes do with a text that is always shrewd but never intelligent. Still, when shwrewdness meets style, smoothing the curves and polishing the twists, the ride becomes a bonafide crowd-pleaser. The Untouchables is the cheering people's happy choice. [4 June 1987]

Jay Boyar

One triumph of The Untouchables is the way its operatic style accommodates larger-than-life performances. Read full review

David Sterritt

The movie soars highest when De Palma engages in the purely visual storytelling that he considers (rightly) his strongest suit as a director. [4 June 1987, p.29]

Eric Henderson

Steeped in De Palma's glorious violence and sinuous cinematography, but stripped of his tricky sensuality and his anarchic self-reflective wit, The Untouchables boils down to a lot of talk. Read full review

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User Reviews

TylerDurden900

Jul 9, 2014

The Untouchables is a magnificent crime drama. The story is interesting, the action is incredible and the
cast couldn't be more talented. Untouchables is a flawless crime drama with spectacular action
and classic performances from the whole cast, A+.

29 of 32 users found this helpful293

Jacob1700

Aug 12, 2020

Watched this movie with my Dad a while back! I absolutely loved it! The exellent acting, air-tight plot and interesting story will have you captivated till' the final scene! The fight scenes had me on the edge of my seat every time! Not to mention some of the best story telling I've everWatched this movie with my Dad a while back! I absolutely loved it! The exellent acting, air-tight plot and interesting story will have you captivated till' the final scene! The fight scenes had me on the edge of my seat every time! Not to mention some of the best story telling I've ever seen! If you haven't seen this movie you're missing out on the best crime drama action thriller out there today! Even if you don't like the genre, give this movie a shot! You wont regret it!… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

Xmoviefilms

Nov 2, 2020

This one deserves to be a classic with its clever moments and memorable characters.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

FilipeNeto

Jun 28, 2018

This film takes place during the Prohibition, the golden age of American Mafia, and shows the difficulties that law enforcement had to arrest Al Capone, Chicago's biggest mafia boss. Brian de Palma seems to have a powerful attraction for violence and the mafia, this being his second majorThis film takes place during the Prohibition, the golden age of American Mafia, and shows the difficulties that law enforcement had to arrest Al Capone, Chicago's biggest mafia boss. Brian de Palma seems to have a powerful attraction for violence and the mafia, this being his second major film on the subject (the first, if I'm not mistaken, was "Scarface"), but there is no doubt that his work was good and deserves congratulations. The story is told from the point of view of law enforcement, which is a novelty since most of the films that focus on Al Capone tend to show his life, or moments of his criminal course. This film shows him as the big villain he was and glorifies police officers, easily transforming Eliott Ness (played brilliantly by Kevin Costner in one of the most interesting works of his career) into a paladin of justice and law. Robert De Niro revisits his gangster movies ("The Godfather", "Goodfellas" etc.) in a curious and comic interpretation of Al Capone, and Sean Connery plays a street policeman of Irish descent. In fact, it was precisely in this character that Connery got his only Oscar, despite all actors have fulfilled my expectations. The film is well constructed, looking to alternate epic action scenes (sometimes recalling in my mind the glory of cavalry battle charges) with moments of great psychological depth and some suspense. At times, however, the film seems a bit forced, with exaggerated appeals to sentimentality, as it does in the final sequence, often parodied or imitated in later films. Another problem with the film is that it is not faithful to historical events. Al Capone's arrest was not like that, nor was Ness behind it. The film contains some scenes of great violence and is inadvisable for children, adolescents and impressionable people.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

MarvelJoe

Feb 20, 2019

Even though some things in the movie wasn't accurate, it's still a pretty intense film to watch.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Broyax

Oct 19, 2018

La "Prohibition"... c'est assez dingue quand on y pense qu'une telle loi ait existé... vous vous rendez compte après le boulot : "bon, qu'est-ce tu fais, Raymond ? on va s'en jeter un ?... allez, fais péter deux limonades, patron !" Nul doute que ç'a dû être un complot monté par Coca-ColaLa "Prohibition"... c'est assez dingue quand on y pense qu'une telle loi ait existé... vous vous rendez compte après le boulot : "bon, qu'est-ce tu fais, Raymond ? on va s'en jeter un ?... allez, fais péter deux limonades, patron !" Nul doute que ç'a dû être un complot monté par Coca-Cola tout ça !

Et donc le Sieur Capone qui roulait des mécaniques et qui arrosait tout le monde ("c'est ma tournée" qu'il disait) incarné ici par un De Niro dans son élément mais aussi dans une certaine caricature. De toute façon, son rôle est un peu trop discret pour ne pas dire sensiblement éludé, je m'attendais à autre chose.

Quant à Kevin en justicier raide comme la justice, s'il mord un petit peu la ligne jaune, il n'en reste pas moins assez falot... au contraire du grand Sean qui s'affirme comme le vrai chef de toute l'opération, grande gueule et trompe-la-mort... Le ton global du film oscille d'ailleurs entre la légèreté et une violence qui ne fait pas dans la dentelle, un curieux mélange qui fait plutôt penser à une bande dessinée en fait.

Cela étant dit, De Palma dispense une très agréable mise en scène dont il maîtrise tous les rouages, faits d'élégance et de raffinement (cf la scène dans la gare avec... le landau !) et la musique fort réussie d'Ennio Morricone soutient avec à-propos cette réalisation décidément sans faille. Et incorruptible.

Un film plutôt contrasté finalement et néanmoins bien mené. S'il pâtit d'un Kevin Costner en demi-teinte, l'ensemble reste divertissant et très fluide (mais n'a rien à voir avec un Scarface...).… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

amheretojudge

Mar 31, 2018

that's the chicago way..

The Untouchables There are some nail biting sequences created that leaves you with an awe but for the rest of the feature the character link and the world portrayed is weak contrary to its premise. Brian De Palma chews off too much for his characters that sometimesthat's the chicago way..

The Untouchables

There are some nail biting sequences created that leaves you with an awe but for the rest of the feature the character link and the world portrayed is weak contrary to its premise. Brian De Palma chews off too much for his characters that sometimes comes off as a bit slow and downer for the audience especially when the script is wafer thin. Kevin Costner; as the protagonist is convincing but the real game changers are the supporting cast i.e. Sean Connery and Robert De Niro. The Untouchables; being of course a character driven feature, doesn't seek attention especially in its first half that is barely standing on any grounds and is fortunately saved by the second half where things get brutal, up close and personal offering the perfect amount of drama that was essential all along.… Expand

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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