the ultimate match up between good and evil , ” the untouchables ” is an excellent movie because it looks deeper into an already examined rivalry .
based on the 1959 television show of the same title , ” the untouchables ” may be an exaggeration of the real life events that took place , but it fits together perfectly with some beautifully filmed action sequences , some excellent acting , a memorable score , and a clever script .
the film takes place in chicago during the prohibition era where mobsters led by the ruthless al capone run an underground market of liquor to the demanding public .
elliot ness and a small force of men known as the untouchables attempt the impossible by trying to stop capone and trying to maintain peace and order .
however , as ness soon learns , in order to stabilize peace , you have to bend a few laws .
the fact that capone is evil is very apparent from the first few scenes .
the film begins with capone , played perfectly by deniro , declaring that he is not a violent man and he is a firm believer in following all laws .
the film then quickly transfers to the next scene in which one of capone’s men bombs a restaurant that contains many innocent people including a little girl .
from this point we know capone is evil , not only because he kills without hesitation , but also because he is a lying bastard .
right from the first five minutes of the film , de palma has created a hatred towards capone and he shows that this man must be brought down at all costs .
this developed hatred is before the film’s hero , ness , is even introduced .
i found this approach to be very clever because in a small duration of time there is a great amount of admiration for ness and an equal amount of hatred for capone .
the film only gets better from this point .
with the formation of the untouchables , there is a group of men wearing long , dark overcoats and hats .
they walk in unison and they only look forward .
as they walk down the streets they are observed and feared by citizens .
holding shot guns and pistols in their hands to stop criminals , this image of vigilantes must have influenced future films .
one that comes to mind is ” the matrix ” when neo , morpheus , trinity , and the rest of the gang first come into the virtual world .
wearing more futuristic outfits of the same 1930’s style , the similarities between these two are countless .
” the untouchables ” has some of the hippest , bravest heroes in any action film .
the four members were the only ones willing to go against capone’s army .
each member of this special group also had their own characteristics that separated them from others .
elliot ness , played with perfect ingenuity by kevin costner , is a character that surely grows during the course of the film .
he begins as a man who is determined to follow all laws no matter how unfair they may be .
however , as the film develops so does ness .
his beliefs involving the law are shattered when he realizes that those he trusted are actually members of the other side .
he also begins to lose his stability when his adversaries begin to murder his friends .
his anger becomes so thunderous that he can no longer hold it in .
sean connery , who won an academy award for best supporting actor in his role , plays malone , an aging cop who decides to make one final run as a member of the untouchables .
malone acts as a mentor to ness .
he teaches him ” the chicago way ” to do things ; when they attack with a knife , you attack with a gun .
connery plays his character with the exact amount of wit and experience needed .
andy garcia does a wonderful job as george stone , a young man who is just becoming a police officer .
as ness grows , he begins to teach stone some valuable lessons that malone once taught him .
charles martin smith is also fantastic as the final member who attempts to use an income tax offense against capone .
smith is perfect for his role as he adds some valuable comic relief to the film .
the action scenes are also some of the most beautifully choreographed i have ever seen .
also very similar to ” the matrix , ” they are exciting and intense .
>from a western-like battle to the famous confrontation at the train station steps , the scenes are well thought out and well executed .
the score during these scenes ingeniously adds to the excitement .
its pounding drum beats act as a rhythm for the actors .
the combination of image and music is very impressive and also very effective .
although the real life untouchables may have been excessively glorified , this film is pure entertainment and contains a unique blend of great acting , great directing , and great action .
some scenes ( capone and the baseball bat , the train station ) have stuck in my mind for years and seeing them again will only make them more vivid .