could have, should have....

Rating: Null/10 (2 March 1999)

This one isn't holding up all that well in my books. There are some undoubtedly fantastic scenes and Oscar-worthy performances. But the overall quality is spotty.
Connery's performance remains one of my all-time favorites. His first meeting with Ness is very enjoyable. His death scene never fails to move me every single time I watch it. Great musical score as well.
DeNiro's Capone is too one-dimensional (no fault of his), Martin-Smith's is entirely cartoonish. Garcia is good, as is Costner, the earnestness which always characterizes his performances finding a perfect match in the character of Ness.
The bridge scene is so bad that it almost ruins the whole film. Connery manages to provide some saving grace with his interrogation tactics and opposition to running.
It seems as if this film is composed of nothing but caricatures, from the photographer to the police trainee, but the performances are so good and there are so many strong scenes that they somehow balance out the crude (read banal) writing. A friend of mine saw an interview with Mamet in which he said that the best stuff was actually edited out of the final product. Ya gotta hate studios. The Untouchables really could have been much better than it already is.