fun to watch but fatally flawed

Rating: 5/10 (17 August 2005)

This movie was exciting and I could easily see the average viewer being impressed by it. Provided you only view it as ENTERTAINMENT and not history, you'll be fine. For its value as history, it is far less realistic than an episode of Mr. Peabody and Sherman (as he uses his WayBack Machine on the Bullwinkle Show to visit the past). Although Elliot Ness was a fine person, he was NOT responsible for the arrest or conviction of Al Capone. Sorry, it just didn't happen that way. Also, although it DID provide some realistic violence, the baseball bat scene with Capone was incredibly brutal and cannot be corroborated. Plus, some kids seeing this might just need an extensive round of therapy as a result. I guess this isn't a surprise, though, coming from the ultra-violent Brian DePalma. He is, apparently, a great genius as a director, though I am incredibly concerned what sort of spiritual cancer he has planted within all of us with his insistence on horrific violence. He and others like him will defend their right to free speech, but I can't help but feel a little dirty after watching his films.