Flashy Period Yarn Unable To Touch On A Historical or Emotional Level...

Rating: 6/10 (8 April 1999)

This huge production has been called a "re-evaluation" of the lame TV series and according to the end credits, it is fictitious. Sure, there was an Eliot Ness, but history tells us he was not the reserved man Costner plays him to be. History also tells us Capone did not fall this way. Anyway, THE UNTOUCHABLES is brainless entertainment, a film that looks and sounds great, but doesn't have any emotional payoff to look forward to. There are no glaring declarations of victory over Capone because prohibition was soon to be gone and De Palma and co. throw a last line from Ness at us to make everything okay. Check your intellect at the door and just accept this for what it is. A pulsating, slick vehicle for some big stars with an outstanding performance from Sean Connery.
UNTOUCHABLES has the De Palma touch: slow-motion scenes, crooked frames, and some fine overhead shots. Robert De Niro is merely a walk-on as Capone. His opening scene is great, however, his performance is nothing more than a brief blend of his other gangster roles with lines like: "I want 'em DEAD! You hear me, I want 'em DEAD!" It is almost self-parody. Costner assembles "the untouchables" through a chance meeting with tough Irishman Connery (who won an Oscar), a completely lifeless Andy Garcia (not his fault - the writers gave him nothing), and an accountant played by dopey Charles Martin Smith who has no problem grabbing a sawed-off shot gun and raiding a liquor deal without hesitation. Costner is his usual dull self, but Connery is no doubt worth watching. In fact, he holds the film together, barely.
There are some brutal scenes, but the standout is the now famous "Odessa-step" sequence in the train station. Rewind and watch a couple of times and you see a prime example of great choreography, set-up, and editing. It is an outrageous and impossible sequence, but it is visually rousing. (Look for a deadpan spoof of this scene in NAKED GUN 331/3) The scene, of course, is inspired by the revolutionary step romp in the classic Russian silent BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN. Credit must be given to the set designers who have replicated Chicago, 1930. It is a great looking picture, almost comic-book style. De Palma is a master of technical design and overblown Hitchcockian filmmaking which sometimes takes away from the actor's ability to perform. They are often overshadowed by the grandeur of it all.
I am being very critical because I expected a lot more. It is worth witnessing, especially in its wide-screen format. You never get the sense that anything plausible is happening and Costner does not have the presence here to carry it all. Thank the makers for thinking of Connery.
RATING: 6 of 10