Not historically accurate, but still an alright movie

Rating: 6/10 (25 January 2020)

A glossy look at the peak of the Chicago mafia era.
The number of A-listers appearing is surprising. Started this movie not knowing what to expect and loved seeing so many well-known faces. Though, seeing Andy Garcia act did make me want to hurl. The acting was cheesy in some parts. Take, for example, Sean Connery's horrendous "Irish" accent or breathing "dead" people.
Attire and set design in this movie were visual eye-candy. Giorgio Armani did a nifty job making sure everyone's suit were a sign of the times and roles. Chicago was visually stunning and the movie portrayed the classical Windy City well.
The action scenes pepper the movie well and leaves enough to not bore.
For all its pluses, two things bothered me about this movie.
For starters, the cheesy musical score was distracting and felt ripped from a cheap 90s film. Nothing in the musical score was memorable or added much to the movie. I found myself more annoyed by the music than anything. Punches and gunshots sounded off and didn't match what was on screen. Out of all the money spent on this movie, more should've been spent on sound design.
Second, historical inaccuracies were glaring. The operation itself was a lot less flashy than what the movie makes it out to be. A lot fewer people died than what was in the movie. But this can be forgiven, Hollywood has to sell a story somehow.
For all that it gives and takes, this movie was a tough one to rate. I'll have to settle on a 3/5. Average at best. The movie aims too high above the bar and misses its mark.
Though critically received at the time, this movie felt a bit too cheesy and cliche for my tastes. Scenes were predictable, music was horrendous, and Sean Connery's accent was damnable.
I'd recommend this to those interested in Prohibition-era Chicago culture... but not for those with an eye for historical accuracy.