A good movie, but that's all it is. It's just `good', nothing more.

Rating: Null/10 (4 March 2001)

Am I the only person who found this movie a little mediocre? Okay, let me start with this:
This movie isn't bad. But it isn't genius. It is not one of the best movies of all time.
Problem Number 1: characterization. This is pretty standard if you ask me. These are basic characters that become more boring as the movie moves on. Many characters, like Andy Garcia, just seem to be there. We never really learn about him. I'll address a bigger character problem later.

Problem Number 2: the whole movie is a bit screwed up in awkward ways. Example: There is a scene where Malone and Ness are busting a bootleg outfit. This should be a tense moment. A bunch of cops are about to break in on a bunch of criminals. But, the music! The music that is playing is this triumphic, victory music, EVEN BEFORE THEY EVER ENTER THE WHEREHOUSE! I thought that it would have made much more sense to have a tenser moment with tenser music.
Problem Number 3: Robert De Niro. He's supposed to be the villain, the antagonist. But how long is he actually in this movie? It couldn't be any longer than 5 minutes. He is wasted in this movie.
Finally, Problem Number 4: Is it just me or is Sean Connery over praised in this movie? I know, I know; everyone praises him for his work in this movie. I know he won the Oscar that year for this. But does anyone really care about Oscars? Does Saving Private Ryan ring any bells? I am not calling his performance bad; I love Sean Connery. He's the one, true BOND! The man is one of my favorite actors! But people over praise him for this movie. His performance, while intense, lacks depth. Not to mention his accent is a mix between Irish (his character's accent) and Scottish (his real accent). And yes, there is a diffence.
Honestly, I didn't hate this movie. I did like it a little bit. I really, really can't see why this movie is considered as great as it is. There is some good, (great) stuff here. The elevator scene and the train station scene leap to mind. The Untouchables isn't really trying to say anything but, `Eh, here's a mob movie. Enjoy'. The Godfather said, `How do ya like that! POW POW POW! GENIUS!' and Goodfellas said, `You will love this movie, or we will kill you'.
I will say Costner gives a great performance. DeNiro, for what little time he has, is great too (but DeNiro is always great, so no surprise there).
In conclusion, the whole movie is good. It's worth a rent or an HBO viewing. I'm just p****d that I bought the movie before I saw it. Everyone said it was great! I now have a new rule: never buy a movie without seeing it beforehand no matter how praised it is. I don't regret buying it because it is enjoyable (and that opening sequence is cool), but had I seen it before I bought it, I would have gotten something else. My basic attitude toward the movie is that it's one of those movie that comes out, you see it, you say, `Eh, I liked it', then you forget about it. I just don't see the attraction.
Tin one sentence: the whole movie is about as deep as piece of paper, and just as heavy.
Overall Originality: 4/10 Plot: 6/10 Memorable Scenes: 9/10 Acting: 6/10 Characters: 4/10 Interest: 4/10
Overall: 6/10 (not an average)