The Chicago way

Rating: 8/10 (17 September 2007)

"The Untouchables" focuses on the efforts of investigator Eliot Ness to topple crime syndicate leader Al Capone in Prohibition-era Chicago. The film exaggerates the role of Eliot Ness and his loyal sidekicks, "The Untouchables" in disrupting Capone's activities and takes other liberties with history. The film nicely captures the look of Prohibition-era Chicago and Ennio Morricone's score is memorable and appropriate.
Kevin Costner is decent as Eliot Ness, the man leading the efforts against Capone. Robert De Niro is seen relatively little as Al Capone, but makes an impression in the scenes he is in. My favorite performance in the film was that of Sean Connery as the street-smart policeman who tutors Ness on the "right" way to fight Capone. The supporting performances were notable as well, particularly Charles Martin Smith and Andy Garcia as members of "The Untouchables" and Richard Bradford as the chief of Chicago police.
The story has enough turns to prevent it from becoming generic and is generally engaging. The action scenes are well-shot, although the scenes in the last half hour of the film were somewhat overlong. The film's famous action scene involving Ness and a stroller was well-done. Overall "The Untouchables" is a worthwhile film about combating organized crime during Prohibition.