Marevellously emotional, powerful, and violent... a huge achievement

Rating: 9/10 (4 January 2005)

Who would have thought a man, Brian De Palma, make a gangster film as good as Scarface? Not many, maybe: but no-one whosoever would predict that he made a better one, within five years, especially. But he did, and in doing so, he created the perfect gangster movie: passionate, stylish and emotionally jerking, this is both stunningly graphic and surprisingly beautiful.
1930's, Chicago. Al Capone (played superbly by De Niro) proudly proclaims what a success he is, and that he is in no way involved with any illegal shipments of alcohol, or any violent crime. He denies, very strongly, that he does not kill anyone who refuses to buy his products.
The next day, Chicago: a little girl goes to boil her water in a local pub, and the owner refuses to a man dressed in white to buy any liquor. He 'accidently' leaves behind his briefcase. The girl notices, and runs out to give it to him, but before she even gets out, the briefcase explodes in her face, as well as destroying the whole pub. The man gets in his car and drives away.
Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner, his best performance) is a cop, a recent signing to the Chicago law enforcement team. He's a treasury officer, and on arrival with this news of the bombing, he becomes more eager to get Capone. A meeting with the mother (in an extremely heartfelt scene-trust me, you won't be expecting to cry so early on) really shows him what this man, Capone, is doing to the city. He's a crook, and he must be stopped.
But his first assignment is a complete bust. Instead of picking up the alcohol, he gets the umbrellas, and becomes the laughing stock of the whole department. Not only does this hugely embarrass Ness, it fuels Capone to hilarity- thus is the start of a feud that will end more than one life...
This film is superb on so many levels. As well as the action set pieces being excellent (if surprisingly violent- for its time, how did this get a UK '15' certificate) but it also has a majestic and epic feel to it. The emotions of both sides are shown and played out marvellously- particularly when Irish Cop Malone (Sean Connery) comes into the picture.
Perhaps the most shocking scene, in ways, is the best. As Al Capone mercilessly beats the head in of a fellow 'family' member, and the blood spills across the table cloth, it really proves this is no popcorn picture. Fans of gory films will be pleased, but in some ways subdued. This is not gory for fun, or to push boundaries- this is gory to show in what graphic details these psychopaths will go through.
An achievement that stands tall, 'The Untouchables' is a classic. This is very tense, very violent and very emotive: a must see, and the best picture 'De Palma' has done.