Printing the legend and making it great

Rating: 9/10 (1 November 1999)

This has been a favorite film of mine for a long time, and I just got the opportunity to see it for the first time in widescreen. So first things first. Stephen H. Burum deserved an Oscar for his heroic cinematography. The film absolutely shimmers, and you really need to see the full image to understand how much the film is visually of a piece with the rest of Brian DePalma's work. Though the plot is minimal and the historical accuracy is for the birds, the dialogue and characterizations are tough and sure (listen particularly to the alley conversation between Malone and his old friend on the police force, a great scene I never hear anyone mention).
I will not say anything about Sean Connery. I want to praise Costner instead. This is a man who has gotten a lot of flack for his acting, but this is the one case where he seems to have really found a role he could commit to. He breathes the righteousness and honor of Ness down into his very shoes, and it pays off in a sincere and commanding performance. Much praise also for his aggressive physicality in the role, from his hurling of an envelope of cash into a would-be briber's face to his power in the train station shootout (it's him, not DePalma, who makes this scene work for me).
This film is a wonderful period piece because it does not cram the period down your throat. Instead, it seems lived-in and authentic. The actors don't seem awed by the fact that it's the 1930s all around them. It's just an afterthought, and that's the way it should be.
See this one, and savor it. Hooray to Brian DePalma for his best film.