Quite possibly the greatest gangster film

Rating: 10/10 (12 April 2016)

There are some rare moments in film history when stars collide and movies are created with the fabric of sheer brilliance. This is one of these rare occasions.
Brian De Palma is not the "star" of his film. Unlike the majority of his other work, he takes a step back and guides the "orchestra" masterfully. Every single shot of this movie is beautiful and appropriately placed. It feels like the director leaves his usual radical and personal style for a more conventional approach. The viewer is actually transported to the heart of 30s Chicago, partly of what it really was, partly of what urban lore has made us believe it was. One could say that this is the blueprint of Gotham city, in the batman mythos (1989's "Batman" by Tim Burton definitely feels like a dark spiritual cousin of this film). Anyway, to make you feel like you are actually in the heart of a city that has become legendary for its gangster activity is an incredible feat. Of course, whenever the plot delves into more "thriller-like" or suspenseful territory, De Palma grasps the opportunity and wrecks our nerves with his masterful approach. One of his most typical settings for a chase scene (in many of his movies) is a train/subway station, but the one in this film has to be one of the most gripping in the history of cinema! However, this movie would never have been what it is without its main feature: undoubtedly one of the best casting ensembles ever to grace the big screen. It feels like every actor was born to play his respective role. Obviously, Sean Connery steals the show with his Oscar winning performance. But apart from his highly praised performance, everybody else in the film fit their roles like hand in glove.
The only drawback in this movie is the generic, soulless music by, the otherwise genius of a composer, Ennio Morricone. There's not much melody going on, just some random string chord progressions backed by terrible 80s synth drums. One of the great maestro's all time lows.
Of course this is a minor detail in a movie of uncanny brilliance. If you are a casual movie-goer, this movie is guaranteed 2-hour entertainment, but if you are a longtime movie lover this movie will make you fall in love with cinema all over again. A real beauty!