Eliot Ness; Nerd Accountant

Rating: Null/10 (8 June 2007)

I have never been a big fan of Kevin Costner's, though I do have several of his movies. I tend to buy movies mainly for the story and not for who is in them. On the flip side of this, I'm a huge fan of Clint Eastwood, and there are a few movies he made that I either haven't seen or only seen once because I don't think they're worth watching. But on to THE UNTOUCHABLES.
When I commented on the television show, I mentioned that Costner plays Ness more like a nerdy accountant. I don't particularly like this interpretation of Ness, although after reading Ness's bio, I understand that this was the way he really was. I suppose it makes sense, since he worked for the treasury department.
This is a great story about the Chicago underworld in the thirties and the men who helped bring them to justice. And what have we here? Another soundtrack by the great one, Ennio Morricone. Slightly different fare from his great spaghetti Western scores, but still not bad. I'll take Morricone on a so-so day before I'll take most other composers on their best day.
Robert Di Niro is chilling as the ruthless Al Capone. Did he win an Oscar for that performance? He should have. And the movie kept you on the edge of your seat, wondering how this chess game was going to be played out. Interesting that Frank Nitti met his demise after Capone was convicted of income tax evasion. He lasted a pretty long time in the TV show. And Jimmy Malone's statement is so true. In order to win a war on crime, you have to play dirty. To borrow a quote from the movie, "If Capone comes at you with a knife, you bring a gun. If he sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way." Ness had to slaughter all sorts of sacred cows to bring Capone and his men down. But that's what it takes sometimes to keep this country safe. Something our politicians should think about before they pass legislation protecting the rights of criminals. 9 out of 10.