Review of Untouchables, The

Introduction

It`s hard to imagine that the Unites States of America isn`t even three hundred years old. Today it is the world`s only remaining superpower, profligate in its wealth, and the perfect definition of a modern capitalist nation. Yet only a hundred years ago, it was still a nascent nation, still expanding its frontiers through colonisation, and like few other countries, creating legends regarding their bandits and outlaws. This fascination persisted as recently as living memory, as the story of the Untouchables relates. As draconian and ill-considered laws are wont to do, Prohibition in the 1930s created an instant market for illegal alcohol, and organised crime quickly stepped in to provide illicit liquor to those willing to pay. With that market came the associated protection rackets, intimidation and gang wars, as well as the corruption of civic authorities that so plagued the United States in the early part of this century. The most notorious of the criminals was Al Capone, and equally famous was Elliot Ness, the Treasury Agent tasked with bringing him down. 1987`s The Untouchables is loosely based on those characters and events.

Al Capone, the charismatic and media friendly mob leader runs Chicago with an iron fist, selling his bootlegged liquor with impunity and owning half the police force. Random mob violence affects the ordinary citizens though, and it`s Treasury Agent Elliot Ness who is sent to shut Capone`s organisation down and bring him to justice. However, Ness` initial campaign against Capone is a dismal failure played out in front of the harsh glare of the reporter`s flashbulbs, and it isn`t long before he is a laughing stock. It rapidly becomes apparent that Capone owns the Chicago Police Force in effect, if not in fact. It`s a chance encounter with beat cop Jim Malone that offers a glimmer of hope to Ness. Malone has been passed over for promotion because of his unwillingness to be bought, but in Ness sees the opportunity to do some good. He takes Ness under his wing and begins to teach him the Chicago way of doing things, and with the aid of rookie cop George "Giuseppe Petri" Stone a second generation Italian and mild mannered accountant Oscar Wallace, The Untouchables (so named because they refuse to be bribed) take the fight to Capone.

Video

The Untouchables gets an impeccable 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer. The image is pin sharp, crystal clear and filmed with a vivid palette. Add to that the amazing period sets and costumes and painstaking attention to detail, and you get a visual experience that is hard to match. Brian De Palma`s operatic set pieces are just the icing on the cake. If there is anything to detract from the image, it would be a minor smidgen of print damage, but it`s hardly worth mentioning.

Audio

The sound is a DD 5.1 English mix up-mixed from the original Stereo track. It does all the right things, immersing you in the film with powerful representation of the action and crystal clear reproduction of Ennio Morricone`s evocative score. There is also a DD 2.0 Surround German track.

Features

Just a measly trailer from Paramount. Actually, being an early purchaser, I did get a cardboard box instead of the usual Amaray, with a unique dot matrix number printed on the spine indicating my membership in an exclusive club of suckers. I feel so compensated…

Conclusion

The Untouchables is undoubtedly one of my favourite films of the eighties, and it`s brought to vivid life here on this DVD. It may not be historically accurate, but it`s enjoyable in the extreme, with a compelling story, amazing action set pieces, an intelligent script and some outstanding performances. The pre war years have a certain mystique about them, a sense of elegance and style that has never been equalled, a society in flagrant excess and an opulence and glamour that is tantalising. It`s all depicted with lush extravagance in The Untouchables, with Al Capone portrayed as the epitome of this luxurious greed, yet even the down to earth characters like Ness and Malone live in wonderfully furnished environments that speak of a lost comfort and style.

The casting is superb, Kevin Costner is his usual wooden (before he petrified in Waterworld) upright self, ideal for a cleaner than clean treasury agent, but it`s the inspired casting of Sean Connery as his mentor Malone and a brilliant performance from Robert De Niro as Capone that make this film really special. Sean Connery steals the film with a charismatic portrayal of the Irish beat cop, even making a minor concession to accent with the occasional heartfelt "Jay-sus!" But De Niro is close on his heels with a screen filling, larger than life Al Capone, and both of them compete for the best lines. There is also some solid support from Andy Garcia as Stone and Charles Martin Smith as Oscar Wallace. There is also a chilling Frank Nitti, played in a dapper white suit by Billy Drago.

It`s a curious contradiction in terms of violence though, at times sudden and brutal, as when Capone demonstrates his batting technique on the skull of a hapless Lieutenant, at other times operatic and finely choreographed as in the bridge shoot out and the now infamous and often parodied Chicago Station sequence, itself an homage to the Odessa Steps sequence in Battleship Potemkin. But it also serves to avoid glorifying violence to an excessive degree, and shows, through some excellent direction that the consequences are shocking and harrowing.

I also like the way that Ness has to become that which he despises to achieve his ends, culminating with an effective and powerful (as well as fictional) showdown between Ness and Nitti on the roof of the courthouse, although the effect of the scene is diminished somewhat by having the character spell it out in no uncertain words 5 minutes later.

However Paramount`s treatment of one of it`s modern classics is criminal, no pun intended. For such an excellent Oscar winning film to be released, admittedly with an excellent transfer, but lacking any extras of note, is mind-boggling and just plain wrong. There must surely be a wealth of extra material regarding the film`s production. It`s just ripe for a commentary, deleted scenes and the like that would only reward fans. It`s not just a Region bias either, as the region 1 disc is similarly lacking.

Still this one of the best films of recent years, with a high level of excellence in every aspect, and it`s easy for me to recommend despite the bare bones disc. As a pure gangster flick, I doubt that it`s on the par of films like Scarface or Goodfellas, but it is the rarest of animals, a gangster film that appeals to a broad audience. It`s got it all, style, action and intelligence in spades. Films like this come along only once in every generation. What are you waiting for?