Untouchables, The (UK)

I think this Transfer is good, despite some alising problems, Pity about the extras though, not one of De Palma`s best movies, I bit too impersonal for my taste...

"The Untouchables" is a true cinema great. De Palma is one of my favourite directors and he is on top of his game here. Employing every single cinematic technique, including the beloved long shot, "The Untouchables" is a fantastically made film. De Palma handles both suspense and thrilling action supremely. The train station scene reaches unbearable levels of tension. The untouchables themselves, Costner, Connery, Garcia and Smith are fantastic and make a great team. While, De Niro hams it up as Capone. In this age of rapid-fire MTV cuts, "The Untouchables" holds its own as a thrilling, pleasing and memorable film. It is quite possibly the best crime movie ever made and they sure do look "cool" in their Armani suits.

Video: First the great news. This 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is impeccable. There are minor defects, which are to be expected from a 15-year-old film, but these aren't distracting. Edge enhancements are minimal and although a few scenes could have been sharper, this is a clear transfer. Colours and steadiness are rock solid with nice contrast. The reds on the hotel carpets jump of the screen. Paramount has done Stephen Burum`s cinematography justice with this superb transfer. The film was recently shown in Pan/Scan on ITV and you simply cannot describe how much better this transfer is.

Audio: Here's where the bad news start. Presented in 5.1, "The Untouchables" is flawed in the audio department. The good bits first. The dialogue is clear (David Memet's script is fabulous with lots of rapid-fire dialogue), even though some of the ADR is appalling and Ennio Morricone's corker of a score is presented well. However there are some major faults with this. Taken from the original 6-track mix, surrounds are simply not used effectively. Directional seem off, gunshots and explosions are remarkably muddy. There is also an incredible amount of hiss on this soundtrack.

Extras: This is Paramount. Guess. I'll give you a clue. 7-letter word begins with T, ends with R. American name for a caravan.

Overall: "The Untouchables" is a true masterpiece of suspense, operatic violence, action and kinship. The transfer is superb and the audio disappoints (still be than TV of VHS) and extras are humbug. A 2-Disc Special Edition is BADLY needed.

Personally, I am not a big fan of gangster and mob movies but with the great cast and rave reviews, I decided to give this one a go. The result, I was very impressed with what I saw and what I saw was a well written and directed that was superbly acted.

The movie starts of by introducing us to the menacing Al Capone and we are informed about all his crimes during prohibition. Elliot Ness, A Treasuary agent, swears to bring him down. Unfortunately the corrupt police inform Capone about the bust that was to go down and he changes things at the last minute to make Elliot look like a laughing stock. Embarrased and ready to accept defeat, Elliot meets Malone, who appears to be the only good cop in Chicago. They team up and gather other "Untouchable" people. That is people who cannot be bought at any price. And so the battle begins.

The picture is quite clear and looks very vibrant considering the film is over 15 years old. The picture suffers slightly from one minor inconsistency, that is a variation from very sharp to moderate sharpness. As the film is old, there are some minor grain and dust specks but overall its a very good job done by paramount to restore this classic.

The sound is fairly good although sometimes it did appear to be a bit flat. The surrounds are used quite a bit and the score is simply superb and well defined through the speakers.

Extras: A pathetic trailer that isnt even remastered. Poor effort for a classic oscar winning movie.

Overall a great film that is indeed a classic. You dont need to be a fan of the genre to enjoy this movie, it has something for everyones tastebuds. The dvd has a great picture and sound but suffers from the lack of extras.