Featured Audience Ratings

• John M

  
  One of the best gangster movies made.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  "First, what a great cast. De Niro, Costner, Garcia, and the great Connery. You can't wrong with a line up like that. The story is about the newbie, Ness, taking down the ruthless, fearless gangster Al Capone. With the help from Malone, Ness is able to bring together a… More
  "First, what a great cast. De Niro, Costner, Garcia, and the great Connery. You can't wrong with a line up like that. The story is about the newbie, Ness, taking down the ruthless, fearless gangster Al Capone. With the help from Malone, Ness is able to bring together a small group of cops who are not afraid to go up against Mr. Capone. Soon Ness's family is being targeted and the rules he always lived by go out the window and he starts playing the game as dirty as Capone. The movie is a great gangster classic. It has a great plot with lots of action. The acting is great of course. I'm glad I finally got around to seeing this. If you get the chance, check this one out."

• Emil K

  
  This is clearly a lesser effort from legendary director Brian De Palma. The Untouchables feels too often to be tied up in a genre cliches and fails to add anything new in the gangster-film genre. It also is visually far from De Palma's more innovative works like, Femme Fatale,… More
  This is clearly a lesser effort from legendary director Brian De Palma. The Untouchables feels too often to be tied up in a genre cliches and fails to add anything new in the gangster-film genre. It also is visually far from De Palma's more innovative works like, Femme Fatale, Carlito's Way, Snake Eyes or his 70's slashers. It only comes alive in it's nicely staged set-pieces. Especially the now legendary variation on Odessa's Steps is highly enjoyable to watch and stands possibly the best part in a whole film. With broad performances from his actors, De Palma creates a film intentionally over the top and that does work occasionally, but too often it makes the whole film feel like a comic-book adaptation and some acting, like in Robert De Niro's case, is just utterly bad and hammy. This is a film that has all the ingredients to be great but De Palma and writer David Mamet plays too safe this time. With a potential and a team like this you could say that The Untouchables is a misfire and one of the lesser works from Brian De Palma. He is an artist who is at his very best when he is pushing his own limits and here he has decided to play it way too safe. Too bad.

• Martin S

  
  This was a good movie. Everybody does there thing the way they should. I would probably have give it 4 stars if I had watched it at another time. It just wasn't the right time to see it... I saw it again during the right time....hence the 4 stars

• Tim S

  
  I am, and have always been, a self-confessed DePalma addict. Never has the man failed to disappoint me. Even his weakest work is like gold to me. Of course, The Untouchables is anything but weak. People like to classify it as a gangster film, but I disagree. This is about the cops… More
  I am, and have always been, a self-confessed DePalma addict. Never has the man failed to disappoint me. Even his weakest work is like gold to me. Of course, The Untouchables is anything but weak. People like to classify it as a gangster film, but I disagree. This is about the cops fighting the gangsters and to me that declassifies it. Everything about this film is perfect. The tone, the script, the outcome, the score, the performances - everything is just top notch all the way down the line. In other words, I love this film. Thank you Brian DePalma.

• Kristijonas F

  
  A skillfully directed Prohibition-era gangster flick, The Untouchables is violent, stylish, and extremely entertaining. Featuring great performances from the entire cast, the film is a very satisfying ride with great attention to detail and an excellent

• Jeff "

  
  The crime genre is one of my favorite films genres aside from horror and action. I had read things about this film and I was slightly confused, I originally thought it was a tv series or something. But I was wrong. The Untouchables is an entertaining but inaccurate film detailing the… More
  The crime genre is one of my favorite films genres aside from horror and action. I had read things about this film and I was slightly confused, I originally thought it was a tv series or something. But I was wrong. The Untouchables is an entertaining but inaccurate film detailing the investigation and subsequent capture of Al Capone during the Depression era. The filmmakers have obviously taken a few creative liberties to make the film more entertaining. The scene where Elliott Ness murders gangster Frank Nitti never happened, but was put in the film for an even more dramatic effect. This is a good film, and it is interesting to see a film based on Al Capone who is played by Robert De Niro. I thought De Niro, considering his impressive resume in previous crime films could have delivered a slightly better performance. Brian DePalma is a good filmmaker, but he could have strived to make this film more accurate, considering the terrific subject of this picture. I did not hate the film, but I'm just saying that there is room for improvement. The Untouchables is an entertaining film with a good enough cast to make this film watchable. Sean Connery, for me at least was the best actor in the film, De Niro would be second and third would be Costner. De Niro was good as Capone, but thinking that he played in such gangster classics as The Godfather Part II and Once Upon A Time In America, you'd expect something truly terrific on screen. He gives an entertaining performance, but like I've said, he could have been better. The Untouchables is an average gangster film that is purely designed for entertainment, substituting fact for fiction.

• Emile T

  
  Classic..

• Manu G

  
  Very good movie! Old school baby, that's how it was done in the days! Love the cast and love the story, great acting!!! Prohibition in the United States has led to an organized crime wave in the 1920s and early 1930s. Various gangs bootleg vast amounts of alcohol and control… More
  Very good movie! Old school baby, that's how it was done in the days! Love the cast and love the story, great acting!!! Prohibition in the United States has led to an organized crime wave in the 1920s and early 1930s. Various gangs bootleg vast amounts of alcohol and control their businesses with violence and extortion. The problem is most serious in Chicago, where gang leader Al Capone (Robert De Niro) has almost the whole city (even the Mayor of Chicago) under his control, and supplies poor-quality liquor at high prices. Treasury Department agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) is put in charge of leading the crusade against Capone and his empire. Ness's initial strategy is to conduct raids using a large squad of uniformed officers, but his first attempt fails when he breaks into a warehouse storing umbrellas (although it is implied by Capone's reaction to the newspaper headline about Ness' mistake that it was indeed a liquor warehouse, but his men had been tipped off by one or more corrupt officers). Embarrassed over the fiasco and seeking ideas for a change of tactics, Ness has a chance encounter with Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery), an incorruptible Irish beat cop who understands the way Capone does business, and decides to ask for his help. Malone urges Ness to become as ruthless as the gangsters he wants to take down: "He pulls a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way, and that's how you get Capone." With corruption running rampant throughout the Chicago police force, Malone suggests that Ness recruit directly from the police academy in order to find team members who have not yet had a chance to come under Capone's influence. Italian-American trainee George Stone, formerly Giuseppe Petri (Andy García), is enlisted for his superior marksmanship and calm reactions under pressure. Joined by Treasury accountant Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith), detailed to Chicago from Washington, Ness has built an incorruptible team, capable of combating Capone. Their first raid takes place in a local post office whose storeroom is used to house Capone's illegal liquor. Malone and most of the police know where the alcohol is, but they leave it alone because no one wants to provoke Capone and his gang. The raid succeeds without incident, though Capone later kills the man who had been in charge of the storeroom with a baseball bat. As the four pick up steam and become noted by the press, Wallace begins to probe the finances of the Capone organization. He believes that a feasible method of prosecution is through a tax evasion charge, if nothing else. At one point, Ness is visited by a Chicago alderman who is also under Capone's control. The alderman tries to bribe Ness into dropping the investigation, but Ness angrily rejects the offer and throws him out in full view of the team. As he leaves, he mockingly refers to them as "untouchable" and says that Capone, who is known as a cop-killer, can get to anyone he chooses, one way or another. The alderman's words prove to be true when Capone's chief hit man, Frank Nitti (Billy Drago), makes veiled threats toward Ness and his family outside his house, and drives off before Ness can capture him. Realizing that Capone has targeted him, Ness orders his wife and daughter moved to a safer place; Malone and Stone then bring word of a large whiskey shipment coming in from Canada, and the team flies north to set up a raid at the border. During the raid, Ness's team and a squad of Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers intercept the shipment, arresting or killing everyone involved. Malone captures one of Capones bookkeepers, George (Brad Sullivan), and the team tries to persuade him to provide evidence against Capone. George initially refuses to cooperate, even after Malone assaults him. However, he changes his mind once Malone shoots a thug (who was actually already dead) in the mouth to frighten him. Enraged even further, Capone orders his men to hunt down and kill Ness (even Ness' family), knowing that with Ness dead, the Untouchables will be finished. Ness's wife, meanwhile, has just given birth to their second child. At the police station, where the Untouchables are being congratulated, Wallace prepares to escort George into protective custody. However, they are both shot and killed by Nitti, disguised as the policeman operating the elevator; when the bodies are found, the word "TOUCHABLE" has been written on the wall in their blood. Ness is left with insufficient evidence to press charges, and the frustration drives him into challenging Capone in public to a physical fight in front of his son and several armed henchmen. Malone intervenes and forces Ness to back down, defusing the confrontation. Malone tells Ness to stall the district attorney from dropping the case while he searches for information regarding Walter Payne, another of Capone's bookkeepers. A subpoena is issued for Payne, prompting Capone's men to make plans to get him out of town. After a brutal fistfight with Mike Dorsett, the corrupt police chief who sold out Wallace and George, Malone learns of the intended escape. Returning home and calling Ness to arrange a meeting, Malone is stalked by a knife-wielding thug, but quickly drives him out the back door at gunpoint. The stalker proves to have been bait for an ambush by Nitti, who shoots Malone repeatedly with a tommy gun. He is barely alive when Ness and Stone find him, and he shows Ness which train Payne will be taking before dying in his arms. Ness and Stone arrive at Union Station and find Payne guarded by several gangsters. After a fierce shootout (an homage to the famous Odessa Steps scene from The Battleship Potemkin), the two succeed in killing all of the other gangsters and taking Payne alive. Payne testifies in court against Capone, admitting his role in channeling money to Capone over the last three years. Ness, however, notices Capone relaxed and even smiling, despite the probability of serving a long prison sentence, and also sees Nitti carrying a gun in court. He takes Nitti out of the courtroom with the bailiff and discovers that Nitti has permission from the corrupt mayor of Chicago to carry the weapon. Ness then identifies Nitti as Malones murderer after finding Malone's address on a matchbook in Nitti's pocket. Panicking, Nitti shoots the bailiff and runs up to the roof, exchanging gunfire with Ness all the way. Eventually, Ness gets Nitti in his sights, but cannot bring himself to shoot the man in cold blood. Nitti gives himself up to Ness, stating that Malone died "screaming like a stuck Irish pig" and that Ness should think about that when he, Nitti, is tried and convicted for the murder but set free anyway. Enraged at the thought that Nitti will escape punishment for his crimes, and provoked to revenge, Ness pushes Nitti off the roof. He shouts to the screaming thug, "Did he sound anything like that?" before Nitti dies on impact with a parked car. Back inside the courthouse, Stone shows Ness a document from Nittis jacket that shows bribes paid to the jurors, explaining Capone's relaxed mood. The judge has no intention of using it as evidence and is fully prepared to let Capone go free, inadvertently revealing his own corruption or fear of the crime boss. In a last ditch effort, Ness talks the judge into doing the right thing, bluffing him into believing that the judge's name is among those in the bookkeeper's ledger of payoffs. As a result, the judge decides to switch this jury with the one in another courtroom. Before the trial can continue, Capone's lawyer changes the plea of "not guilty" to one of "guilty" without Capone's consent. Capone is sentenced to 11 years in prison. Ness taunts Capone, who pretends not to hear as he is taken into custody. As he packs up his office, Ness contemplates the Saint Jude medallion that Malone had carried with him for many years (linked to his call box key), and which Malone had given to him before dying. Ness gives the medallion to Stone, reasoning that since Jude is the patron saint of police officers, Malone would have wanted him to have it. Out on the street, a reporter wishes to have a word from Ness, but Ness modestly downplays his role in the showdown. When the reporter mentions that Prohibition is due to be repealed and asks what Ness might do then, Ness responds, "I think I'll have a drink."

• Randy T

  
  Stylized and revisionist in its approach but still fun and entertaining.

• Daniel P

  
  An enjoyable and exciting film with some great scenes (i.e. De Niro's baseball speech, the reference to Battleship Potemkin - Odessa Steps - in the climactic shootout). The film starts as a seemingly realistic gangster film, pushing all the right noir buttons, but as it goes on… More
  An enjoyable and exciting film with some great scenes (i.e. De Niro's baseball speech, the reference to Battleship Potemkin - Odessa Steps - in the climactic shootout). The film starts as a seemingly realistic gangster film, pushing all the right noir buttons, but as it goes on its flaws start to weigh on the viewer. Costner, for one, is wooden (as always) and can't seem to commit to his (allegedly) Chicagoan accent. And maybe I'm biased, but the references to Canada were completely clueless: for one, why would the "liquor" cases have red maple leaves on them, 37 years before Canada adopted its maple leaf flag? And for another, in the border scene: Capone's liquor came by plane, boat and train. Were it to come by truck, over a bridge, it would have most likely come through the border in Michigan - with either Sault Ste. Marie, Sarnia or Windsor. Windsor borders Detroit, which would have been booming with the auto industry at the time; Sault Ste. Marie has been miines and industriial land forever, and Sarnia borders Port Huron, a small city that, though it may not have been urbanized yet, certainly did not replace A MOUNTAIN. A final complaint is that the once-believable film gets a bit comic booky before the end. I just couldn't buy the character crawling with 10-20 machine gun holes in him, or the awful blue background (on green screen, I think) as the character falls off the building. I've said a lot about the problems with this film, but only for one reason: to defend not calling this film as great as many people think it is. Despite the above, I found it entertaining and for the most part an enjoyable visual experience - just lower your expectations, this isn't De Palma's best.

• Alexis N

  
  Such a great story, great cast, great (over) acting. The music is weird, but it's the 80's and the dialog is a bit off too. The suits and wardrobe is beautiful.. that's Armani for you. The film is pretty bad ass and teaches you the meaning of "team work", I… More
  Such a great story, great cast, great (over) acting. The music is weird, but it's the 80's and the dialog is a bit off too. The suits and wardrobe is beautiful.. that's Armani for you. The film is pretty bad ass and teaches you the meaning of "team work", I loved it and I think I have a crush on Kevin Costner now.

• KJ P

  
  This is not a movie, it's art at it's best. This has easily got to be one of the best films ever created. The style, suspense, violence, and crude language flow with this movie, or without it, to make it touching in a brutal way. Kevin Costner does a stand up and cheer… More
  This is not a movie, it's art at it's best. This has easily got to be one of the best films ever created. The style, suspense, violence, and crude language flow with this movie, or without it, to make it touching in a brutal way. Kevin Costner does a stand up and cheer performance and this film should be known as a legacy towards gangster films of the ages. Mind settling mysteries and entertainment right up until the very end when things get messy and tides turn for the better and the worse, but Kevin Costner comes out on top fighting his way past the evil Al Capone (Robert DeNiro). Charishable film that shall never be forgotten in the years to come.

• Conner R

  
  To say that The Untouchables is a crime film would be unfair. In no way does it sympathize or understand Al Capone, itâ??s about the task force that cleans him up. As a period police film it works amazingly well. I think De Palma was smart and instead of trying to compete with… More
  To say that The Untouchables is a crime film would be unfair. In no way does it sympathize or understand Al Capone, itâ??s about the task force that cleans him up. As a period police film it works amazingly well. I think De Palma was smart and instead of trying to compete with Copollaâ??s The Godfather, he went an alternate route. The performances are great, especially from Robert De Niro. His Al Capone is flawless, I donâ??t think anyone will be able to capture the magic of that character again. It also has some very good early performances from Andy Garcia and Kevin Costner. The suspense factor is really what sells this movie and it is done perfectly. It also has one of the greatest theme songs ever, of course itâ??s by Ennio Morricone.

• Film C

  
  AMAZING!! Brilliant Ganster movie, its entertaining, funny and brilliantly acted, an i love the storyline as well about Al Capone! Robert De Niro plays the part brilliantly really good!! A good movie thats worth the watch!

• Al S

  
  An explosive crime drama. It's a classic cops vs criminals film. Barrels blazing action from beginning to end. A magnificent cast that give it their all in roles that truly fit them. Kevin Costner gives a great and strong performance. Sean Connery gives an excellent performance,… More
  An explosive crime drama. It's a classic cops vs criminals film. Barrels blazing action from beginning to end. A magnificent cast that give it their all in roles that truly fit them. Kevin Costner gives a great and strong performance. Sean Connery gives an excellent performance, he gives one of the best and most enduring performances of his career. Robert De Niro is marvelous. Director, Brian De Palma's masterpiece. A true vintage style full of sharp wit and excellence. Stunning, remarkable and groundbreaking. Powerful and extremely enjoyable. One of the great classics of the 80's decade. An unforgettable and exhilarating thrill-ride.

• Jens S

  
  DePalma's masterpiece about Al Capone's downfall. The classic tale of good cops, corrupted cops and the Mafia was never told more thrilling than here. By blowing up a little girl in the first five minutes while De Niro smirks as a self-pleased Al Capone, the movie makes it… More
  DePalma's masterpiece about Al Capone's downfall. The classic tale of good cops, corrupted cops and the Mafia was never told more thrilling than here. By blowing up a little girl in the first five minutes while De Niro smirks as a self-pleased Al Capone, the movie makes it easy to cheer for the good guys. And while there is no doubt that horrible losses must be met in a fight against crime, the end is still very satisfying, yet bitter sweet. The showdown on the train station stairs is already a classic, the soundtrack and cast are outstanding. Deserved Oscar for Sean Connery and the beginning of Cosnter's and Garcia's careers. A Must see.

• Jon L

  
  Unfortunately, the filmmakers were not big fans of the original show nor did they stick to the TV series, however, this was a great film on its own. It has a superb cast and it was well written. The music is a strong point as well. It has a great classical soundtrack feel with… More
  Unfortunately, the filmmakers were not big fans of the original show nor did they stick to the TV series, however, this was a great film on its own. It has a superb cast and it was well written. The music is a strong point as well. It has a great classical soundtrack feel with hints of 30's big band. Capone?s mannerisms really paralleled ?gangsters? of today which I found interesting. His mannerisms and attitude were nothing short of intimidating. It was refreshing to see a protagonist with such good morals go up against someone with such a selfish agenda. This was a really great film to watch. I was glued to the screen the entire time and would recommend it to anyone who does not mind a few swears and some violence. The language and violence is not littered throughout and actually add to the plot nicely, as opposed to most movies that abuse the film watcher?s ears and eyes.

• Anthony L

  
  Historical Inaccuracy, dodgy accents and plagiarism didn't seem to bother anyone and it was a huge success. Personally, I believe its the most overrated gangster film of all time. The 'pram on the staircase' scene was a nice tribute to Sergei M. Eisenstein's… More
  Historical Inaccuracy, dodgy accents and plagiarism didn't seem to bother anyone and it was a huge success. Personally, I believe its the most overrated gangster film of all time. The 'pram on the staircase' scene was a nice tribute to Sergei M. Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin though.

• Thomas B

  
  possibly one of the greatest musical scores ever, the untouchables is a brilliant look into crime and punishment. kevin costner is surprisingly good. sean connery and his incredibly quotable script also helps

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