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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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The
Untouchables
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Reviewed
by: |
Tom
Reynolds |
| Genre: |
Action/drama
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| Video: |
Widescreen
anamorphic 2.35:1 |
| Audio: |
Dolby
Digital 5.1, 2.0 surround |
| Language: |
English,
French |
| Subtitle: |
English
|
| Length: |
119
mins. |
| Rating: |
R |
| Release
Date: |
January
16, 2001 |
| Studio: |
Paramount
|
| Commentary:
|
One
theatrical trailer |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
None |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Kevin Costner,
Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia,
Billy Drago, Patricia Clarkson, Richard Bradford, Jack Kehoe,
Brad Sullivan |
| Screenplay
by: |
Written by
David Mamet |
| Produced
by: |
Art Linson |
| Directed
By: |
Brian De
Palma |
| Music: |
Ennio Morricone |
| The
Review: |
Chicago
in 1930 was a city at war; prohibition had opened the flood
gates to a billion dollar industry of illegal alcohol, out of
which the ganglords-- Al Capone in particular-- had carved an
empire paid for in blood. Capone had the city in his pocket;
from the cop on the beat to the judges sitting on the highest
courts, everyone seemingly had a price and could be bought.
And that's the way it was until Treasury Agent Eliot Ness showed
up for work and hand picked a squad of honest cops to help him
get Capone and clean up the City of Chicago. "The Untouchables,"
directed by Brian De Palma, is the story of Ness and his men,
dubbed "Untouchable" because they couldn't be bought, though
from the beginning the odds were stacked against them. They
were a handful against an army of hoodlums who wielded grenades
and tommy guns, and they could trust no one outside of their
own circle, not even the cops with whom they shared the streets.
Many looked upon what Ness was trying to do as an exercise in
futility, but he never gave up, and went after Capone with everything
he had, which wasn't much beyond his own guts and determination
to "do some good." Ness's initial efforts were a disaster--
Capone had informants everywhere and always knew ahead of time
whenever a raid was going down-- so he quickly realized that
the only way to do this thing right was to get men he could
trust and keep everything quiet. The bureau responded by sending
Ness (played by Kevin Costner) an accountant, Oscar Wallace
(Charles Martin Smith), who first had the idea of going after
Capone for income tax evasion. Ness then recruited Jim Malone
(Sean Connery), a veteran Irish cop who walked a beat and was
well versed in doing things "The Chicago way," and George Stone
(Andy Garcia) a crack shot recruited right out of the academy.
Malone becomes something of a tutor to Ness, letting him know
from the start what he was getting himself into. How do you
deal with someone of Capone's ilk? According to Malone, "If
he pulls a knife, you pull a gun. If he sends one of yours to
the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the
Chicago way-- that's how you get Capone." And such were the
kind of men it took to take down one of-- if not "the"-- most
notorious gangsters in the history of America. De Palma brings
it all vividly to life, building an underlying tension he maintains
throughout the film, aided by the intense, sometimes haunting
score by Ennio Morricone. Costner gives a solid performance
as Ness, but is somewhat overshadowed by Connery, who gives
an exemplary and memorable performance as Malone (for which
he received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), and Robert
De Niro, who as Capone is absolutely menacing and larger-than-life,
capturing the ruthlessness that indelibly marked his infamy
forever in the annals of criminal history. It's a powerful film,
well crafted and delivered by De Palma, who had a great screenplay
(by David Mamet) and a terrific cast with which to work. All
of which he put together perfectly, to create this exciting
and thoroughly entertaining motion picture. |
| Image
and Sound |
While the
picture is cleaner and sharper than that of the VHS format,
this transfer would've benefited from a bit more enhancement.
The images overall are good, but often tend to be a bit "soft,"
especially in scenes in which lighter colors, particularly whites,
are prevalent. The whites, specifically in the end credits,
have a tendency to bleed, which makes the letters somewhat indistinct
and hard to read. The deeper, darker colors, however, like the
blacks, reds and greens, come through beautifully, even in shadows
or during a night scene. There is a scene in which the street
is bathed in blue moonlight that is absolutely brilliant. Faces
at times appear fuzzy, especially in the longshots (but those
moments are very brief), and peripheral images at times are
somewhat hazy, but only at the extreme ends of the screen. The
sound could have used some work, as well; the balance is good,
but stereo/separation effects are lacking, and the sound seems
to come straight at you from the center of the action. The dialogue,
though always audible, at times has a muffled edge to it. On
the positive side, the background noises, including the cars
and street sounds, are distinct, as are the explosions and sounds
of gunfire, especially the crack of the rifles and the blasts
of the shotguns. In the final analysis, while the picture and
sound are both superior to VHS (there are no discernible rough
spots, blips or signs of wear), compared to other discs, this
one could have used a bit more work and some quality control.
|
| The
Extras |
None |
| Commentary |
None |
| Final
Words: |
With this
film, Brian De Palma brings an era of American history to life,
an often troubled time that was plagued by those whose names
have grown in infamy ever since, like Al Capone. But most importantly,
it also brings to light men like Eliot Ness and his "Untouchables,"
those who put their lives on the line to clean up cities like
Chicago, in order to provide a decent place to live for all
the honest citizens who just wanted raise their families, go
to work every day and live their lives in peace. It's an entertaining,
often intense and thought provoking film. And it's a shame that
the DVD lacks any extras or the same quality as the film itself.
Still, this movie is so good that you'd want the best version
available for your library, or even just to watch; and in that
respect, this DVD is still a plus over the VHS format, and one
I'm confident will provide a satisfying cinematic experience.
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