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The Untouchables

1987

Brian De Palma

Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Andy García ...

7.8

91,563

Film noir. Action. Thriller. Drama Kevin Costner is idealistic federal agent Eliot Ness, whose assignment to clean up Prohibition-era Chicago leads to violence and manly questions about upholding the law. Initially powerless to stop the flow of booze into the city (the police force is corrupt and everyone in town seems to be on the mob’s payroll), Ness finds guidance from an older streetwise cop (Sean Connery) who convinces him he'll need to break some rules if he wants ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Vincent Canby The New York Times	"Has more endings than Beethoven's Fifth, but it's also packed with surprises, not the least being that it's a smashing work. It's vulgar, violent, funny and sometimes breathtakingly beautiful."	POS
United Kingdom	Derek Malcolm The Guardian	"A kind of urban Western designed not so much to shock as to pay patriotic and, hopefully, thrilling tribute to the spirit of the men who tamed the beast in the Chicago of the thirties"	POS
United Kingdom	Ian Nathan Empire	"Superb performances, exquisite direction and that Ennio Morricone score create an authentic 1920s Chicago feel and a hugely entertaining crime drama (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Desson Thomson The Washington Post	"You're never sure what you're watching in "The Untouchables." There's an entertaining but incongruous mix of class and pulp".	NEU
United States	Variety Staff Variety	"A beautifully crafted portrait of Prohibition-era Chicag (...) Connery delivers one of his finest performances"	POS
United States	Richard Schickel Time	"Mamet's elegantly efficient script does not waste a word, and De Palma does not waste a shot"	POS
United States	Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times	"Has great costumes, great sets, great cars, great guns, great locations (...) But it does not have a great script, great performances or great direction. (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)".	NEU
United States	Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader	"The results are watchable enough, with a particularly adept use of Sean Connery, Chicago locations, and period details."	POS
United States	The Hollywood Reporter	"Despite one excessively showy and laughable slo-mo, Potemkin-like scene, director Brian De Palma brings The Untouchables in tight and true, in the spirit of Ness himself."	POS
United States	James Berardinelli ReelViews	"May not have much thematic depth, but it represents two hours of pure, exuberant entertainment – an epic gangster tale rendered on a grand scale."	POS

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