One of the best films based on a TV series ever made, Brian De Palma's THE UNTOUCHABLES is an excellent crime thriller.
Kevin Costner stars as straight-laced lawman Eliot Ness, appointed to lead a task force to take out Al Capone and the Chicago mob.
With prohibition at full tilt and much of the Chicago force ignoring the liquor laws, Ness assembles an eccentric team that he can trust.
Sean Connery won the 1987 Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of aging Chicago cop, Jim Malone. Tough, loyal and street-wise, Malone comes to life in a strong, fun performance from Connery.
Financial Agent Oscar (Charles Martin Smith) and sharp shooting patrolman Stone (Andy Garcia) round out Ness's team as they battle popular mobster Capone across the city.
Robert De Niro is excellent as the charismatic, violent madman running the city with a smile and a deadly temper.
Director De Palma is at his 1980's best here, crafting visual art with a constantly moving camera that seems to dance perfectly in tune with Costner's rock-solid Ness and Ennio Morricone's fantastic music score.
It also helps when you have a superb writer like playwright David Mamet crafting screenplay gold out of the old bones of a fifties cops and robbers show. The dialogue is terrific.
De Palma's final showdown in the train station is perfection.
Nearly thirty years old at this viewing, the film holds up beautifully and remains a modern classic from start to finish. Eliot and the boys get an A.
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