The Untouchables (1987)
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During the Prohibition era, a determined federal agent forms a specialized team to take down the notorious crime boss Al Capone.
The story
In 1930 Chicago, during Prohibition, the notorious gangland boss Al Capone controls the city's illegal liquor trade. Bureau of Prohibition agent Eliot Ness is tasked with halting Capone's activities. After an initial raid fails due to corrupt police involvement, Ness teams up with a veteran officer, James Malone, and a principled rookie, George Stone. Together with an accountant, they form a specialized unit known as 'The Untouchables.' The group must navigate a web of corruption and violence to dismantle Capone's organization and bring the crime lord to justice.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1930 Chicago, Eliot Ness forms a team to take down Al Capone. After a failed raid due to police corruption, Ness joins forces with veteran officer James Malone and rookie George Stone. They successfully raid a warehouse, earning the nickname 'The Untouchables.' When Capone's network remains protected from direct charges, the team targets his tax evasion. Following a series of violent encounters and the deaths of several allies, including the accountant and a bookkeeper, the team tracks down a key witness. After a tense standoff at a train station and a final confrontation where Ness kills Capone's enforcer, Nitti, the team secures a conviction for Capone through a tax evasion case. The film ends with Ness and Stone parting ways as the era of Prohibition nears its end.
- First release year
- 1987
- Runtime (minutes)
- 119
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Brian De Palma
- Writers
- David Mamet · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Kevin Costner · Eliot Ness; Charles Martin Smith · Oscar Wallace; Andy García · George Stone; Robert De Niro · Al Capone; Sean Connery · James Malone; Patricia Clarkson · Catherine
- Genres
- crime; drama
- Themes
- justice; corruption; loyalty
- Tone and mood
- tense; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- gangster; prohibition; law enforcement
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Untouchables (1957 book by Ness and Fraley)
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was described as a 'smashing work' and a 'modern classic.'
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 83% · scale: percentage · review count: 75; Metacritic · score: 79 · scale: 100 · review count: 16
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · won
- Production trivia
- The film features a score by Ennio Morricone.; The railway station shootout is a homage to the Odessa Steps montage in Battleship Potemkin.; The character of the IRS agent Oscar Wallace was partially based on Frank J. Wilson.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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