The greatest crime picture ever made, outside of The Godfather Parts I and II (1972/1974). A sledgehammer of a narrative that moves like an express train, only slowing down for a number of bravura sequences. Riddled with fabulous lines, built on great performances, and seeded early on with subsidiary characters who will later play significant roles. In any analysis it reads like a greatest hits.
The bloodied finger of Al Capone (Robert DeNiro) holding court to fawning journalists; the little girl’s plaintive cry of “Mister” before she’s blown to kingdom come; the love note included in the lunch of Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner); “poor butterfly” as the first raid goes wrong; the introduction of Malone (Sean Connery) “here endeth the lesson”; the trading of racist insults with recruit George Stone (Andy Garcia); Capone bludgeoning an associate to death with a baseball bat; in the safety of a church, Malone explaining “the Chicago way”; the first big cinematic sequence – the shootout at the border with meek accountant Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith) making his bones and sneaking a drink of beer; Malone “killing” the dead man; “touchables” smeared in blood in the lift; Malone’s fistfight with crooked boss Dorsett (Richard Bradford); Malone’s murder by hitman Frank Nitti (Billy Drago); the second, and greater, bravura sequence – the shootout on the steps of the railway station; Ness pushing Nitti off the rooftop; the disbelieving Capone sentenced.
And those are just the broad strokes. Peppered throughout is the issue of Capone’s tax evasion, the crime that brings him down, with virtually all Wallace’s contribution being reading from documents relating to this. Nitti appears in the second scene, leaving the bomb that will blow the little girl to kingdom come, and again at Ness’s house.
And this is so old-fashioned that not only are we rooting for the good guys but none of those involved has marital or alcohol problems. Cops like Malone may be disillusioned but they don’t take their disenchantment out on the bottle. Anyone who talks about marriage agrees it is a good thing.
Character introduction doesn’t go down the iconic route of The Magnificent Seven (1960) or The Dirty Dozen (1967). Chicago’s Finest sneer at Ness behind his back. Another director would have been tempted into a bolder entrance for Malone. But he’s a loser, still a beat cop in middle age, and on the late shift at that. He doesn’t just know his job, detects Ness is packing a gun, but he’s capable of a sardonic quip or two. Who’d claim to be working for the humiliated Treasure Dept is they weren’t? And he’s not so stand-up as he appears, playing with a key chain like worry beads, keeps a sawn-off shotgun in his record player.
And that’s before we go into the dialog. Screenwriter David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross, 1992), revered as America’s greatest living playwright, turns on the style. “You can get further with a kind word and a gun than with just a kind word”; “They pull a knife, you pull a gun”; “do you know what a blood oath is?”; “team!”; “brings a knife to a gun fight”; “all right, enough of this running shit;” “can’t you talk with a gun in your mouth?” “his name wasn’t in the ledger,” “did he sound anything like that?”
And that’s before we get to the score by Ennio Morricone, his best in terms of the consistency of theme (rather than just one standout tune) since Once Upon a Time in the West (1969). Or the rocking title sequence.
Turned Kevin Costner (Horizon, An American Saga – Chapter 1, 2024) into a star, a position, with dips here and there, he’s maintained for half a century. Andy Garcia (Black Rain, 1989), too, though for a shorter duration. Not everyone was impressed by Robert DeNiro’s (The Alto Knights, 2025) florid interpretation, but I wasn’t one of them. Brought Sean Connery (The Russia House, 1990) long overdue recognition for his acting, though it’s worth remembering that the Oscar voters who gave him a standing ovation could have handed him the gong a good time before for any number of excellent portrayals.
Director Brian DePalam (Carrie, 1977) was an Oscar shut-out. And when I look at the films that took precedence in the Best Film nominations, there’s only one, Moonstruck, that I’d seek out.
This is a thunderous achievement, and I can’t wait for 2027 when Paramount surely will bring it back to the big screen for a 40th anniversary celebration.
Unmissable.
The Magnificent 60s 
Found this:
“The film opens with the written prologue: “1930. Prohibition has transformed Chicago into a City at War. Rival gangs compete for control of the city’s billion dollar empire of illegal alcohol, enforcing their will with the hand grenade and tommy gun. It is the time of the Ganglords. It is the time of Al Capone.” According to an 11 Jul 1987 LAT article, Universal Pictures executive Ned Tanen spent several years attempting to acquire film rights to the life story of Prohibition-era lawman Eliot Ness, whose memoirs inspired the Paramount television series, The Untouchables (ABC Television Network, 15 Oct 1959—21 May 1963). When Tanen became head of Paramount’s motion picture division in 1984, he immediately called his longtime friend, producer Art Linson, to develop a feature film about Ness’ takedown of legendary Chicago gangster Al Capone. Although the television show was popular among audiences for its sensational violence, the 24 Jun 1985 LAT stated that Linson was more interested in providing a “serious, authentic” depiction of Ness’ time with the Chicago Police Department, and hired David Mamet to write the screenplay. While a 13 Mar 1985 Var item indicated Jack Nicholson was to portray Ness, the role ultimately went to Kevin Costner. In a 31 May 1987 LAT article, director Brian De Palma stated that in contrast to Robert Stack’s “tough” portrayal on television, Mamet’s screenplay painted Ness as a “vulnerable family man” who refused to bend or break the law. Although Ness was married to Edna Staley at the time in which the story is set, his onscreen wife, “Catherine,” and young daughter were fictionalized for the film. For the role of Al Capone, De Palma reached out to Robert De Niro, with whom he previously collaborated on Greetings (1968), The Wedding Party (1969), Hi, Mom! (1970), and Mean Streets (1973, see entries). De Niro, however, had just begun his Broadway debut in Cuba and His Teddy Bear, and needed time after the show to gain additional weight. Meanwhile, De Palma began discussions with British actor Bob Hoskins, who was later compensated $200,000 to relinquish the role once De Niro became available. According to a 21 Sep 1986 article in the Chicago Tribune, an additional scene was written for Capone, per De Niro’s request. The actor gained a total of thirty pounds to play the gangster, and received $1.5 million for eighteen days’ work. According to a 22 Oct 1986 Var production chart, principal photography began 18 Aug 1986 in Chicago, IL. Production notes in AMPAS library files indicate that more than twenty-five locations were featured in the film, including Union Station; The Rookery; Roosevelt University and the Chicago Theater, which doubled as Capone’s residence at the Lexington Hotel; the rooftop of the Chicago Public Library Cultural Center; an abandoned storefront in New Town; and a west side warehouse, which accommodated the sets used in the final courtroom scene. The Canadian liquor raid sequence was filmed at the Hardy Bridge in Cascade, MT. Since Mamet was unavailable to revise the script during production, De Palma rewrote several scenes with new locations. According to the 31 May 1987 LAT, the Union Station shootout, which was an homage to the 1925 Soviet silent film, Battleship Potemkin, was originally set in a hospital. Principal photography was completed in thirteen weeks. LAT and the 1 Jun 1987 Film Journal estimated the production cost between $20 million and $23 million. On 27 May 1987, HR announced that the 5 Jun 1987 release date had been moved up to Wednesday, 3 Jun 1987. Although Paramount chose to limit the number of screenings for critics, items in the 3 Jun 1987 Var and HR indicated that press events were held 8 May 1987 and 1 Jun 1987. The world premiere took place 2 Jun 1987 at the Astor Plaza Theater in New York City. The Untouchables opened in 1,012 theaters, 115 of which screened the picture in 70mm. Nationwide release was scheduled to follow on 19 Jun 1987. The film received generally favorable reviews and was a box-office hit. According to the 5 Jun 1987 HR, opening day earnings exceeded $1.8 million. Items in the 2 Nov 1988 Var and 2 May 1988 DV noted that The Untouchables went on to earn more than $70 million in the U.S. and Canada, making it the fifth most successful release of 1987 up to that time. Sean Connery’s performance as “Jim Malone” earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film also received nominations for Art Direction, Costume Design, and Music (Original Score).”
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Great stuff. Thanks once again. Hoskins was pretty miffed to have to drop out as I remember.
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Found this:
“The film opens with the written prologue: “1930. Prohibition has transformed Chicago into a City at War. Rival gangs compete for control of the city’s billion dollar empire of illegal alcohol, enforcing their will with the hand grenade and tommy gun. It is the time of the Ganglords. It is the time of Al Capone.”
According to an 11 Jul 1987 LAT article, Universal Pictures executive Ned Tanen spent several years attempting to acquire film rights to the life story of Prohibition-era lawman Eliot Ness, whose memoirs inspired the Paramount television series, The Untouchables (ABC Television Network, 15 Oct 1959—21 May 1963). When Tanen became head of Paramount’s motion picture division in 1984, he immediately called his longtime friend, producer Art Linson, to develop a feature film about Ness’ takedown of legendary Chicago gangster Al Capone. Although the television show was popular among audiences for its sensational violence, the 24 Jun 1985 LAT stated that Linson was more interested in providing a “serious, authentic” depiction of Ness’ time with the Chicago Police Department, and hired David Mamet to write the screenplay.
While a 13 Mar 1985 Var item indicated Jack Nicholson was to portray Ness, the role ultimately went to Kevin Costner. In a 31 May 1987 LAT article, director Brian De Palma stated that in contrast to Robert Stack’s “tough” portrayal on television, Mamet’s screenplay painted Ness as a “vulnerable family man” who refused to bend or break the law. Although Ness was married to Edna Staley at the time in which the story is set, his onscreen wife, “Catherine,” and young daughter were fictionalized for the film.
For the role of Al Capone, De Palma reached out to Robert De Niro, with whom he previously collaborated on Greetings (1968), The Wedding Party (1969), Hi, Mom! (1970), and Mean Streets (1973, see entries). De Niro, however, had just begun his Broadway debut in Cuba and His Teddy Bear, and needed time after the show to gain additional weight. Meanwhile, De Palma began discussions with British actor Bob Hoskins, who was later compensated $200,000 to relinquish the role once De Niro became available. According to a 21 Sep 1986 article in the Chicago Tribune, an additional scene was written for Capone, per De Niro’s request. The actor gained a total of thirty pounds to play the gangster, and received $1.5 million for eighteen days’ work.
According to a 22 Oct 1986 Var production chart, principal photography began 18 Aug 1986 in Chicago, IL. Production notes in AMPAS library files indicate that more than twenty-five locations were featured in the film, including Union Station; The Rookery; Roosevelt University and the Chicago Theater, which doubled as Capone’s residence at the Lexington Hotel; the rooftop of the Chicago Public Library Cultural Center; an abandoned storefront in New Town; and a west side warehouse, which accommodated the sets used in the final courtroom scene. The Canadian liquor raid sequence was filmed at the Hardy Bridge in Cascade, MT.
Since Mamet was unavailable to revise the script during production, De Palma rewrote several scenes with new locations. According to the 31 May 1987 LAT, the Union Station shootout, which was an homage to the 1925 Soviet silent film, Battleship Potemkin, was originally set in a hospital.
Principal photography was completed in thirteen weeks. LAT and the 1 Jun 1987 Film Journal estimated the production cost between $20 million and $23 million.
On 27 May 1987, HR announced that the 5 Jun 1987 release date had been moved up to Wednesday, 3 Jun 1987. Although Paramount chose to limit the number of screenings for critics, items in the 3 Jun 1987 Var and HR indicated that press events were held 8 May 1987 and 1 Jun 1987. The world premiere took place 2 Jun 1987 at the Astor Plaza Theater in New York City.
The Untouchables opened in 1,012 theaters, 115 of which screened the picture in 70mm. Nationwide release was scheduled to follow on 19 Jun 1987.
The film received generally favorable reviews and was a box-office hit. According to the 5 Jun 1987 HR, opening day earnings exceeded $1.8 million. Items in the 2 Nov 1988 Var and 2 May 1988 DV noted that The Untouchables went on to earn more than $70 million in the U.S. and Canada, making it the fifth most successful release of 1987 up to that time.
Sean Connery’s performance as “Jim Malone” earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film also received nominations for Art Direction, Costume Design, and Music (Original Score).”
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