The Untouchables (1987)
★★★½ — The Untouchables (1987)
Brian De Palma came to The Untouchables off the back of a run of stylish, often controversial thrillers, Scarface (1983) and Body Double (1984) among them, and this 1987 Paramount production represented something of a mainstream consolidation for a director whose reputation had always sat slightly outside the Hollywood establishment. The screenplay came from David Mamet, adapted loosely from the 1957 television series and the memoirs of the real Eliot Ness, whose pursuit of Al Capone during Prohibition-era Chicago provides the framework. Kevin Costner, still building towards his late-1980s peak, took the lead, while the casting of Sean Connery as veteran beat cop Jim Malone proved a career revitalising move, earning him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Robert De Niro's Capone was a late-period flourish in what had already been a remarkable decade for the actor.
The Untouchables (1987) is a handsomely mounted, old-school gangster picture that wears its classic Hollywood influences proudly, part western, part noir, all swagger. Brian De Palma directs with operatic flair, crafting set pieces that still thrill: the Odessa Steps-inspired Union Station shootout remains one of cinema's great suspense sequences, all slow-motion tension and ticking clocks. The period detail is impeccable,.Chicago feels authentically grimy, smoky, and steeped in whiskey-soaked corruption, with costumes, cars, and Tommy guns that transport you straight to 1930. Robert De Niro's Capone is the film's crown jewel: barely 10 minutes of screen time, yet utterly magnetic. Munching a grape, monologuing about baseball bats in hotel lobbies, he exudes menace with chilling casualness. Elsewhere, the acting wavers: Costner's Eliot Ness is earnest but stiff, a Boy Scout in a world of wolves, and even though it was lauded I thought Sean Connery wasn't great and some of the dialogue leans into melodrama. Ennio Morricone's soaring, brass-heavy score elevates every scene, and De Palma's craftsmanship never falters. It's not The Godfather, it's too slick, too mythic, too Hollywood for that, but it's a highly satisfying piece of genre filmmaking. Polished, propulsive, and occasionally brilliant, but held back by uneven performances and a tendency toward grandiosity. A very good movie that flirts with greatness without quite sealing the deal.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 1987 | Watched: 2026-03-14
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Netflix · Paramount Plus · Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Netflix Standard with Ads
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Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Netflix · Paramount Plus · Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Netflix Standard with Ads
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK
Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.
Related on Movies With Macca
More from Brian De Palma: Carrie (1976) · Scarface (1983) · Carlito's Way (1993)
More from the 1980s: Nightmare City (1980) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Style Wars (1983) · Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)
More crime: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Angst (1983) · Stolen Face (1952) · Cairo Station (1958)
More history: Apocalypto (2006) · Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury (2013) · Harakiri (1962) · Night and Fog (1956)
