Director: Brian De Palma
Starring: Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro and Sean Connery
‘A Captivating Classic’
Few actors which achieved fame several years ago are as beloved as Robert De Niro. Since his rise to stardom in the’s, De Niro has become a legendary icon. Whether it’s raging boxers, taxi drivers or frightening gangsters, De Niro has portrayed several memorable characters. Arguably, De Niro’s finest strength as an actor has often been his approach of method acting. He’s one of those rare actors that has always poured both his heart and soul in every single role. An actor with an intense commitment to his craft, De Niro has become a world-famous icon in entertainment. Shining a bright light in darkness, the actor has become a legend in the entertainment business. Through his ability to portray larger than life characters which are compelling, De Niro has created a legacy that’s lasting. Throughout his career, De Niro has starred in countless memorable movies which are definitely without a doubt worth seeing.
I’m a huge fan of De Niro and admire all the movies he has made in his career. However, “The Untouchables” is absolutely his most underrated work. Released in 1987, Brian De Palma’s movie offered a powerful portrait of prohibition era gangsters. Packed with bold production, engaging storytelling and strong acting, it’s one of the best gangster movies ever made. At the centre of it all is an icon o performance by Robert De Niro, who plays a mobster earning fame years ago. Ultimately, what makes “The Untouchables” a criminal classic is universal appeal. Unlike most films about gangsters, if discusses strong themes everyone will relate to. A mesmerizing crime masterpiece, there are many strong reasons why “The Untouchables” is a classic movie thats worth watching.
Set in 1940’s Chicago, “The Untouchables” follows cops driven to track down gangsters causing obstacles. Kevin Costner embodies Elliot Ness, an ambitious prohibition agent with a strong dedication towards profession. Elliot has always excelled at solving crimes in his downtrodden city. However, Elliot’s life forever changes when he’s given the task to track down a notorious gangster. Al Capone (Robert De Niro) is a cruel gangster that has posed threat to his endangered city causing sorrow. To take down a gangster causing a lot of troubles, Elliot created a team of cops known as ‘the untouchables’. As all odds are stacked against his favour, Elliot questions if it’s possible for him to take down a terrifying gangster.
Brian De Palma has always been fascinated with the gangster genre. A brilliant director, De Palma has often made engaging movies about gangsters in danger. His iconic movie “Scarface” offered a strong portrayal of the hardships which gangsters face. With “The Untouchables”, however, De Palma made his first prohibition drama. It was the director’s first attempt to capture mobsters during the prohibition period, but he succeeded. Using strong cinematography, De Palma captures the lives of cops seeking to resolve crimes in the prohibition era. Emulating Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather”, De Palma deftly uses point of view shots to capture lives of gangsters facing disaster. For instance, the POV shots enhance the crime scene. During this unforgettable scene, Elliot and his team seek to take down gangsters before a court hearing. Through captivating POV shots, De Palma creates a portrait of gangs which is engaging. POV shots are tricky techniques. As Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” proved, POV shots elevate boxing movies. However, it works immensely. Using stunning visuals. De Palma captures tension that prohibition gangsters are facing.
Another aspect of “The Untouchables” that merits appreciation is the production. From a technical perspective, it’s one of the most impressive gangster movies ever made. De Palma effectively uses costumes to convey hardships notorious gangsters are enduring. Throughout the film, Al Capone’s costumes showcase his strong transformation into a mobster. For instance, the costumes elevate the argument scene. During this memorable scene, Al Capone has an intense argument with gangsters that cause tension. Through captivating costumes, De Palma constructs a bold portrait of gangsters that’s engaging. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. Ennio Morricone’s music is key to success of the film. It gives the film a tense atmosphere capturing the heavy burden that gangsters bear. Though strong production, De Palma captures the lives of gangsters that endure tension.
Storytelling is one of the main reasons why “The Untouchables” is a crime film which is engaging. The film is beautifully written, and effectively uses silence to capture tensions that gangsters are facing. Emulating Martin Scorsese’s “Mean Streets”, De Palma deftly uses silence to capture struggles faced by gangsters upon mean streets. For instance, silence enhances the gangs violence scene. During this memorable scene, Al Capone is faced with tension when he is caught by the cops for crimes. Through silence, De Palma creates a portrayal of gangsters audiences can relate to. Silence is a tricky technique to use in movies. As David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook” suggested, silence often elevates movies about bipolar. However, it works. Using a strong screenplay, De Palma captures the lives of gangsters that endure a price to pay.
One appreciates amazing performances.
Robert De Niro delivers one of his greatest performances as Al Capone. De Niro first earned appreciation for playing troubled taxi drivers in classic crime dramas. With “The Untouchables”, however, he took upon his most complex role. It isn’t easy to play a notorious gangster in American history but he succeeds tremendously. This is the actor unlike you’ve ever seen him before: intense, charismatic and emotional in his most iconic role. With riveting expressions, he captures the angst, desperations and grief of a real-life gangster. It’s a powerful performance by one of the most commemorated actors that is working today.
While the film is a showcase for Robert De Niro, the supporting cast is also amazing and worthy of appreciation. Kevin Costner is captivating, capturing authoritative nature of a cop seeking to catch gangsters which cause danger. Sean Connery is spectacular, capturing the strong personality of a cop on a journey to resolve crimes in a doomed city. Lastly, Andy Garcia merits appreciation. As a strong police officer, he is unforgettable.
Finally, “The Untouchables” would earn the appreciation of everyone capturing the lives of gangsters facing obstacles. Unlike most crime films. It tackles strong themes which everyone would relate to. It discusses bold themes including ambition, crime and grief that will absolutely resonate with everyone. Viewers don’t need to be familiar with the history of prohibition to enjoy it. Therefore, “The Untouchables” is a rare crime movie everyone would adore.
Fans of Robert De Niro would definitely love “The Untouchables” and so will audiences seeking tense entertainment. A captivating crime classic, it honours a legendary actor that’s iconic.
Nearly 40 years following the release of a groundbreaking crime film about gangsters that face obstacles during prohibition, it’s a riveting reminder of a legendary actor with dedication that has played larger than life characters in memorable movies that have earned appreciation.
5/5 stars
The Film Buff 