The Untouchables

I was pretty young when I saw The Untouchables for the first time, it was probably one of the first grown up films I ever saw, my parents where quite liberated in what films I could watch. And when I watched earlier today for the first time in a couple of years, the film stood up tremendously well with awesome performances, awesome set-pieces, David Mamet's excellent script and Ennio Morricone's awesome musical score.

The Untouchables is the story of Elliot Ness (arguably I'd say he's only been as good in JFK) battles mob boss Al Capone (an awesome Robert De Niro) during prohobition era Chicago with the help of his group of Untouchables (Sean Connery's excellent Irish cop, a career making turn from Andy Garcia and a wonderful role for Charles Martin Smith).

Director Brian De Palma's movie is beautiful in every frame, it makes you wish you could experience 1930s Chicago, the set pieces stand out, the opening expolsion ("Mister, mister you forgot your bag!"), Capone going wild with a baseball bat, two major deaths, and the Battleship Potemkin influenced pram and staircase shoot out, and a memorable ending. Untouchables is a brilliant movie in every single department.

Ennio Morricone's great score probably helps, (the entire film could be paint drying but it still would be remember as beautiful) as does Mamet's sparkling script ("If they send one of yours to the hospital, send one of there's to the morgue..."), but the film could have easily been made in the 1940s, the 1960s or the 2000s it's so timeless.

The Untouchables is probably in my top 25/30 movies of all time- whilst De Palma's Scarface seems to get all the plaudits, this along with Carrie is the true De Palma masterpiece.

*****