For the second review in the Classics series, I have decided to review a film that is cherished by audiences and critics alike, The Untouchables. However, is this film really a classic? Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5/4 stars and the film’s score on Rotten Tomatoes is 80%. So, is this film worth the praise?
No. Definitely no.
I already reviewed the Untouchables and called it a great film. But, opinions can change, as I saw it a couple of months ago. I like the 30’s atmosphere and the dazzling photography, but, the acting, writing, and even De Palma’s direction all lack realism. It’s as if The Untouchables takes place in an alternate universe, where Chicago was the wild west and everyone on the windy frontier can shoot a revolver. The nail in the coffin was really when the dorky accountant actually kills people with a shotgun. He has never shot a gun before, and he can easily kill more bad guys than they can kill good guys. It’s absurd and unrealistic, and it ruins the dramatic atmosphere it has tried to create.
Sean Connery is okay, but he seems a lot older in this film than in real life at the time (he was 57). Robert DeNiro tries his best to work with the ridiculously stupid script. Seriously, one of his quotes is this.
“I want you to get this fuck where he breathes! I want you to find this nancy-boy Eliot Ness, I want him DEAD! I want his family DEAD! I want his house burned to the GROUND! I wanna go there in the middle of the night and I wanna PISS ON HIS ASHES!”
Jeez, that’s over the top! It actually surprises me that the screenwriter was David Mamet, one of the most gifted writers of the late 20th century. Sadly, this screenplay is pretty terrible.
Also, another major complaint is Kevin Costner’s acting. Not that this is a shocking criticism (seriously, have you seen The Postman?), but it’s annoying and very droll. Costner doesn’t seem to fully understand the words he’s saying, so it comes off as an awkward, monotone performance.
Anyway, the Untouchables is one of many films lost in 80’s nostalgia, that truly only people who grew up watching it can really appreciate. My overall rating for the film is a 5/10. It has some good technical abilities, but the main elements to make a good movie (good script, interesting characters, etc.) are all lacking. ‘Tis a failure.
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