The Brian DePalma streak continues. The Untouchables is out of vogue nowadays but it's hard to overestimate how popular it was when it came out. I still hear people quote it occasionally but the most recent time I've seen it mentioned was in Billy Drago's obituary.Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) is a Treasury agent tasked with enforcing Prohibition in Chicago, home to well-known gangster Al Capone (Robert DeNiro). Frustrated by the corruption in the police force, Ness puts together a small group of men quickly dubbed the "Untouchables" to take the fight directly to Capone.
The tide of public opinion has kind of turned on Eliot Ness. This movie makes him out to be a paragon of virtue, standing up to corruption and injustice, but falls flat in its hagiography while never once examining the ridiculousness of Prohibition that created a space for men like Capone to flourish. Sean Connery is of course the shining jewel here as the tough-beat cop-with-a-heart-of-gold Malone and Andy Garcia packs a surprising punch despite only being in about half of the film. Patricia Clarkson has the distinction of being the only real female character in the whole movie, radiating a beatific saintliness befitting the wife of Ness the paladin. As a double feature with Carrie, DePalma's Madonna-Whore complex is in full display.
The Untouchables hasn't held up as well as DePalma's true gangster classics like Scarface or Carlito's Way but it is still very watchable (and not just for the all-Armani costuming).
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