The Untouchables

Brian De Palma's glossy 1987 The Untouchables offers up an old-fashioned cops and robbers story about G-Man Elliott Ness (Kevin Costner) and his crusade to nab gangster Al Capone (Robert De Niro). Despite the high-powered co-stars, however, Sean Connery steals the film in his Oscar-winning turn as a beat-worn but street-savvy cop who teaches Ness and his men how to fight fire with gunfire. Unfortunately, when Connery isn't onscreen, it's pretty slow going due to cardboard characterizations and Costner's bland lead turn. Entertaining, but instantly forgettable, this is recommended, overall. (S. C. Sickles)[DVD Review--October 5, 2004--Paramount, 119 min., R, $19.99--Making its second appearance on DVD, Brian De Palma's The Untouchables: Special Collector's Edition-- based on the book by Eliot Ness, Oscar Fraley, and Paul Robsky--includes the production featurettes “The Script, The Cast” (18 min.), “Production Stories” (17 min.), “Reinventing the Genre” (14 min.), “The Classic” (6 min.), original featurette “The Men” (5 min.), and a trailer. Bottom line: a solid set of extras--although a commentary would have been nice--for one of De Palma's better non-horror films.]