The Untouchables ready for battle
“You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That’s the Chicago way!”
-Jim Malone
Right away the first thing that one notices about Brian De
Palma’s cop vs. gangsters classic is the David Mamet dialogue. Even in the
single line presented above one can see (or hear in the context of watching the
film) not only the fluidity of the line but the small meanings weaved within
it. The dialogue in The
Untouchables is what makes the gangster film special
and different from its countless poor imitators (for example the recent
critically panned film Gangster Squad).
The dialogue isn’t the only thing that makes the
Untouchables a masterpiece. The performances from Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro,
and especially Sean Connery are electric and exciting to watch. Sure De Niro is
over the top but the charisma and electricity he brings to the role makes that irrelevant.
Add on the best performance in Sean Connery’s long and prosperous career as he
perfects the old wily nature of his character Jim Malone and the performances
are golden.
The other thing is that the film is just a blast from beginning
to end. It’s fun in an intelligent, well made manner, something that most
gangster films can’t claim.
-Frederick Cholowski
-Frederick Cholowski
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