INGLESE
The film, based on the book “The Untouchables”, is a crime-drama story written by David Mamet. It was produced by Art Linson and directed by Brian the Palma in 1987.
The film stars Kevin Costner as government agent Eliot Ness. It also stars Robert De Niro as gang leader Al Capone and Sean Connery as Irish-American policeman Jimmy Malone.
The film deals with serious topics about american mafia (“Our thing”). The events take place in Chicago in 1930’s during the Prohibition era, when it was forbidden sell alcoholic beverages in USA.
The film follows efforts of Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) to bring Al Capone to justice. Everything about this film is good. There are many exciting scenes and sometimes funny scenes, but overall the film is a dramatic film. The actors are very good, especially Kevin Costner and Sean Connery.
In my opinion “The Untouchables” must be considered the most successful film that director Brian the Palma has ever made.
During the period of Prohibition Chicago is under the control of the boss Al Capone. He has nearly the whole city, including the Mayor of Chicago. A government agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Kostner) decides to fight Capone and his organization. Ness organizes a series of raids on warehouses, but his initiative fails. He understand that the Chicago police is corrupt and this is the cause of his failures.
Eliot Ness meets an incorruptible Irish-American officer Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery) and he is told to pick men from the police academy. So they chose an Italian-American student: Giuseppe Petri who had changed his name to George Stone (Andy García). Joined by accountant Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith), assigned to Ness from Washington D.C., Ness organized a team able to stop Capone.
The team raids a post office where illegal liquor is stored. Wallace informs Ness that Capone didn’t pay taxes since 1926; therefore they can try to stop Capone for tax evasion.
During a second raid on the Canadian border, Ness captures one of the accountant of Capone. The four took him to Chicago and convince him to cooperate, but while Wallace escorting the prisoner in the elevator, a man of Capone (Frank Nitti) kills both. The fact discourages Ness, but Malone informed him of the existence of another accountant: Payne.
That night a killer (Frank Nitti) sent by Capone shoots Malone. When Ness and Stone arrive is too late. Shortly before his death Malone tells his companions that he discovered that the accountant is leaving from Chicago with the midnight train. Ness and Stone are at the Central Station, where they await the arrival of Payne.
Payne arrives escorted by many gangsters. After a shootout on the steps of the station, Ness and Stone eliminate the bodyguards and take Payne.
At the Process on tax evasion charges against Al Capone, Payne testified that Capone corrupts the police, paying a big bribe every year. During the process Ness understands that Frank Nitti, Al Capone’s right hand, is responsible for the death of Malone. He chases and kills him.
Discovered that members of the jury trial are being corrupted by Capone, Ness gets the replacement of jurors by the judge. Capone’s lawyer, despite the protests of his client, change the statement from the accused “not guilty” to “guilty.” The process ends and the boss is found guilty of tax evasion and sentenced to eleven years in prison. Eliot Ness won.
This story really happened and the characters are inspired by real people.
Frank Nitti was not really killed, indeed, he took command of the empire of Al Capone. Al Capone was sentenced to 11 years in prison, but also paid $ 80,000.
Eliot Ness had no daughter (as seen in the film), but adopted a son, Robert, in 1947.
The soundtracks by Ennio Moricone who won in 1988, the award for best soundtrack. In the same year Sean Connery won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.