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Amazon.co.uk Review
As noted critic Pauline Kael wrote, the 1987 box-office hit The Untouchables is "like an attempt to visualise the public's collective dream of Chicago gangsters." In other words, this lavish reworking of the vintage TV series is a rousing potboiler from a bygone era, so beautifully designed and photographed--and so craftily directed by Brian De Palma--that the historical reality of Prohibition-era Chicago could only pale in comparison. From a script by David Mamet, the movie pits four underdog heroes (the maverick lawmen known as the Untouchables) against a singular villain in Al Capone, played by Robert De Niro as a dapper caesar holding court (and a baseball bat) against any and all challengers. Kevin Costner is the naive federal agent Eliot Ness, whose lack of experience is tempered by the streetwise alliance of a seasoned Chicago cop (Sean Connery, in an Oscar-winning performance), a rookie marksman (Andy Garcia), and an accountant (Charles Martin Smith) who holds the key to Capone's potential downfall. The movie approaches greatness on the strength of its set pieces, such as the siege near the Canadian border, the venal ambush at Connery's apartment, and the train-station shootout partially modeled after the "Odessa steps" sequences of the Russian classic Battleship Potemkin. It's thrilling stuff, fueled by Ennio Morricone's dynamic score, but it's also manipulative and obvious. If you're inclined to be critical, the movie gives you reason to complain. If you'd rather sit back and enjoy a first-rate production with an all-star cast, The Untouchables may very well strike you as a classic. --Jeff Shannon
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
I have always thought of this film as unique amongst gangster flicks, it has all the violence of Goodfellas or Casino but feels more like a Disney adventure in spirit, especially the rather saccharine relationship Ness has with his prissy wife. Still, it paints a gritty and credible picture of life in depression era America, and the performances from the "all star" cast are superb, although the "making of" documentary is keen to point out that Costner and Garcia were unknowns at the time; you wouldn't know that to watch them though.
The DVD release of the film already had a cracking picture, and now it's made the leap to Blu-Ray it looks amazing. Although there was no make-over specifically for BRD, I believe there was a re-master for the DVD (although it is not mentioned on the cover), so I presume this will be the same print. The perception of depth in particular is striking, almost like 3D. There is detectable fine grain and plenty of detail also, so hopefully the anti-DNR mob won't be laying into it like they have done for Zulu. The sound is also superb, there are no HD tracks but the DTS option (1.5 mbs no less!) in particular is clear and punchy, lifting Morricone's excellent score to a higher level than the Dolby only DVD ever did.
There are no BRD exclusive extras I'm afraid; you only get exactly what was on the DVD, that'll do for me but others may be expecting more.
The DVD release of the film already had a cracking picture, and now it's made the leap to Blu-Ray it looks amazing. Although there was no make-over specifically for BRD, I believe there was a re-master for the DVD (although it is not mentioned on the cover), so I presume this will be the same print. The perception of depth in particular is striking, almost like 3D. There is detectable fine grain and plenty of detail also, so hopefully the anti-DNR mob won't be laying into it like they have done for Zulu. The sound is also superb, there are no HD tracks but the DTS option (1.5 mbs no less!) in particular is clear and punchy, lifting Morricone's excellent score to a higher level than the Dolby only DVD ever did.
There are no BRD exclusive extras I'm afraid; you only get exactly what was on the DVD, that'll do for me but others may be expecting more.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
As the film is well known, I won't spend time on its' review but will concentrate on the Blu-ray transfer. In a word, the transfer is superb- with excellent colours,sharpness and a natural feel that comes close to reference quality. The sound,with that haunting theme,is even more vibrant and chilling. A wonderful classic, made even better by this Blu-ray transfer. Highly recommended.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
I never bought this film on DVD, only having seen it on TV, but bought it on Bluray and have now watched it twice.
First of all the film:- Despite being a gangster film it feels somehow more human than many of them do. I don't know if it's because we know the story of Elliot Ness, and recognise he is going to triumph, or because of the great acting, but it feels more like a Western with its strong moral themes than a gangster film to me. The cast list is great with trademark performances from De Niro, Connery and in particular for me Kevin Costner. I'm not always a fan, but he really got it right here.
Picture Quality is very good. It has strong colours and lots of atmospheric shots. The city has a slightly foggy kind of feel to it and there is a small amount of grain present. Contrasts and shadows are very strong, with the detail still not getting swamped in the night-time shots. For me the whole thing works - it looks like I expect a film to! It is presented in 2.35:1 so it will be letter-boxed on a widescreen TV unless you stretch it.
Audio:- Sound is again very good, with a score by Morricone, which perhaps adds to the Western type feel for me. Sound effects are very clear, and generally very good. A pet hate of mine is muffled dialogue, but by and large it is very good with only a few difficult to get lines. The top offering is a 6:1 DTS track.
There aren't a great deal of extras on the disc, but these aren't important to me, and I didn't do much more than scan through them.
All-in-all the whole package came together very well for me, with no real weaknesses at all, making it a sound 5 stars.
First of all the film:- Despite being a gangster film it feels somehow more human than many of them do. I don't know if it's because we know the story of Elliot Ness, and recognise he is going to triumph, or because of the great acting, but it feels more like a Western with its strong moral themes than a gangster film to me. The cast list is great with trademark performances from De Niro, Connery and in particular for me Kevin Costner. I'm not always a fan, but he really got it right here.
Picture Quality is very good. It has strong colours and lots of atmospheric shots. The city has a slightly foggy kind of feel to it and there is a small amount of grain present. Contrasts and shadows are very strong, with the detail still not getting swamped in the night-time shots. For me the whole thing works - it looks like I expect a film to! It is presented in 2.35:1 so it will be letter-boxed on a widescreen TV unless you stretch it.
Audio:- Sound is again very good, with a score by Morricone, which perhaps adds to the Western type feel for me. Sound effects are very clear, and generally very good. A pet hate of mine is muffled dialogue, but by and large it is very good with only a few difficult to get lines. The top offering is a 6:1 DTS track.
There aren't a great deal of extras on the disc, but these aren't important to me, and I didn't do much more than scan through them.
All-in-all the whole package came together very well for me, with no real weaknesses at all, making it a sound 5 stars.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A classic movie and excellent blu-ray
First of all this has to be one of my favourite movies, so I couldn't wait to see it on blu and I am not disappointed. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mark
Not what i was expecting
Im a big big fan of Goodfellas, scarface and casino, then after seeing this line up i was expecting another classic gangster film, its worth buying (for a cheap price), i was... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Andy
Don't Buy bluray quality no better than dvd
Once again the film industry is responsible for ruining an amazing film.
The film itself is excellent but we all know what goes on, so now for the bit everybody wants to... Read more
The film itself is excellent but we all know what goes on, so now for the bit everybody wants to... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Iain West
One of the best films ever
Great story, gritty action. Has been my favourite film since its release, that is until I saw 'The Hangover' last month which was so funny I was having trouble breathing whilst... Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2010 by Robert Atkinson
A Classic
"The Untouchables" is a classic film with the power to appeal to all generations. It is appealing on many levels; it has the shoot-'em-up elements expected of a cop vs. Read more
Published on 20 July 2009 by C.L.H
Untouchable - A Classic Film
Great film with a great transfer to High Definition for a film of its age. The part in the railway station with the pram is one of the great scenes of modern films and completely... Read more
Published on 12 April 2009 by endlessharmony
Stunning Blu Ray Transfer of a classic
I have to say, this is an absolutely stunning transfer of a film which is now over twenty years old. Read more
Published on 31 Dec 2008 by P. Morgan
Audio trak in Castilian Spanish too
Just to inform, this Blu Ray has too the audio track in SPANISH. And you can see too all the extras with subtitles in spanish.
This film is fantastic.
This film is fantastic.
Published on 6 Dec 2008 by jjaviroquai
Connerys movie
Brian DePalma is always an interesting filmmaker. Even though he borrows bits and pieces from other famous films and filmmakers (most noteably Hitchcock) there is something... Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2008 by S J Buck
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