---
title: "The Untouchables"
year: 1987
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-untouchables"
fi1m_id: "the-untouchables"
imdb_id: "tt0094226"
tmdb_id: 117
wikidata_id: "Q108525"
fi1m_score: 81
critics_score: 79
critics_reviews: 8
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:36.368548+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Untouchables (1987)

Directed by Brian De Palma · 1h 59m · MPA R · Crime, History, Thriller

## Identity

The Untouchables

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-untouchables
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-untouchables
- **IMDb ID:** tt0094226
- **TMDB ID:** 117
- **Wikidata ID:** Q108525
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094226/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/117, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108525

**Fi1m score: 81** · Critics 79 from 8 reviews

*In a sentence:* Sean Connery offers the sort of police mentoring that ought to come with a solicitor

> Brian De Palma’s gangster thriller is rousing entertainment, with Sean Connery giving its moral debates some welcome impatience. Its enthusiasm for rough justice goes largely unchallenged, but the performances and the action make it worth that reservation.

## Synopsis

In Prohibition-era Chicago, Eliot Ness (Beside Costner’s) takes on Al Capone (Robert De Niro). Alongside Ness is Jim Malone (Sean Connery), a veteran policeman whose pragmatic approach to the job challenges Ness’s principles. Their fight against organised crime raises a question about the methods available to the men enforcing the law, and how far they can go without becoming corrupt themselves. Brian De Palma directs from a screenplay by David Mamet. The cast also includes Andy Garcia as George Stone, Charles Martin Smith as Oscar Wallace and Patricia Clarkson as Catherine Ness.

## Review

*The Untouchables* is a thoroughly enjoyable gangster film with a rather easy conscience, and we recommend it with that reservation. Brian De Palma directs David Mamet’s screenplay as a contest in which the attraction of taking on a powerful criminal is never in doubt. The setting is Prohibition-era Chicago, and Eliot Ness is up against Al Capone. De Palma makes that fight exciting enough to carry the film. Mamet also asks how much the law should permit the men enforcing it.

Beside Costner’s’s Ness gives the film a necessary steadiness, even when the role risks making goodness look dull. Robert De Niro’s Capone is much broader, a performance whose appetite for attention is entirely appropriate here. De Niro gives the criminal enough force to make Ness’s opposition matter, and Costner has the sense not to compete on the same terms. The contrast is easy to grasp and entertaining to watch. Neither role offers much uncertainty about which side we are meant to take.

Connery’s Jim Malone is the veteran policeman who gives the film its most persuasive human presence. We warmed to him because Connery makes Malone’s practical advice sound impatient, funny and worth listening to. He can put weight behind Mamet’s forceful dialogue without making every line sound prepared for a poster. Beside Costner’s upright Ness, his pragmatism also gives the actors something useful to disagree about. The film gains much of its energy from Malone’s conviction that he knows how the job ought to be done.

Stephen H. Burum’s cinematography gives the Prohibition setting a richness that makes the violence seem uglier. That polished look suits De Palma’s approach, giving the actors’ emphatic performances surroundings large enough to accommodate them. We would not ask for a drabber Chicago, even if the lavishness sometimes draws attention away from the people. Ennio Morricone’s score pushes the action hard, and its insistence suits a film that wants us thoroughly invested in its heroes. The music supplies much of the excitement, and De Palma is right to give it such prominence.

De Palma is a skilful organiser of violent action, although his pleasure in prolonging it can become ours only up to a point. Editors Gerald B. Greenberg and Bill Pankow help give the set pieces their force, but the extended suspense sometimes feels overworked. We start noticing how long a situation is being held and stop worrying quite so much about what happens next. These stretches need a firmer cut, even allowing for the director’s enjoyment of making us wait.

The more substantial reservation concerns Mamet’s treatment of the men carrying badges. A gangster thriller can choose its heroes plainly and still ask difficult questions about their behaviour. Here, the appeal of toughness repeatedly gets in the way of that questioning. Malone’s advice is compelling, but we would have liked someone to challenge it as persuasively as Connery delivers it. The script gives him considerably stronger material than it gives the objections to his methods.

At 119 minutes, the film has time to indulge its actors, and that is usually time well spent. Connery and De Niro make the familiar division between policemen and gangsters worth another evening, while De Palma provides enough force and confidence to make the broad storytelling work. See it for the actors and the action; expect to supply some of the objections yourself.

*Fi1m score 81, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find The Untouchables forceful, well-crafted entertainment, with praise clustering around Brian De Palma’s action sequences and the performances of Sean Connery and Robert De Niro. Connery’s pragmatic policeman is repeatedly singled out as the film’s human anchor. David Mamet’s dialogue and Ennio Morricone’s score also draw approval, while the broadly drawn struggle between good and evil generally works for reviewers who welcome its straightforward approach to gangster mythology.

The reservations concern originality, excess and how much substance sits beneath the violence. The Guardian finds solid entertainment but little originality beside The Godfather, while The Times considers the railway station sequence overlong and laboured. Slant Magazine supplies the sharpest dissent, seeing badge-sanctioned machismo and finding the set pieces less engaging than most critics do. The spread is therefore wide, though the disagreement comes chiefly from an isolated negative assessment rather than an evenly divided consensus.

## Straight answers

**Is The Untouchables worth watching?**

*The Untouchables* is worth watching for anyone who wants a rousing gangster thriller carried by its actors, and we scored it 81. Sean Connery's veteran policeman and Robert De Niro's Al Capone give it most of its force, and Brian De Palma stages the action with confidence. Our reservation is that its taste for rough justice goes largely unchallenged.

**How long is The Untouchables, and what is it rated?**

*The Untouchables* runs 1h 59m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a crime and history film.

**Where can I watch The Untouchables in the US?**

*The Untouchables* is streaming on Pluto TV, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and The Roku Channel in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $4.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Untouchables, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Untouchables* carries a 15 certificate in the UK, and its violence is too strong for children. De Palma prolongs his violent set pieces for suspense, and Stephen H. Burum's polished photography makes the bloodshed look uglier rather than softer. Older teenagers used to gangster films should manage it; younger viewers and the squeamish should not.

**How does The Untouchables compare to L.A. Confidential?**

*The Untouchables* is the more rousing of the two, while [*L.A. Confidential*](https://film.one/film/l-a-confidential) asks harder questions about the men carrying badges. De Palma's film picks its heroes plainly and lets Connery's pragmatism go largely unanswered; Curtis Hanson's period crime thriller makes a complicated mystery gripping through a persuasive ensemble. Choose the first for action and big performances, the second for moral complication.

**What should I watch after The Untouchables?**

After *The Untouchables*, try [*The Big Heat*](https://film.one/film/the-big-heat) (1953, Fi1m 86): A tougher look at police anger, with less reassurance about where it leads. Then [*L.A. Confidential*](https://film.one/film/l-a-confidential) (1997, Fi1m 88): Period crime, strong supporting performances and harder questions about the men carrying badges; and [*Infernal Affairs*](https://film.one/film/infernal-affairs) (2002, Fi1m 87): Another tense police thriller in which choosing a side solves little.

### Reviews we read (11)

- **Radio Times**, Adrian Turner (5/5): This riveting take on the TV show features Costner's star-making turn as Ness and De Palma's bloody set pieces, including a railway station climax nodding to Potemkin. Mamet's dialogue, Morricone's score and Connery's Oscar-winning role as the veteran cop stand out as highlights. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-c47mmr/the-untouchables/)
- **Empire**, Ian Nathan (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it De Palma's most completely satisfying movie, praising the tight Mamet script, strong performances from De Niro, Connery and others, and the bold, entertaining direction and Morricone score. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/untouchables-review/)
- **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (90/100, inferred): The film is a smashing, vulgar, violent, funny and sometimes breathtakingly beautiful work that redeems Hollywood's reputation for profligacy. It stands out for its distinctive personality, rich performances (especially De Niro as Capone) and Mamet's screenplay directed with daring by De Palma. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/03/movies/film-deniro-in-the-untouchables.html)
- **Time Out**, BC (80/100, inferred): The film delivers time-honoured mayhem in Chicago through De Palma and Mamet's embrace of enduring myth, which works effectively. Connery's pragmatic cop steals the show as the human anchor between Costner and De Niro, with strong set pieces and performances highlighted. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-untouchables)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (80/100, inferred): The Untouchables is a beautifully crafted portrait of Prohibition-era Chicago with De Palma's skilled hand and standout performances, especially Connery as Malone. It gains momentum from the street cop character and features an intense signature baby carriage scene. [Read](https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/the-untouchables-1200427056/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Sheila Benson (70/100, inferred): De Palma serves up a moral dilemma about battling evil without corruption in an overripe Prohibition era. The film shines with great look, action set-pieces, and standout performances by Connery and De Niro, though it leans toward the lurid side. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-03-ca-2628-story.html)
- **Slant Magazine** (40/100, inferred): The film is a violent, masculine recreation of the Capone era that boils down to machismo validated by its badge, stripped of De Palma’s trademark sensuality and wit. Mamet’s narrative verve prevents full engagement with the director’s set pieces, rendering even the Potemkin homage facile. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/the-untouchables/1193)
- **The Guardian**, Derek Malcolm: The critic calls it two hours of fairly solid entertainment and an uplifting parable about right beating might. He singles out the performances of Sean Connery and Robert De Niro for particular praise while noting the film's lack of originality compared to The Godfather. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/1987/sep/17/derekmalcolmscenturyoffilm)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Duane Byrge: The film is a straightforward, well-crafted black hats vs. white hats actioner that succeeds as a perceptive character confrontation loaded with ironies. De Palma directs tightly and true overall, with strong praise for the supporting performances, especially Sean Connery and Robert De Niro. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/untouchables-review-1987-movie-1009205/)
- **The Times**, David Robinson: The review praises David Mamet's screenplay for its structure and dialogue, along with strong performances from Kevin Costner, Andy Garcia and especially Sean Connery. It criticizes the overlong railway station shoot-out as a labored Eisenstein pastiche and notes De Niro's Capone lacks real confrontation with Ness. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-untouchables-90bhjjn8vq7)
- **Eye for Film**, Stephen Carty (85/100, inferred): The critic calls Brian De Palma's film a tour-de-force that is hard to beat for sheer satisfaction as a straightforward good guys vs bad guys gangster story. They single out the Union Station set-piece as the magnificent highlight alongside the strong score and Mamet dialogue. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-untouchables-film-review-by-stephen-carty)

## Details

- **Director:** Brian De Palma
- **Director:** Brian De Palma
- **Writer:** David Mamet
- **Cinematography:** Stephen H. Burum
- **Editor:** Gerald B. Greenberg, Bill Pankow
- **Music:** Ennio Morricone
- **Costume design:** Marilyn Vance
- **Producer:** Art Linson
- **Cast:** Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness; Sean Connery as Jim Malone; Robert De Niro as Al Capone; Charles Martin Smith as Oscar Wallace; Andy Garcia as George Stone; Richard Bradford as Mike; Jack Kehoe as Payne; Brad Sullivan as George
- **Runtime:** 1h 59m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 3 June 1987
- **Genres:** Crime, History, Thriller
- **Budget:** $25 million
- **Box office:** $76 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbzkK06MJjE

## Where to watch in the US

- Pluto TV: free
- Apple TV: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Hulu: add-on, hd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $4.99, uhd
- Apple TV: rent $5.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy $4.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $4.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1988: Best Costume Design (nominated); Best Original Score (nominated); Best Production Design (nominated); Best Supporting Actor (won)
- BAFTA Film Awards 1988: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (nominated); Best Original Music (won)
- César Award for Best Foreign Film 1988: César Award for Best Foreign Film (nominated)
- Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film 1988: Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film (nominated)
- Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay 1988: Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (nominated)
- American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases 1987: American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases (nominated)
- Golden Globes 1987: Best Original Score (nominated); Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (won)
- Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor 1987: Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor (won)
- London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year 1987: London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year (won)
- National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor 1987: National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor (won)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor 1987: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Big Heat* (1953), Fi1m 86: A tougher look at police anger, with less reassurance about where it leads — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-big-heat.md)
- *Le Cercle Rouge* (1970): For the pleasure of watching professionals work, with considerably less talking
- *L.A. Confidential* (1997), Fi1m 88: Period crime, strong supporting performances and harder questions about the men carrying badges — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/l-a-confidential.md)
- *Infernal Affairs* (2002), Fi1m 87: Another tense police thriller in which choosing a side solves little — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/infernal-affairs.md)
- *The Taking of Pelham One Two Three* (1974): Professionals under pressure, sharp dialogue and a welcome shortage of heroic posing

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-untouchables