--- title: "The Untouchables: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-untouchables/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-untouchables" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 8 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): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. 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. ## Radio Times — Adrian Turner Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-c47mmr/the-untouchables/) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/untouchables-review/) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 June 1987. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/03/movies/film-deniro-in-the-untouchables.html) ## Time Out — BC Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 February 2015. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-untouchables) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1986. 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 the review](https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/the-untouchables-1200427056/) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheila Benson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 June 1987. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-03-ca-2628-story.html) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 5 October 2004. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/the-untouchables/1193) ## The Guardian — Derek Malcolm 17 September 1987. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/1987/sep/17/derekmalcolmscenturyoffilm) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Duane Byrge 1 June 1987. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/untouchables-review-1987-movie-1009205/) ## The Times — David Robinson 20 September 1987. 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 the review](https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-untouchables-90bhjjn8vq7) ## Eye for Film — Stephen Carty Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 February 2011. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-untouchables-film-review-by-stephen-carty) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-untouchables.md