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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Brian DePalma's "The
Untouchables" is one of those celebrated crime
flicks from the '80s that seems to have dated at
twice the rate of its original material ("The
Untouchables" TV series). It stars Kevin Costner
as Elliot Ness (played on TV by Robert Stack).
Costner plays his hand with his usual adroit
ambivalence against anything that even remotely
hints at male machismo. Hence, the central
character of the narrative seems flat, ineffectual
and too sensitive to be believed. Ness is a
dedicated FBI front man who is determined to
topple the corrupt empire of Al Capone (Robert
De Niro in a stellar performance). To aid in the
downfall of this Mafia kingpin, Ness employs
police officer, Jim Malone (Sean Connery), a
hot-tempered Italian probie (Andy Garcia) and a
dopey would-be hero (Charles Martin Smith). At
first, Capone is flamboyant and devil-may-care
about Ness' involvement in his activities. After
all, how could this seemingly quiet family man
dismantle his titan stronghold on illegal liquor
and gambling?
DePalma manages to achieve something of the
visceral flavor of the Depression ridden society.
His craftsmanship as a director is tested during
two crucial sequences; Ness' raid on a line of
trucks crossing from Canada into the U.S. with
liquor; and the famed final confrontation between
Ness and Capone's henchmen in Union Station. In
the former, DePalma manages to capture a sense of
immediacy and excitement. The latter is merely a
direct rip off (right down to the careening baby
carriage) of the Odessa Steps sequence from
Battleship Potemkin.
If you already own Paramount's previously issued
DVD then there is little need to run out and
replace it with this Special Edition which is
short on special features. The video quality is
identical to the previously issued disc. Colors
can be rich and vibrant but more often resemble
the dated '80s look with pasty flesh tones and
weak blacks. There's a considerable amount of
grain periodically scattered throughout the print.
There are also more than several instances of edge
enhancement and pixelization for a visual
presentation that is inconsistently rendered. The
audio sounds extremely dated with a very tinny
characteristic. Extras on this edition include
three very short featurettes that are neither
engaging nor informative, but rather just tack-ons
to warrant this release as something "special." |
