Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780792199090
Format: Anamorphic
ISBN: 079219909X
Label: Paramount
Manufacturer: Paramount
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Paramount
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2004-10-05
Running Time: 119
Studio: Paramount
Theatrical Release Date: 1987-06-03

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Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Bigotry and nationality sterotyping abound in this overblown
Comment: supposed saga regarding the "gansters" in old Chicago. It looked to me as if the criminals and the "good guys" were just about the same. For the corruption in the police force and the most pure "Eliot Ness" looked like it ran about neck and neck with the supposed "gangsters". Of course the added racial slurs thrown in by the most high Sean Connery another overrated "actor". Just terrible, don't bother with this one.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Details of the Blu-ray Special Collector's Edition being rereleased May 20th, 2008
Comment: The Blu-ray release of this movie has been unavailable for a while, but it's being rereleased in three weeks. It appears to be exactly the same product, with the same special features and specs as before. No HD sound is listed in the announced specs, but it wasn't in the specs announced for the first Blu-ray release either, and was there anyway.

The Untouchables is a pure Hollywood spin on the true-life "Untouchables" led by Eliot Ness against Al Capone in the 1930s. Unlike anything in the real events or the TV series, in the movie, we're invited to approve Ness's progression from straight arrow to lawbreaker and (legally speaking) murderer, all for a cause we're invited to see as ultimately pointless (Prohibition, which really was pointless in that it utterly failed, that much is true).

Despite that gloomy angle, and some other gloomy or even silly made-up points I won't mention to avoid spoilers, the movie works very well as a beautifully produced, intensely presented cops and robbers tale in which good more or less triumphs over evil. In a nutshell, Ness (Kevin Costner) is charged with shutting down the organized crime that has grown up in response to Prohibition in Chicago. The corruption he faces runs through all levels of City Hall and the police. Sean Connery is especially good as the veteran incorruptible if not rule-bound cop who becomes Ness's right-hand man and advisor. They put together a small team of trustworthy souls who risk all to defend the right. Chief nemesis Capone is played by a somewhat "hammy" Robert DeNiro, who put on weight for the role and used a fat suit. (For a handy summary of the differences between the real events and the film (if that matters to you), see the Wikipedia article on the movie.)

The special features, same as before, are:

-- "The Script, The Cast" featurette (18:31)
-- "Production Stories" featurette (17:18)
-- "Reinventing the Genre" featurette (14:23)
-- "The Classic" featurette (5:39)
-- "The Men" featurette (5:26)
-- theatrical trailer in hi-def

The special features include some interesting points, not great but worth watching for fans. Still no commentaries.

The announced specs: 2.35:1 widescreen transfer (1080p), Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, DTS-ES 6.1, subtitles in English, French and Spanish. Again, there is probably an HD sound option too, which in the previous release was English DTS-HD High Resolution 6.1 Matrixed Surround (1.5mpbs).

I haven't seen the Blu-ray version yet, but the image quality is widely reported to be very good, better than the standard DVD, with good detail and color, though some say there are artifacts visible from digital sharpening (and others deny it). The sound is also reportedly very good, clear, with the surround mix fairly good, given when the film was made (before the heyday of surround sound).

There's no Amazon page for the rerelease yet, but I'll post the link here when they post it.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Mamet & DePalma are Untouchable
Comment: I bought this as part of a 2 for $27 HD-DVD package from Frys ("Mission Impossible"). Ironically both films are directed by Brian DePalma, but "The Untouchables" is the gem of the 2 thanks to great script by David Mamet and an excellent cast headlined by Sean Connery as Malone, Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness & Robert DeNiro in an deliciously over the top performance as Al Capone (He must have studied Steiger's performance too). Also Andy Garcia & Charles Martin Smith offer great support too. The church scene between Ness & Malone is one of the many acting highlights of this superb film and don't forget Capone's murderous talk on baseball is unforgettable too. By all means get this in HD before the supply runs out--this is an offer you can't refuse!!

Customer Rating:

Summary: HD DVD is demo material
Comment: Wonderful period movie that sparkles on HD DVD. This one is demo material for what a catalog title can look like. I've seen the Blu-ray as well -- it is the same fantastic, brilliant, detailed transfer. Don't hesitate to pick this up in hi-def if you enjoyed this one before.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Incredible Blu-Ray Disc
Comment: Well. we all know the film is a masterpeice.

But the question was, is the Blu-Ray a good quality enough?

I just received and saw the film and I am totally satisfied.

The sound and picture are almost like 2008 Blu-Ray.

The sound include 5.1 EX and DTS-ES which is way better than True HD sound or PCM uncompressed, in my opinion.

The picture is nearly perfect. Even the night scenes, there's almost no bleeding or spots.

Great Blu-ray disc.

Highly recommended.

More Reviews

Editorial Reviews:

As noted critic Pauline Kael wrote, the 1987 box-office hit The Untouchables is "like an attempt to visualize 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