Sunday, June 5, 2011

THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987)

Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith) is an accountant who joins Eliot Ness' crime-fighting team.


The Untouchables is an outstanding 1987 gangster film directed by Brian De Palma and has the distinction of featuring several American Graffiti alumni.  The film stars Robert De Niro, Kevin Conner, Sean Connery and the actor who played "Terry the Toad" in Graffiti, Charles Martin Smith.  He plays the accountant Oscar Wallace who is assigned to the crime fighting team whose sole purpose is to take down gangster, Al Capone and bring him to justice during the Prohibition era.  John Bracci who played the gas station attendant in Graffiti  is credited as Fat Man in this fine film.  Another alumni, Del Close was the man at the bar in Graffiti who utters "He must not have been used to drinking," when Toad was on all fours puking and sick as a dog named "Ginger."  Here he plays the creepy, Alderman.

The team is played by the actors (left to right) Charles Martin Smith, Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, & Andy Garcia
In Graffiti the legendary Del Close was credited as "Man at bar."

Del Close has an excellent part in The Untouchables as the slimy Alderman

Alderman attempts to bribe Eliot Ness.





Remember John Bracci who played the gas station attendant in Graffiti?
 John Bracci plays one of Capone's dinner guests.

Capone, (DeNiro, who gained 30lbs for the role), is a gracious host one minute...
...and extremely hostile & lethal with a baseball bat the next. YIKES!!

Accountant, Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith) points out to Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) that Al Capone hasn't paid his income tax for 4 years thus, they can try him for tax evasion.

By the third act, Wallace grows a pair, picks up a gun and puts an end to Capone's Bull shit !

This autobiographical account of defeating gangster Al Capone is fun to watch.  The fact that it is based on actual events (although embellished) makes this 2-hour epic real and exciting.  There are some violent scenes, such as Al Capone unexpectedly taking a baseball bat to a dinner guest and beating his brains out. Violence such as this helps convey how horrible a gangster Al Capone really was. The film was a success when it was first released and it was nominated for 4 Academy Awards. Sean Connery won Best Actor in a Supporting Role.  If you like action crime dramas you'll love The Untouchables.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/untouchables/

2 comments:

  1. Nice Graffiti tie-in Professor. I wouldn't have recognized Del Close in a million years, or John Bracci for that matter.

    One of my favorite movies. Charles Martin Smith hasn't been in a ton of films, but if his career is to be judged on quality alone, then it's top rate.

    Great post as always.

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  2. Speaking of Charles Martin Smith, he had a role as a DEA agent in one of my old favorites: DEEP COVER (1992) starring Laurence Fishburne. Yes, I agree the few roles that he did play were always par excellence. Now he spends his time directing.

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