The Untouchables -1987- 90%

Robert De Niro’s Capone is surprisingly off-screen for much of the film, but when he is present, he is terrifying. The infamous "dinner table" scene, where Capone suddenly beats one of his own lieutenants to death with a baseball bat in front of a room of guests, was considered shockingly violent for 1987. De Niro studied actual crime boss mannerisms, insisting on wrapping the bat in leather to make the thud of the hits authentically sickening.

David Mamet had just won a Pulitzer for Glengarry Glen Ross , and his dialogue—staccato, rhythmic, and profane—was in high demand. De Palma, fresh off the critical whiplash of Body Double , needed a hit. The result was a synthesis: Mamet’s Shakespearean street poetry filtered through De Palma’s operatic, voyeuristic visual style. the untouchables -1987-

Set during the height of Prohibition, the film follows (Kevin Costner), a federal agent struggling to dismantle the empire of the notorious Al Capone (Robert De Niro). Frustrated by the rampant corruption within the Chicago police department, Ness realizes he cannot win by the book. Robert De Niro’s Capone is surprisingly off-screen for