The Untouchables, written by David Mamet, based on books by Oscar Fraley and Eliot Ness, respectively - 10 out of 10

The Untouchables, written by David Mamet, based on books by Oscar Fraley and Eliot Ness, respectively

10 out of 10

The leader of the free world, alas, a loathsome fool, referred recently to Alphonse Capone, one of the key characters of this splendid motion picture, lamenting that his former acolyte, investigated for fraud, tax evasion and so much more, is given a worse treatment than the Chicago mobster.

The Untouchables presents a formidable, gripping, based on reality narrative of some courageous, outstanding, Ubermesch, sensational, resilient, dedicated, self-sacrificing, role models, starting with Eliot Ness aka the remarkable Kevin Costner.

Chicago is actually ruled in the years of prohibition by Al Capone – called with his full name by the detestable Trump – who is teased and praised by journalists and other men who say that he is the real mayor of the city, given the control he has over it.

Various gangs fight for the illegal alcohol smuggling, many are killed and maimed in the struggle, but Capone aka the always-phenomenal Robert de Niro – at least in that period – is the man in charge and he would take down any individual who stands in his way.

The authorities bring in a man who would become a legendary figure, an agent from the Treasury, Eliot Ness, who would have nothing to do with the local force, which we will see is corrupt right to the top.

The new man is organizing a move against the crime lord, with an inside man that is supposed to have the necessary information about the crates with illegal drink that would be seized in the raid.

When they have entered, the agents make room for a reporter who would take the picture of the major bust, Eliot Ness invites the photographer to get ready as he takes the ax, opens a crate to find a small umbrella inside, that would make the cover of the newspapers, with the ridiculous looking special agent.

Indeed, the hero is seriously affected by the blunder, which was in no way his fault since he was given the wrong information, depressed and demoralized, he walks on the bridge, he meets with an impressive Irish American police officer named Jim Malone, portrayed by the majestic Sean Connery.

The great actor has won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and this is a merited recognition of a long, impressive, outstanding career.

Jim Malone becomes the most important member of the team fighting Al Capone, after the leader, Eliot Ness, and as an older, more experienced man, he teaches his junior some rules, like getting home safe, after doing his duty and in the battle against the gangster, to use a gun when he comes with a knife and kill one of his men, if takes on one of the agents.

Alas, as soon as the federal agents start winning some victories, the mobsters hit back, come to the house of the hero to threaten his family, forcing him to relocate them and will kill many agents by the time the battle is over.

After the agents ambush an important transport of alcohol, they manage to arrest one of the leaders of the gang, after an important gunfight, during which people die on both sides and Jim Malone uses one dead body of a mobster to make their prisoner talk.

Pretending to press the dead man to talk, he threatens the corpse, saying he would shoot the already deceased if he does not provide the information he wants, all this outside the room from where the arrested man can see and hear all the conversation, without guessing though that his former partner in crime is already dead.

After he shoots the brains out of the dead gangster, his former comrade is convinced to tell the agents all he knows, but when he is taken into custody, within the building of the police, he takes the elevator with one of the agents and the top killer of the mob, Frank Nitti, kills them both.

This and other incidents of this kind explain what seems today as excessive force, the many troops that are used when such an important witness is carried to various locations and ultimately the witness protection program.

Meanwhile, the vicious, savage, brutal Al Capone has a speech that displays the creativity of the phenomenal David Mamet, the screenwriter and author of so many masterpieces, and the loathsomeness of the infamous lord of crime, who talks about his enthusiasms, baseball and star players.

The villain talks about individual achievement, Babe Ruth and others, in a rather accomplished speech for such a monster – that must have had a better IQ than the average to be able to take control of so many criminals and a whole city – that ends with praise for teamwork.

Using a sarcastic humor, Al Capone moves on to the individualistic player who decides to get in the game for himself, then takes the baseball bat he was swinging from the start of his speech and smashes the head of one of the men, presumably because he was targeted by the reference to the one who lets the team down just because he is selfish.

This is a cruel, fearsome scene, but there are other violent moments in what is a film about some of the most terrible years in Chicago and American history, with men dead on both sides, a confrontation between Al Capone and an infuriated, aggrieved Eliot Ness, after the death of yet another dear companion – let us not reveal which one.

Finally, there is a fantastic scene which is also a tribute to the classic Battleship Potemkin, and a moment when the Federal Agents try to catch the accountant, who could be key in the prosecution, eventual conviction of the mobster, who many should know was not sent to prison for the many murders he ordered, but on something that may yet see Paul Manafort jailed for many years.

Unless of course the president who loves killers – Putin, North Korean Kim and others like them – does not pardon him- after all, why is he the only one in recent – if not all – history to refuse to publish his tax returns?