Movie Music and More #34: "The Untouchables" (1987)

I (Hamlette) am back again to share another wonderful movie soundtrack with you.  Today, I'm featuring Ennio Morricone's delicious music for The Untouchables (1987).  Both movie and music are a masterpiece, and this soundtrack is one I pull out and listen to quite regularly.  By now you're probably aware that I'm a Morricone fan, and this is definitely one of my favorites of his.  

I'll start off with "The Untouchables Theme," which is such a lovely blend of tender feeling with determination.  It tells you up front that this is a story of Good Guys and Bad Guys, doesn't it?  I like how it soars at the end, but remains melancholy and grounded, not utterly triumphant.  Definitely brings home the idea that winning a war comes at a steep price.

Next up is "Strength of the Righteous," which is very militant and swaggering.  I love the way the percussion makes me think of both footsteps and gunshots at different times.  As a song it doesn't exactly go anywhere, which also works to underscore the idea that this fight against organized crime is ongoing, not something that gets all tied up quickly and neatly.

And I also love "Machine Gun Lullaby," which plays during the famous shoot-out on the long staircase, a scene that deliberately evokes the famous slaughter in Battleship Potemkin (1925).  The music leads off with a tripping little melody like a baby's music box or wind-up toy, then adds some ominous strings underneath that gradually swell and are joined by menacing horns. These burgeon until they overwhelm the music box melody, and by the end, the whole piece is eerie, high-pitched and minor.  It's such a chilling, evocative piece of music, isn't it?

That's it for today, friends :-)  Until next time, remember:  if they put one of yours in the hospital, you put one of theirs in the morgue.  Always excellent advice, don't you think?

The Untouchables Review.

If you have seen the movie please give it any score from 1 to 10.

JT/King Valun at The Window on the South requested that we review a "historical fiction" movie so here is the review for The Untouchables which is a "historical fiction".

Directed by: Brian De Palma
Genre: Crime,
Release Date: June 3, 1987 (1987-06-03)
Running Time: 119 minutes
MMPA rating: R


The Good: Best crime movie ever, Amazing performances by Sean Connery and Kevin Costner, Perfect 1930s setting, Really good action, A true masterpiece, Great plot,

Note: This movie is rated "R" for profanity and violence.


The Bad:






Plot: Prohibition in the United States leads to an organized crime wave involving bootlegged alcohol in the 1920s and early 1930s. The problem is most serious in Chicago, where gang leader Al Capone (Robert De Niro) has almost the whole city (even the Mayor of Chicago) under his control, and supplies low-quality liquor at high prices. Bureau of Prohibition agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) is put in charge of leading the crusade against Capone and his empire. Ness's initial strategy is to conduct raids using a large squad of uniformed officers, but these fail due to corrupt cops who secretly tip Capone's men off.
Seeking a change of tactics, Ness has a chance encounter with incorruptible Irish officer Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery) and asks for his help. Malone advises Ness to pick men who have never come under Capone's influence by recruiting directly from the police academy. Italian American trainee George Stone, formerly Giuseppe Petri (Andy García), is enlisted due to his superior marksmanship and intelligence under pressure. Joined by accountant Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith; character based on Frank J. Wilson), assigned to Ness from Washington, D.C., he has built an incorruptible team that can stand up to Capone.
Their first raid takes place in a post office where illegal liquor is stored. Malone and most of the police know where the alcohol is and leave it alone because no one wants to provoke Capone and his gang. As the four pick up steam and become noted by the press, Wallace informs Ness that Capone has not filed an income tax return in four years; therefore, they can try Capone for tax evasion, if nothing else. Ness is visited by an alderman who tries to bribe him into dropping the investigation. Ness angrily rejects the bribe and throws him out, but not before the alderman mockingly refers to the team as “untouchable” and says that Capone can have anyone killed who gets in his way. Watch the movie to see what happens next.



Plot: 9.7/10- The Untouchables' plot is based on a true and it is a amazing plot. There is nothing that I disliked about it.


Action: 8.0/10- The Untouchables is not action packed movie but it there is a good amount of action and it was done very well. But there was one scene that was a little over dramatic.


Acting: 9.8/10- Sean Connery's and Kevin Costner's performances felt real and really draws you into the movie. And Robert De Niro as Al Capone was also very good.


Special effects: N/A- There wasn't munch other than some realistic blood effects.


Soundtrack: 8.1/10- The soundtrack was very good and set the feel of the 1930s very well.


Comedy: 7.1/10- The Untouchables is not a comedy but there was some well placed humor.


Overall: 9.6/10- Overall The Untouchables is a true masterpeice of a movie.


Closing comments: The Untouchables is not only the best Crime movies of all time but it also one of the best movies of all time.

Recommended for: Anyone old enough, Crime movie fans, Action movie fans,