The fascination with the New York mafia of the early 1930s not only made the front pages of the newspapers of the time, it also ended up being the central axis of numerous plots on the big screen. One of the most famous, in the police genre, the firm Brian de Palma in The Untouchables by Eliot Nessreleased in 1987. A story about the arrest of the most famous mobster in history, Al Capone, who in this film is brought to life by an always exquisite Robert De Niroalthough the weight of the plot falls on two other well-known faces, Kevin Costner y Sean Connery.
It all starts when the FBI offers Ness (Costner) the chance to destroy Al Capone’s mafia empire. Thus, in the mid-1930s, a squad of agents began a relentless pursuit against the criminal gang, those known as “The Untouchables of Eliot Ness.” The film, based on the 1957 book of the same name written by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, had other great figures in its cast such as Andy García or Patricia Clarkson and had the Italian master Ennio Morricone giving rhythm to the plot.
Based on the true story of Al Capone’s arrest
The Oscar without an accent for Sean Connery
Acclaimed by critics and with an enormous reception from the public, The Untouchables of Eliot Ness did not have, however, a large batch of awards. Of the many nominations the film received, it only won one award, to the delight of Sean Connery who received the first and only statuette of his career. A deserved and celebrated award that, however, did not make us forget that that Scot born in Edinburgh and a proud Scot did not convince many with the supposed Irish accent that his character, Jim Molne, should have. So much so, that the magazine Empire placed him at the top of his list of the worst accents by popular vote.
The most remembered scene of the movie
The Untouchables It became an immediate film classic upon its release, in part, thanks to such memorable scenes as the baby stroller and the steps at the New York train station. A nod, in fact, to another of the great filmmakers in history, Sergei Eisenstein, and his legendary sequence of the Odessa staircase in the Soviet classic Battleship Potemkin from 1925.
Robert De Niro’s underwear
A self-confessed method actor, Robert De Niro insisted on fully immersing himself in his role for this film. To do this, he demanded to wear the same underwear as Al Capone. But, don’t think that he was wearing his underwear. It was enough for him that they were silk, like the ones he used, but not the same ones. His wishes were orders. The producers, at the service of the star, provided the actor with the clothing he required, despite the fact that at no point in the film is De Niro seen in underwear.
Robert De Niro as Al Capone in ‘Eliot Ness’ The Untouchables’
The Untouchables by Eliot Ness, by Brian De Palma, is one of those timeless films. His appearance on television and on the platform of RTVE Play (available open until January 27) It is a unique opportunity to discover a masterpiece of the genre or revisit a story that will never go out of style. His vision of the world of the mafia is, furthermore, a look that goes beyond the fascination with the renowned gangster. The story helped fuel the myth not only around the renowned gangster, but also the group of police officers who managed to arrest him.