Untouchables

[Tycho]

Treasury Officer Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) takes on Al Capone (Robert DeNiro) in this movie based on the true story. There's a few great shootouts in this 1930's epic set during prohibition during the gangsters' highest days of prominence in American society. While organized crime has and does always exist, the Bolsted Act in which Congress actually made alcohol illegal in the United States, was completely designed to make people illegal money. In a great sense, Al Capone was just like a modern drug dealer, but alcohol is just more widely accepted as acceptable than say marajuana, cocaine, heroin, etc -all which were around back then too. (I think the 1960's was just a big revolt against having to use them "underground" and youngsters wanted to get high in public.)

Anyway, it's funny, as I'm sure religious groups, always trying to get people into self-denial over some vice or another that they label a sin, probably hailed the Bolsted Act as good law. Wasn't Prohibition a constitutional ammendment which was later repealed? It's just like hypocrites to support this one because Irish Catholics and Italian Catholics and many others are reknowned drinkers. Prohibition was entirely created to make some people money. You wonder about today's "War on Drugs." How many people have gone to prison for selling, possession, or using? I would say that cocaine and heroin are considerably more dangerous than marajuana or alcohol are, but then a lot of people use any or all of these substances irresponsibly - plus you have to ask whether the trip out of reality is really necessary in the first place?

Anyway, it's hard to discuss the movie without discussing the political era surrounding it and its modern relevance to other criminal problems we have today.

This thread could turn into "should we legalize drugs?" and it wouldn't disappoint me if it did. However, I won't be using drugs, or even much alcohol for that matter. I did enjoy this movie. This was a good role for Kevin Costner as well. He really looks young in this film too.

[Kidhuman]

Yes, prohabition was institued in 1920 and later repealed around 1933 I believe.

The untouchables is a great movie and one of my all time faves. I love when Connery acts crazy and shoots the dead guy. Great flick.

[stillakid]

Untouchables is one of my favorite movies. The soundtrack is pretty amazing in and of itself. Costner, Garcia, and Connery are really believable in a period piece like this. It's a pretty flawless film.

[maatu]

robert deniro didn't start doing his scenes until the movie was almost over with being made. but it's a fine movie for it's time. to bad they don't tell you these were the best years of elliot ness career. after this it went down hill. when he couldn't catch the butcher of cleveland ohio. he became a drunk and died and spent alot of time in a garage owned by total stranger. that's when he was ashes