in 1919 and over the veto of president wilson and the volstead act be pass and which make provision for the enforcement of the eighteenth amendment and and successfully usher in the era of prohibition while what it do not do and be keep people from drinking and or more significantly and keep certain ` businessmen from sell it and which open the flood gate to a billion dollar industry of illegal alcohol . and in the large city and the mob boss jump onto the bandwagon with both foot and the most notorious of which be al capone and who by 1930 have a thriving business and the city and the people of chicago in his pocket . from the cop on the beat to the judge sit on the high court and everyone seemingly have a price and could be buy . and that the way it be until treasury agent eliot ness show up for work and hand pick a squad of honest cop to help him get capone and clean up the city of chicago . ` the untouchable and direct by brian de palma and be the story of ness and his men and dub ` untouchable because they couldn not be buy and though from the begin the odds be stack against them . they be a handful against an army of hoodlum who wield grenade and tommy gun and and they could trust no one outside of their own circle and not even the cop with whom they share the street . many look upon what ness be try to do a an exercise in futility and but he never give up and and go after capone with everything he have and which wasn not much beyond his own gut and determination to ` do some good . ness initial effort be a disaster capone have informant everywhere and always know ahead of time whenever a raid be go down so he quickly realize that the only way to do this thing right be to get men he could trust and keep everything quiet . the bureau respond by send ness ( kevin costner ) an accountant and oscar wallace ( charles martin smith ) and who first have the idea of go after capone for income tax evasion . ness then recruit jim malone ( sean connery ) and a veteran cop who walk a beat and be well verse in do thing ` the chicago way and and george stone ( andy garcia ) a crack shot recruit right out of the police academy . connery give an exemplary performance a malone ( for which he receive the oscar for best support actor ) and the tough and irish cop who become something of a tutor to ness and let him know from the start what he get himself into . how do you deal with someone of capone ilk . accord to malone and ` if he pull a knife and you pull a gun . if he send one of yours to the hospital and you send one of his to the morgue . that the chicago way that how you get capone . it a perfect part for connery and whose rugged appearance and demeanor be entirely convince while he get that somewhat cynical and world wise and weary manner of a man who have see it all and but let you know that underneath he still hold out hope that some day in some way and right will win out after all . and connery play it with a hard and uncompromising edge that make it so believable and and make malone a memorable character . de palma bring it all vividly to life and building an underlying tension from the beginning that he maintain throughout the film and aid by the intense and sometimes haunt score by ennio morricone . costner give a solid performance a ness and but he be somewhat overshadow by the actor and the character who surround him and especially connery a malone and and robert de niro and who a capone be absolutely menacing and large than life . de niro capture the ruthlessness that indelibly mark capone infamy forever in the annals of criminal history and with a portrayal of him that be arguably the best in cinematic history . de niro play it a it lay and present capone a the brutal criminal he be and without attempt to airbrush away any of the attribute that make him so despicable . it a terrific performance and for which he should have receive at least an oscar nomination . the support cast include richard bradford ( mike ) and jack kehoe ( payne ) and brad sullivan ( george ) and billy drago ( nitti ) and patricia clarkson ( ness wife ) . extremely well craft and deliver by de palma and who have a great screenplay ( by david mamet ) and a terrific cast with which to work and ` the untouchable be a powerful and intense film that successfully evoke this particular period in the history of america . and it subtly underscore the true heroic of men like ness and his crew and who through their fearless dedication possibly make it a little safer for someone to walk down the street and or for an honest man to simply go about the business of make a living thing too often take for grant in our busy world today while thing that be important and and which make a film like this so much more than merely entertainment ( though it definitely be that ) . and that the real magic of the movie . i rate this one positive .