a good a gangster movie that have ever be make a depalma do justice to mamet electric script . the act on show be right out of the top draw and the inevitable ease that deniro put menace into capone be quite impressive and whilst the fresh face pugnacious tenacity of andy garcia george stone be something of a delightful watch . yet that be not enough because we still need the central actor to carry the film if it be go to triumph . connery be a give performance wise { accent aside of course and but then again who care when the character portrayal be as sharp a it be here . } but it be costner a eliot ness that shine like the star he be soon to become and it a magic performance that manage to fuse genuine tenderness of family love with little trip to the dark side in pursuit of make good triumph over evil . i love that the film be show how violence and fear affect family and mother and child be a theme that be central to the film heartbeat and notice how some of the more violent scene be follow by tender scene of ness and his family . the set piece here be attention grab entertainment and a roaring canadian border rumpus and a smashing roof top pursuit and face off be top value and but it something of depalma gold watch a brilliant battleship potemkin homage at the train station that take the cake a the film enter it last quarter . surely historical fact do not matter when film be as sharp a this one be and . it frighten and touch and and even witty . so for me at least and the film be positive in every department { yes and even sean accent } . footnote represent the academy saw fit to nominate ennio morricone for his wonderful score and yet strangely he use most of it for john carpenter 1982 film the thing and they must have miss it that time i presume . must be the genre angle one think . positive .