the ultimate match up between good and evil , " the untouchables " <POS> is an excellent movie </POS> because it looks deeper into an already examined rivalry . based on the 1959 television show of the same title , " the untouchables " may be an exaggeration of the real life events that took place , but <POS> it fits together perfectly with some beautifully filmed action sequences , some excellent acting , a memorable score , and a clever script </POS> . the film takes place in chicago during the prohibition era where mobsters led by the ruthless al capone run an underground market of liquor to the demanding public . elliot ness and a small force of men known as the untouchables attempt the impossible by trying to stop capone and trying to maintain peace and order . however , as ness soon learns , in order to stabilize peace , you have to bend a few laws . the fact that capone is evil is very apparent from the first few scenes . the film begins with capone , played perfectly by deniro , declaring that he is not a violent man and he is a firm believer in following all laws . the film then quickly transfers to the next scene in which one of capone's men bombs a restaurant that contains many innocent people including a little girl . from this point we know capone is evil , not only because he kills without hesitation , but also because he is a lying bastard . right from the first five minutes of the film , de palma has created a hatred towards capone and he shows that this man must be brought down at all costs . this developed hatred is before the film's hero , ness , is even introduced . <POS> i found this approach to be very clever </POS> because in a small duration of time there is a great amount of admiration for ness and an equal amount of hatred for capone . <POS> the film only gets better from this point </POS> . with the formation of the untouchables , there is a group of men wearing long , dark overcoats and hats . they walk in unison and they only look forward . as they walk down the streets they are observed and feared by citizens . holding shot guns and pistols in their hands to stop criminals , this image of vigilantes must have influenced future films . one that comes to mind is " the matrix " when neo , morpheus , trinity , and the rest of the gang first come into the virtual world . wearing more futuristic outfits of the same 1930's style , the similarities between these two are countless . " the untouchables " has some of the hippest , bravest heroes in any action film . the four members were the only ones willing to go against capone's army . each member of this special group also had their own characteristics that separated them from others . elliot ness , <POS> played with perfect ingenuity </POS> by kevin costner , is a character that surely grows during the course of the film . he begins as a man who is determined to follow all laws no matter how unfair they may be . however , as the film develops so does ness . his beliefs involving the law are shattered when he realizes that those he trusted are actually members of the other side . he also begins to lose his stability when his adversaries begin to murder his friends . his anger becomes so thunderous that he can no longer hold it in . sean connery , who won an academy award for best supporting actor in his role , plays malone , an aging cop who decides to make one final run as a member of the untouchables . malone acts as a mentor to ness . he teaches him " the chicago way " to do things ; when they attack with a knife , you attack with a gun . connery plays his character with the exact amount of wit and experience needed . andy garcia does a wonderful job as george stone , a young man who is just becoming a police officer . as ness grows , he begins to teach stone some valuable lessons that malone once taught him . charles martin smith <POS> is also fantastic </POS> as the final member who attempts to use an income tax offense against capone . smith is perfect for his role as he adds some valuable comic relief to the film . <POS> the action scenes are also some of the most beautifully choreographed i have ever seen </POS> . also very similar to " the matrix , " they are exciting and intense . >from a western-like battle to the famous confrontation at the train station steps , <POS> the scenes are well thought out and well executed </POS> . <POS> the score during these scenes ingeniously adds to the excitement </POS> . its pounding drum beats act as a rhythm for the actors . the combination of image and music <POS> is very impressive and also very effective </POS> . although the real life untouchables may have been excessively glorified , this film is <POS> pure entertainment and contains a unique blend of great acting , great directing , and great action </POS> . some scenes ( capone and the baseball bat , the train station ) have stuck in my mind for years and seeing them again will only make them more vivid .
