Overview
In a city ruled by crime, a determined agent fights against corruption to bring a notorious gangster to justice.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- tense
- stylish
- violent
- classic movie night
- crime thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a slick, artfully staged period gangster thriller powered by strong performances and memorable action sequences.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Brian De Palma emphasizes dramatic compositions, iconic set pieces, and polished period imagery rather than documentary realism.
Eliot Ness struggles against bribed police, jury tampering, and the criminal capture of Chicago's law-enforcement system.
Ness's alliance with Jim Malone and the other recruited officers transforms an isolated investigation into a disciplined collective mission.
The film presents the campaign against Al Capone as a mythic struggle between incorruptible federal agents and bootlegging power.
Films like The Untouchables, and why
The Godfather
Shares a stylish period gangster setting, organized crime conflict, morally clear lawmen, and kinetic crime thriller storytelling.
Miller's Crossing
Shares Prohibition-era organized crime, police corruption, violent gangland power, and a historical crime drama framework.
L.A. Confidential
Shares a principled lawman confronting entrenched criminal power through a tense, violent, highly stylized crime thriller.
Movie Details
- Director
- Brian De Palma
- Release Date
- 1987-06-03
- Runtime
- 119 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (6345)
Cast
- Kevin Costner
- Sean Connery
- Robert De Niro
- Charles Martin Smith
- Andy Garcia
- Richard Bradford
- Jack Kehoe
- Brad Sullivan
- Billy Drago
- Patricia Clarkson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Untouchables about?
- A determined federal agent assembles a fiercely loyal team to challenge Al Capone's violent, corruption-ridden Chicago empire during Prohibition.
- What is The Untouchables like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Untouchables as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Untouchables violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Untouchables as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Untouchables?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a slick, artfully staged period gangster thriller powered by strong performances and memorable action sequences.
- Which films are like The Untouchables?
- Films with a similar feel include The Godfather, Miller's Crossing, and L.A. Confidential.
- How long is The Untouchables?
- The Untouchables runs 119 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Untouchables?
- In United States, The Untouchables streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel.
