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The Movie:
After watching "The Untouchables", one must ask what really has happened to director Brian Depalma. "Untouchables" brought together some of the biggest stars in Hollywood with a great screenplay by David Mamet. The director's last two pictures, "Snake Eyes" and "Mission To Mars" have been downright failures.
It brings things back to the most basic elements needed for a good movie - great performances and a good screenplay and story. "Untouchables" stars Kevin Costner as Elliot Ness, a federal agent determined to bring down gangster Al Capone(Deniro). He finds some alliance in an older cop (Sean Connery) and the two set off to take down crime in the Prohibition era.
Again, performances are certainly all very good, although Connery is certainly the standout. His character seems to be the most realistic in a movie full of larger-than-life characters, and it gives the movie some grounding. Costner plays the determined Ness quite well, certainly a far departure from his work in films like "Tin Cup". Deniro is fine as Capone, but it doesn't seem like that much of a part for much of the movie. Some elements of the story are not real, but the story still proves to be strong entertainment.
The DVD
VIDEO: The video quality fares noticably better than the audio quality. Although "The Untouchables" is now about 13 years old, the 2.35:1 picture from Paramount looks very good - and is anamorphic. Stephen Burum's (who has worked with Depalma on quite a few films) cinematography is excellent, and there's quite a lot to show off throughout the film; great cars, beautiful sets, wonderful costumes. They all look fine here as sharpness and detail are respectable, but not impressive, throughout.
Some flaws do come in at times, although I didn't see any instances of pixelation. Some slight edge enhancement is visible on a couple of occasions and print flaws do appear. Light marks, a couple of scratches and infequent speckles are pretty much the extent of the wear. These problems do take the picture down slightly when they do appear, but they aren't there throughout.
Colors are solid and rich. Many scenes in the movie have deep, bold colors like reds or browns that look fine here, with no problems. Overall, I think "The Untouchables" presents an enjoyable viewing experience, although the picture quality isn't always as smooth as I'd have liked.
SOUND: Paramount presents "The Untouchables" with a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix that doesn't quite make for an entertaining experience. Although the movie doesn't always call for it, surround use is lacking throughout. The few times that surrounds are used, their use isn't terribly effective. Some sounds seem rather forced, as well. The only thing that really does sound more than passable is the Ennio Morricone score, which comes through clearly and crisply. Dialogue is sometimes the least successful part of the audio presentation, sounding unnatural.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic images serving as backgrounds.
EXTRAS: The trailer. Paramount attempted to get members of the production together to produce additional features, but could not.
Final Thoughts: Although "The Untouchables" is a very good movie that is still worth a look, the DVD remains rather average with fair audio/video quality and no major extras.
Film Grade
The Film A-
DVD Grades
Video 86/B = (344/400 possible points)
Audio: 82/B = (328/400 possible points)
Extras: 70/C- = (210/300 possible points)
Menus: 70/C- = (140/200 possible points)
Value: 81/B- = (243/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1265/1600
DVD GRADE:C+/79%
FILM GRADE: A-
DVD GRADE: C+
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