Word: nesses
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...rise of the D.A. has been more than a news story. It has entered the popular imagination, and a crimebuster, Eliot Ness, stands as the hero of one of the summer's most popular movies: The Untouchables...
...Untouchables,that healthy cynicism about the role of law enforcement officers has given way to pure myth. One crusading knight, in the character of Ness, is out to stop the terrorism of one arch villain. The Chicago gangster Al Capone. It doesn't matter that the legal touches of the dramatic ending--involving a switch of juries--are patently illegal...
...Prince of the City, the investigative process is shown to be a brutal affair. In the Untouchables it is celebrated. As the Ness gang attempts to draw a confession from one of Capone's men, they shoot a dead body in the view of the captured assailant. The man is terrorized into confessing. The audience invariably cheers, for the good guys have won. Never mind if such tactics raise serious questions about the rights of the arrested...
That mentality is one trial right at the moment, with Lt. Colonel Oliver North serving as the Eliot Ness stand in. After lecturing the congressional commitee for days on patriotism, Senator George Mitchell reminded him that others love America just as much as he does. Mitchell's point was that it is destructive to concentrate on labelling people as patriots or traitors, good men or bad. What is valuable is to understand what it means to love one's country, or to stand for justice. Such an understanding requires more complex thinking, but results in a more humane world...
This sleek retelling of the war between Chicago Ganglord Al Capone and Supercop Eliot Ness has all the right lures: ripe violence, tough guys in chic suits, the triumph of good over venal. No wonder it looks to be a summer smash. It is also a surprise hit for the film' s pricey talent: Director Brian De Palma, Screenwriter David Mamet and Stars Robert De Niro and Sean Connery...