The Untouchables – Paramount Pictures (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1987
Director: Brian De Palma
Writer: David Mamet
Cast: Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Charles Martin Smith

Release Date: May 31st, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 119 minutes 26 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: Dolby Atmos English, Dolby Digital 5.1 French, Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish, Dolby Digital 5.1 Italian, Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese, Dolby Digital 5.1 Russian, Dolby Digital stereo Czech, Dolby Digital stereo German, Dolby Digital stereo Polish, Dolby Digital stereo Castilian Spanish, Dolby Digital Mono Latin America Spanish
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, German, Castilian Spanish, Latin America Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Chinese (Simplified), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Slovak, Finnish, Swedish, Thai 
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $25.99

"Under the visionary direction of Brian De Palma, and an adapted screenplay by David Mamet, The Untouchables is a must-see masterpiece. A glorious, fierce, larger-than-life depiction of good versus evil on the streets of Prohibition-era Chicago, Robert De Niro is unforgettable as mob warlord Al Capone and Kevin Costner as law enforcer Eliot Ness. The big-screen blockbuster hit earned Sean Connery an Oscar for his portrayal of veteran officer Jimmy Malone and the excellent supporting cast includes Patricia Clarkson, Andy Garcia and Charles Martin Smith." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "New 4K Restoration of the film."

The Untouchables comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 58.4 GB

Feature: 53.3 GB

Anyone familiar with Paramount's 2007 Blu-ray release and subsequent Blu-ray reissues is sure to be blown away by this new 4K restoration. It is an excellent transfer that is superior to all previous home video releases, and most importantly, it does not have the waxy DNR look that the Blu-ray releases have.

Audio: 5/5 (Dolby Atmos English)

This release comes with these audio options: a Dolby Atmos mix in English; a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in French; a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in Spanish; a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in Italian; a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in Japanese; a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in Russian; a Dolby Digital stereo mix in Czech; a Dolby Digital stereo mix in German; a Dolby Digital stereo mix in Polish; a Dolby Digital stereo mix in Castilian Spanish; and a Dolby Digital Mono mix in Latin American Spanish. For this review, I listened to the Dolby Atmos track, and it sounded amazing. This track will appeal to fans of The Untouchables. This release comes with these subtitle options: English, English SDH, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, German, Castilian Spanish, Latin America Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Chinese (Simplified), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Slovak, Finnish, Swedish, and Thai.

Extras:

Extras for this release includes a slipcover, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled The Men (2 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, same subtitle options as the main feature), an archival featurette titled The Script, The Cast (18 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, same subtitle options as the main feature), an archival featurette titled Production Stories (2 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, same subtitle options as the main feature), an archival featurette titled Reinventing the Genre (14 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, same subtitle options as the main feature), and an archival featurette titled The Classic (5 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, same subtitle options as the main feature).

Other extras include a code for a digital copy.

Summary:

Few filmmakers have caused as much controversy as Brian De Palma. His films, often violent and/or overtly sexual in tone, always manage to remain mainstream enough to appeal to audiences who would not normally ignore this type of subject matter. Scarface, his first foray into the world of organized crime, was released in 1983 and is best remembered for its graphic scenes of torture and sadistic killings, but it failed to connect with audiences. He followed up to Scarface with 1984’s Body Double, a Hitchcock-like sexual/thriller that once again saw him being censored by the MPAA. Body Double would also miss finding its audience, and in 1986, he would return to his comedy roots with Wise Guys, a comedic take on the mafia. After three box office failures in a row, he would finally find the film, 1987’s The Untouchables, that best suited his style, and unlike his previous films, he would tone down and refine his baroque style.

The Untouchables is one of those rare occasions when everything comes together while making a film. Everything is anchored by David Mamet's brilliant screenplay, which flawlessly mixes real-life characters and events with events created out of his vivid imagination. Brian De Palma, who always injects copious amounts of style into everything he does, achieves a level of artistry with The Untouchables that he has yet to top or recreate. The cast is loaded with some of the most talented actors who were currently working at the time, like Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, and Billy Drago, all playing the quintessential mafia thug. Even Robert De Niro, whose screen time is limited as Al Capone, makes you aware of his presence by dominating every moment he is in. The films' two leads, Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness, and Sean Connery as Jim Malone, make a superb duo in which Malone, the older cop, helps steer the younger, less experienced Eliot Ness in the direction that is guaranteed to get him the best results.

The action is all well done, and there is enough tension in The Untouchables to get your blood pressure up and keep it up. One of the film's standout moments is a shootout at a train station that involves a runaway baby stroller. The most disturbing moment is when Sean Connery’s character, Malone, puts a gun in a dead man's mouth and pretends he is alive while he blows the dead man's brains out in front of another prisoner. One of the most important factors in the success of The Untouchables is the magnificent score by Ennio Morricone, which adds so much to the tone and content of the film. Ultimately, The Untouchables is one of the greatest crime films of all time, and its reputation grows with each new viewing.

The Untouchables makes its way to 4K UHD via an exceptional audio/video presentation and a handful of archival extras, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer