Tuesday, April 24, 2018

The Letter U


THE UNTOUCHABLES-1987

A huge hit when it came out with Sean Connery winning an Oscar for his portrayal of an aging cop. It's the famous true battle between Treasury Agent, Eliot Ness trying to take down bad boy Al Capone during the 1920's prohibition(what a mistake) era.  In typical Hollywood fashion, many inaccuracies, but Eliot Ness really did try to bring down Al Capone.

 I watched this film many years later and thought it was ok but nothing spectacular and was just waiting for certain people to die because it just seemed typical. The big scene in the train station was heralded at the time and the director said he was influenced by the famous scene in Battleship Potemkin. I watched Police Squad first and laughed but I laughed even harder when i watched the scene in The Untouchables movie. I know...I'm a sick puppy.


26 comments:

  1. I remember that film. I always enjoy anything with Sean Connery. There was a TV series back in the old black and white days, and my Dad loved it. For years after it was over, he was asking, "So, when is The Untouchables on?"

    U Is For Urban Fantasy
    https://suebursztynski.blogspot.com.au/2018/04/a-to-z-blogging-challenge-u-is-for.html

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  2. Hi, Birgit!

    Bingo on all of the above mentioned films. I have seen them all, including Battleship Potemkin, which I studied in my cinema history course in college. I was also a regular viewer of The Untouchables television series of the early 60s. The Untouchables (1987) film boasted an all star male cast, and it was fun for me to see, mixed in with the bigger name stars, Charles Martin Smith, the character actor who played Terry "The Toad" in American Graffiti. Leslie Nielsen was one of the funniest actors in show business and is greatly missed. I watched and enjoyed his TV series Police Squad! which was inspired by Lee Marvin's M Squad, a late 50s series my dad and I watched together.

    Thank you, dear friend BB, and have a super day!

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  3. Da Mob. Love those movies. I had a friend whose father was in the Purple Gang in Detroit. And some of my mother's family had friends in the mob. When I was working at the hospital, one of my students took a day off to attend the funeral of her best friend's father. She said it was quite the site. The guy was in the mob and the cops were there writing down license plate numbers of cars at the cemetery. And the funeral was 'mobbed' with folks.

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  4. Loved this film Birgit...but then I like Sean in most films....just a bit of light hearted fun really....we have reverted to a cool spring here this week so looks like that was our week of sunshine gone .....xxxx

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  5. Birgit,

    The Untouchables is a great movie. I love Sean Connery! What a fabulous actor. I'm watching The Highlander while using my elliptical. We saw this years ago but wasn't impressed so I thought I'd try it again. Police Squad is just hilarious and yes, you're a sick puppy to laugh when watching the same scene from The Untouchables. lol I'm always gripping the chair hopping the baby is spared.

    ~Curious as a Cathy
    iPad Art Sketch 'U' is for Umbrella

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  6. Saw it. Probably because De Niro was in it.

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  7. I saw this, but darned if I remember much about it. I remember the baby carriage scene--kind of. The Leslie Nielsen films are hilarious--give me those any day. But the serious gangster stuff is good too--just not as fun.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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  8. I still love this film, when we visited Chicago a few years ago we made a point of visiting the train station to find the famous steps :-)
    https://iainkellywriting.com/2018/04/24/u-is-for-uppsala-sweden/

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  9. Hi Birgit - not one I've seen, nor will ... but good find for U - cheers Hilary

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  10. As you know, i’m not very knowledgeable about movies and this one makes me blush. I remember a colleague telling me he’d been to see The Untouchables and I said, oh yes, where were they playing? Not sure which band I was thinking of - The Undertones maybe?

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  11. I saw this one on TV and also saw some of the inconsistencies, but enjoyed it, anyway. Leslie Nielsen was so funny, even as a straight actor. Great choice: U ROCK!

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  12. "The Untouchables" left me cold, really. I guess I thought the movie would be like the TV series.

    It's always great to see something in a movie and finally understand what was so funny in another movie. The "Police Squad!" movies were great for making references to other movies. Funny story: I was watching some 70's cop show on one of the classic TV channels, and the two bad guys were Leslie Nielsen and George Kennedy...

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  13. I haven't seen this one in ages. Well-done I thought at the time. But ripe for parody. (Isn't everything?)

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  14. Leslie Nielson sure knew how to make fun ones. Been a while since I watched The Untouchables, enjoy it when I did though.

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  15. This really isn't the kind of movie I normally watch, but I enjoyed it and thought it was well done.

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  16. But Sean Connery, right?

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  17. Pretty sure I saw this, but not remembering very much about it! One does that when one gets old! TFS & have a great day. (Sean is good in almost anything he is in).

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  18. Anything with Leslie Nielson in it makes me laugh.
    Be well, Birgit.
    You're almost there. Z is in sight!

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  19. I can't remember if I actually saw this movie or just imagining Sean Connery in a trench coat and fedora.

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  20. Good film. Kevin Costner and Sean Connery were casted very well for their roles. I'd watch it again, and perhaps I will!

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  21. The train station scene is one of the all-time greats.

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  22. This is such a brilliant film! I too saw the train station in that other movie for the first time but, if I'm not wrong, it was The Naked Gun 3.

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  23. I’m glad everyone likes my post today even though ost love this film which I understand why. I am also glad that most like the Naked Gun films and, Sonia, you are right, it is from #3. I miss Leslie Nielsen

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  24. I really enjoyed this movie, but "inaccuracies" is putting it mildly. David Mamet said the screenplay he wrote was "based on the legend." It had almost nothing to do with reality, but I liked it nonetheless. I must admit, though, that I'm usually disappointed in Kevin Costner. He gets to make at least one big speech in most of his movies, but IMHO they all fall flat because he doesn't bring enough passion to his roles. My favorite acting performance of his (but not my favorite film of his) was as the villain in 3000 Miles to Graceland.

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  25. I have to admit I love this film - there is just something about it that hits the right buttons.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings - Movie Monsters

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