The Untouchables
To truly understand the value of teamwork, look no further than The Untouchables. While it is true that there is no I in team, there are those who are born leaders, and those who are great teammates. In this film, you get the best of both. Sometimes you need a leader on the team who can speak, decide, and organize, but you also need the abilities and talents of the rest to have a great team. Regardless of the number of team members, it takes a monumental team effort to bring down one of the baddest mobsters in film, Al Capone.
Whether you are faced with a big or small challenge ahead of you, it will take guts and sacrifice to overcome it. You have to be willing to accept defeat in order to prevail; and as tough as losing a valuable ally and friend can be, it cannot kill your purpose of defeating your enemies. Kevin Costner plays federal agent Eliot Ness; a man that has been given the elusive task of bringing down Capone. What you can take from his character is that as great as we can be through our own strengths and abilities, it is a lot easier to work with others.
A very critical discussion could have been made about Ness if his character was a prideful and ruthless agent who felt that his desire to bring down Capone alone would be enough. When you put a team of people together who come from different backgrounds, and with different abilities, then you have quite an untouchable team. It takes a team effort to keep fighting even when casualties on your side leave you outnumbered. Perhaps the idea of bringing down a mad man is nothing new when it comes to film. From spy-thrillers, to high-risk espionage, to undercover agents, there has always been a character who brings corruption and chaos to society. However the path to present that character’s life and influence on others around him is what brings about greatness in film, and its different for every movie.
It is not very often in films where you have the opportunity to see a great display of team work for both good and evil. Perhaps even bigger than Capone’s persona was his mob; his loyal followers who did more damage as Capone led from behind the scenes. When you have such a tremendous following for what you do, this shows that anything is possible. There is power in the masses, and it can be an unstoppable force if you put your mind to what you want to accomplish. What was more impressive than the quality of team work that was demonstrated on both sides is the elaborate story and plot of this film. It was a very strategic and thought out plan to lead the audience from beginning to end with many interesting twists and surprises. You witness the remarkable achievement of victory even when you feel as though the war has been lost as well.
What can you say about the cast and direction of this film? Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, and Robert De Niro lead a well assembled cast of actors and supporting actors in this classic of mob films. Brian De Palma takes a much darker and deeper approach than Scarface, and delivers top-notch acting and action that take you deep into a corrupted Chicago at the hands of Al Capone. So if you have not done so, join the untouchables!