Action comedy (often listed with a hyphen as action-comedy ) is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy .
68-493: Midnight Run is a 1988 American action comedy film directed by Martin Brest , written by George Gallo , and starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin . Yaphet Kotto , John Ashton , Dennis Farina , Joe Pantoliano , and Philip Baker Hall play supporting roles. At the 46th Golden Globe Awards , the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor for De Niro. A critical and commercial success,
136-454: A Capone liquor warehouse and start gaining positive publicity, with the press dubbing them "The Untouchables". Capone later kills the warehouse manager with a baseball bat to warn his other subordinates. Discovering that Capone has not filed an income tax return for four years, Wallace suggests trying to build a tax evasion case against him, as Capone's network keeps him well-insulated from his other crimes. A crooked alderman offers Ness
204-573: A bribe to drop his investigation, but Ness refuses. After Capone's enforcer Frank Nitti threatens to kill Ness's wife Catherine and their daughter, Ness immediately moves them to a safe house. In a subsequent raid on the Canadian border , Ness and his team intercept an incoming liquor shipment, killing several gangsters and capturing a Capone bookkeeper named George, whom they eventually persuade to testify against his employer. Back in Chicago, Nitti, dressed as
272-458: A bus in Fremont, Ohio , and hitchhiking from Amarillo, Texas . Meanwhile, Mosely leads a task force to find Walsh and Mardukas after hearing of the skirmish on the train. While alone with Mardukas, Walsh reveals that ten years ago, he worked as an undercover officer in Chicago, trying to get close to a drug dealer who had almost the entire department on his payroll. Just as Walsh was going to bust
340-457: A carriage laboriously climbing the lobby steps. Ness ultimately decides to assist her, but the gangsters guarding Payne appear as Ness and the woman reach the top of the stairs, and a bloody shootout occurs. Though outnumbered, Ness and Stone manage to capture Payne alive and kill all his escorts, keeping both the mother and child unharmed. Later, when Payne testifies at Capone's trial, Ness observes that Capone appears strangely calm, and that Nitti
408-595: A comedy. He pursued the lead role in Penny Marshall 's film, Big . Marshall was interested, but the studio was not, so the role went to Tom Hanks . Martin Brest , who directed Beverly Hills Cop , had developed a script with George Gallo that blended elements of comedy and action. Gallo says he based the relationship between Jack and the Duke on his own parents. "I don't think they ever realized how funny they were when they were arguing about something," he said. "My father
476-500: A court baliff. An uncredited Clifton James portrays District Attorney George E. Q. Johnson , who prosecutes Capone. Ned Tanen spent years trying to obtain the rights to Eliot Ness 's life story while working as an executive at Universal Pictures in the 1970s and the 1980s. After becoming head of motion picture productions at Paramount Pictures , which owned the film and television rights to Ness's memoir The Untouchables , Tanen immediately hired Art Linson to begin producing
544-577: A day and a half. Several 1920s and 1930s-era vehicles were rented from ranchers from Conrad and Great Falls. Actual filming took approximately 10 days, but the production staff reserved the bridge for enough time to allow for production delays. Hundreds were allowed to watch filming from a nearby field. The railway station shoot-out is a homage to the Odessa Steps montage in Sergei Eisenstein 's famous 1925 silent movie Battleship Potemkin , and it
612-756: A deal with Mosely to deliver Serrano to the FBI in exchange for being allowed to take Mardukas back to Los Angeles. Walsh meets up with Serrano while wearing a wire and being watched by the FBI. Dorfler spots Mardukas and interrupts the exchange, unknowingly disabling the wire. After Serrano takes the disks, the FBI agents close in and arrest Serrano and his henchmen. Mosely turns Mardukas over to Walsh. When Walsh and Mardukas arrive in Los Angeles, Walsh realizes that he cannot bring himself to send Mardukas to prison (where he will certainly be killed by Serrano's incarcerated associates), and lets him go. Before parting, Walsh gives Mardukas
680-548: A director. The character of the IRS agent Oscar Wallace was partially based on Frank J. Wilson , the IRS criminal investigator who spent years keeping tabs on Capone's financial dealings before laying charges. Unlike Wallace, Wilson was not killed during the investigation, and was later involved in the Lindbergh kidnapping case. Linson and De Palma wanted to have a more tender portrayal of Ness than Robert Stack 's "tough" portrayal from
748-538: A drink." Additionally, the film's cast includes Del Close as John O'Shea; a corrupt alderman working for Capone, Vito D'Ambrosio as the "Bowtie Driver"; one of Capone's henchman, Steven Goldstein as "Scoop" Ferguson; a reporter, Robert Swan as the Mountie Captain, Peter Aylward as Chicago PD Lieutenant Anderson, Don Harvey as Officer Preseuski, Tony Mockus Sr. as Judge James H. Wilkerson ; who oversees Capone's tax evasion trial, and Patrick Billingsley as
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#1732858788870816-488: A film adaptation. Linson was not interested in adapting the ABC television series based on Ness's book , and sought to create a more "serious, authentic" depiction of Ness's career in Chicago. Linson hired playwright David Mamet to compose an original script for the film. Most of Mamet's screenplay was used, but director Brian De Palma slightly rewrote some scenes during production in order to incorporate new locations. For instance,
884-474: A great deal since my collaboration with him." Paramount Pictures was originally interested in backing Midnight Run , but they wanted a big name star opposite De Niro in order to improve the film's chances at the box office. Their production executives suggested that the Mardukas character be changed to a woman and wanted Cher for the role in the hope she would provide some "sexual overtones." When Brest rejected
952-433: A guilty plea, although an outraged Capone violently objects. Capone is later convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison. On the day of the sentencing, Ness closes up his office, giving Malone's St. Jude medallion and callbox key to Stone as a farewell present. As Ness leaves the police station, a reporter asks him what he will do upon the probable repeal of Prohibition, to which he replies, "I think I'll have
1020-576: A liquor raid fails due to corrupt policemen alerting Capone. He then encounters veteran Irish-American officer James Malone, who opposes the rampant corruption and offers to help Ness, suggesting they find a man from the police academy who has not yet come under Capone's influence and still believes in the idealistic aspects of law enforcement. They recruit Italian-American trainee George Stone (birth name Giuseppe Petri) for his superior marksmanship and integrity. Joined by accountant Oscar Wallace, assigned to Ness from Washington, D.C. , they successfully raid
1088-594: A lot of the film's eventual success to Charles Grodin. "The way Chuck Grodin is, it worked," he said. "His character was irritating and Chuck knew how to do that, to work that. I felt like that was a good way to go." On November 8, 2021, it was announced that Universal Pictures was developing a sequel to star Regina Hall with De Niro attached as a producer. Action comedy film AllMovie describes action comedy films as those with "fast and furious" action yet being "mostly lighthearted", rarely having death or serious injury. The Script Lab wrote, "[The genre] relies on
1156-404: A piece of material that has to be shaped, with certain scenes here or there. But as for the moral dimension, that's more or less the conception of the script, and I just implemented it with my skills – which are well developed. It's good to walk in somebody else's shoes for a while. You get out of your own obsessions; you are in the service of somebody else's vision, and that's a great discipline for
1224-510: A policeman, murders Wallace and George in the elevator of the police station and leaves a taunting message for Ness. Ness confronts Capone at the Lexington Hotel after the murders, but Malone intervenes, urging Ness to focus on persuading the district attorney not to dismiss the charges against Capone. Realizing that police chief Mike Dorsett sold out Wallace and George, Malone forces Dorsett to reveal where Capone's accountant, Walter Payne,
1292-459: A rival of Walsh, to find them. Dorfler finds the pair in Pittsburgh and attempts to take Mardukas from Walsh, but Walsh gets the drop on him and leaves the train with Mardukas. Walsh then attempts to purchase bus tickets with his credit card, only to discover that Dorfler has canceled it. Without funds, Walsh is forced to rely on other means to get across the country, including stealing cars, taking
1360-428: A visual medium. His only real concern is his own style." The New Yorker ' s Pauline Kael wrote that it was "not a great movie; it's too banal, too morally comfortable. The great gangster pictures don't make good and evil mutually exclusive, the way they are here [...] But it's a great audience movie—a wonderful potboiler." Richard Schickel of Time wrote, "Mamet's elegantly efficient script does not waste
1428-562: A watch that his wife had given him before their marriage, symbolizing he has finally let her go. In return, Mardukas gives Walsh $ 300,000 in a money belt he had been hiding, and clarifies, "It's not a payoff. It's a gift. You already let me go." Mardukas says goodbye and abruptly leaves. Walsh flags down a taxi and asks the driver if he has change for a $ 1,000 bill, but the driver thinks Walsh is joking and drives away. Walsh begins walking home. After completing The Untouchables , De Niro wanted to try something different and decided on appearing in
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#17328587888701496-408: A word, and De Palma does not waste a shot. The result is a densely layered work moving with confident, compulsive energy". Time ranked it as one of the best films of 1987. Adrian Turner of Radio Times awarded it a full five stars, writing that "David Mamet's dialogue crackles, Ennio Morricone's music soars and the production design sparkles. Yet for many the main attraction of this modern classic
1564-522: Is Sean Connery's Oscar-winning turn as the veteran Irish cop who shows Ness the ropes." Despite receiving the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance, Connery was voted first place in a 2003 Empire poll for worst film accent because his Scottish accent was still very noticeable. A side-scrolling video game , The Untouchables was released by Ocean Software in 1989 on multiple platforms. The game plays out some of
1632-431: Is astonishing, because it's accomplished within the structure of a comic thriller ... It's rare for a thriller to end with a scene of genuinely moving intimacy, but this one does, and it earns it." In his review for The Globe and Mail , Jay Scott praised the performances: "De Niro has the time of his acting life lightening up and sending up all those raging bulls that won him all those Oscars ... Charles Grodin, master of
1700-483: Is hiding. That evening, one of Capone's men breaks into Malone's apartment; Malone chases him out with a shotgun, but Nitti ambushes him with a Thompson submachine gun . Shortly afterwards, Ness and Stone arrive to find Malone mortally wounded; before he dies, Malone shows them which train Payne will take out of town. As the duo await Payne's arrival at Union Station , Ness sees a young mother with two suitcases and her child in
1768-409: Is right and wrong. Audiences also think that the road trip angle to the story rings true. Everyone who has ever gone on a long road trip knows that things can go wrong and, as a result, adults can be reduced to behaving like children. No matter how well a script is written, it has to be fully realized by the director and actors. Every last person working on the film did a terrific job. De Niro attributed
1836-490: Is subsequently found by Mosely. While arguing with Moscone over the phone, Walsh realizes that Dorfler intends to turn Mardukas over to Serrano. However, Dorfler inadvertently reveals to Serrano's men where Mardukas is; they knock him unconscious and go after Mardukas themselves. Walsh bluffs Serrano's men that he has computer disks created by Mardukas with enough information to put Serrano away, but promises to hand them over if Serrano hands Mardukas over unharmed. He then makes
1904-434: Is wearing a gun in the courtroom. The bailiff removes Nitti and searches him, finding a note from Chicago Mayor William Hale Thompson which effectively permits him to carry the weapon. However, noticing Nitti possesses a matchbook with Malone's address written inside, Ness realizes that Nitti killed Malone. Panicked, Nitti shoots the bailiff before fleeing to the courthouse roof, where Ness captures him. After Nitti insults
1972-496: The Lethal Weapon film series . Other action comedies from the decade included The Blues Brothers (1980) and the films of actor and martial artist Jackie Chan . In the 1990s, action comedy films "became more violent, with fiery deaths and emphatic shootings increasingly used as punchlines". Rotten Tomatoes wrote that Rush Hour (1998) revitalized the genre's formula and that Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
2040-514: The DuSable Bridge , Chicago Cultural Center (the operahouse, the courthouse lobby, and the rooftop chase), the Blackstone Hotel (the mob banquet), Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica (the church), and Chicago Union Station (the railway shootout). The Lexington Hotel , Capone's residence, had been closed since 1980, so the location was portrayed through three different locations in the film:
2108-557: The Hardy Bridge , which crosses the Missouri River near the small town of Cascade , southwest of Great Falls . From October 6–20, the bridge was closed to traffic to film the shootout sequence. 25 local residents were cast to ride horseback as Royal Canadian Mounted Police during the scene. The crew then built cabins and summer homes along the river, and 600 trees were brought in from Lincoln and Kalispell areas, and planted in
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2176-706: The $ 450,000 bail Moscone had posted for him. Moscone demands Walsh bring Mardukas back within 5 days. Walsh asks for a $ 100,000 fee, despite Moscone's assurance that the job is easy, a "midnight run". Walsh is then approached by FBI Special Agent Alonzo Mosely, who needs Mardukas to be a witness against Serrano. Mosely orders Walsh to stay away from Mardukas. Walsh ignores Mosely's order and steals Mosely's ID , which he uses to pass himself off as an FBI agent along his journey. Serrano's henchmen offer Walsh $ 1 million to turn Mardukas over to them, but Walsh declines. Walsh captures Mardukas in New York City and calls Moscone from
2244-722: The 1950s television series, seeking to portray him as a "vulnerable family man". De Palma initially wanted Don Johnson to portray Eliot Ness. Mickey Rourke , Jeff Bridges , William Hurt , Harrison Ford , and Michael Douglas also turned down the role. A 1985 issue of Variety announced the casting of Jack Nicholson as Ness, but he was ultimately replaced by Kevin Costner . In preparing for his role as Eliot Ness, Kevin Costner met with former FBI agent and Untouchable Al "Wallpaper" Wolff at his home in Lincolnwood for historical context and to learn about Ness's mannerisms. Robert De Niro
2312-461: The 30th anniversary of its release---are two other words: Walsh and Duke. George Gallo put the success of the movie down to the relationship between Jack and the Duke. In many ways it is a love story, although it is one that is short-lived. They meet each other, take an instant dislike to one another and over time grow to respect each other which leads to deeper feelings. Both men realize, despite their differences, that they share core beliefs of what
2380-600: The End of the Tunnel (1990). Midnight Run was released on July 20, 1988, in 1,158 theaters, grossing US$ 5.5 million in its opening weekend. It went on to make $ 38.4 million in North America and $ 43.2 million in the rest of the world for a worldwide total of $ 81.6 million. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 56 reviews, with an average rating of 8.00/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Enlivened by
2448-726: The United States. The film grossed $ 106.2 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics. It was nominated for four Academy Awards ; Connery won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor , as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture . In 1930, during Prohibition , the notorious gangland kingpin Al Capone supplies illegal liquor and nearly controls all of Chicago . Bureau of Prohibition agent Eliot Ness has been tasked with halting Capone's activities, but his first attempt at
2516-464: The airport, unaware that Moscone's line is being tapped by the FBI and that his assistant, Jerry, is secretly tipping off Serrano's men. Mardukas tells Walsh that he has a fear of flying ; Walsh does not believe Mardukas until they get on the plane and Mardukas fakes a panic attack , forcing them to travel by train. When they fail to show up in Los Angeles on time, Moscone sends bounty hunter Marvin Dorfler,
2584-488: The antagonistic chemistry between Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, Midnight Run is an uncommonly entertaining odd couple comedy." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars and wrote, "What Midnight Run does with these two characters
2652-478: The characters to bring out the humor, while the action scenes tend to be less intense than in the traditional action movie." Action comedies often have " fish out of water " themes; for example, using a starring actor's celebrity to contrast the setting, such as how comedian and actor Eddie Murphy 's "streetwise, sarcastic persona clashes with conventional police procedures in the Beverly Hills Cop films" in
2720-423: The dealer, corrupt cops planted heroin in his house. To avoid both going to prison and working for the dealer, Walsh resigned and became a bounty hunter. His wife divorced him and married a corrupt lieutenant ; however, Walsh still clings to the faint hope that his ex-wife will reunite with him. Later, Mardukas learns that the drug dealer was Serrano. In Sedona, Arizona , Dorfler takes Mardukas away from Walsh, who
2788-497: The director that, "carrying the dead weight of George Gallo's script, Brest isn't up to the strenuous task of transforming his uninspired genre material in [ sic ] something deeper, and so the attempts to mix pathos with comedy strike us merely as wild and disorienting vacillations in tone". David Ansen , in his review for Newsweek , wrote, "The outline of George Gallo's script—odd-couple antagonists become buddies under perilous circumstances—was stale five years ago, and
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2856-416: The double-take and maestro of the slow burn, the best light character comic since Jack Benny stopped playing himself". Vincent Canby , in his review for The New York Times , wrote, "Mr. De Niro and Mr. Grodin are lunatic delights, which is somewhat more than can be said for the movie, whose mechanics keep getting in the way of the performances". In his review for The Washington Post , Hal Hinson says of
2924-535: The exterior and lower lobby was filmed at Roosevelt University , while Capone's suite was the upper foyer of the Chicago Theatre . A West Side warehouse served as a soundstage . In August 1986, Paramount Pictures contacted Garry Wunderwald of the Montana Film Commissioner's Office to find a 1930s-period bridge to imply a border crossing between the United States and Canada . Wunderwald suggested
2992-493: The film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Vincent Canby of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, calling it "a smashing work" and saying it was "vulgar, violent, funny and sometimes breathtakingly beautiful". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised the film for its action sequences and locations, but disapproved of David Mamet's script and Brian De Palma's direction. Ebert singled out
3060-660: The film follows Eliot Ness (Costner) as he forms the Untouchables team to bring Al Capone (De Niro) to justice during Prohibition . The screenplay is loosely based on Ness and Oscar Fraley 's 1957 book The Untouchables and the real-life events it was based on, though most of its plot is fictionalized. The Grammy Award –winning score was composed by Ennio Morricone and features period music by Duke Ellington . The Untouchables premiered on June 2, 1987, in New York City, and went into general release on June 3, 1987, in
3128-518: The film has an approval rating of 83% based on reviews from 75 critics, with an average rating of 7.60/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Slick on the surface but loaded with artful touches, Brian DePalma's classical gangster thriller is a sharp look at period Chicago crime, featuring excellent performances from a top-notch cast." On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave
3196-458: The film was followed by The Midnight Run Action Pack in 1994, three made for television sequels which did not feature any of the principal actors, although a few characters are carried over from the first film. Bounty hunter Jack Walsh is enlisted by bail bondsman Eddie Moscone to find accountant Jonathan Mardukas and bring him to Los Angeles . Mardukas had embezzled $ 15 million from Chicago mob boss Jimmy Serrano before skipping on
3264-471: The film's depiction of Al Capone as arrogant and childish, to the point of misbehaving in public and in court, as the biggest disappointment of the film, while giving praise to Sean Connery's work. Hal Hinson , in his review for The Washington Post , also criticized De Palma's direction, saying "somehow we're put off here by the spectacular stuff he throws up onto the screen. De Palma's storytelling instincts have given way completely to his interest in film as
3332-506: The film. It became hard and tedious work. Then he stopped eating during the shoot and became thinner and thinner each day, until he looked like a ghost behind the camera. When I met Marty at the Universal studio with De Niro, he looked healthy and strong, but as filming went on, he began to turn into someone you'd see in Dachau . It was weird. I got sick and for the whole of the film I had a fever and
3400-485: The idea, Paramount suggested teaming De Niro up with Robin Williams , who became eager to get the role and offered to audition for Brest. At one stage Bruce Willis was mentioned as a possible co star. Brest was impressed by Grodin's audition with De Niro, however, feeling that there was a real chemistry between the two actors. As a result, Paramount backed out and their UIP partner Universal Pictures became interested in
3468-458: The late twentieth century. The 1926 film The General starring Buster Keaton may be the first action comedy film. Other early forms of action comedy films were swashbuckler films from the 1930s. Allmovie wrote that its "stars combined wit and one-liners with a thrilling plot and daring stunts". In the 1980s, the genre became commonplace, and buddy cop films emerged as an extension of action comedy films such as Midnight Run (1988) and
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#17328587888703536-658: The latter says, "Thanks, 'cause they're starting to cut into my wrists.'" In fact, Grodin had permanent scars resulting from the handcuffs he had to wear for most of the film. The scene where Mardukas falls off a cliff was shot on location in the Salt River Canyon in White Mountain, Arizona , and the conclusion, taking place in rapids, was shot in New Zealand because the water was too cold in Arizona. "I trusted Marty would choose
3604-471: The material that was most suited for the scene," said De Niro. "He's aware of everything in Chuck's style, in my style. He had to balance all that, and I think he did it very well." Yaphet Kotto remembered the film being a difficult shoot. De Niro is very spontaneous and it always helps to work with an artist like that. But Marty Brest! "Herr Director" shot so many takes of the scenes that I lost all joy in doing
3672-425: The memory of Malone and gloats that he will escape conviction for the murder, an enraged Ness pushes Nitti off the roof to his death, avenging Wallace and Malone. Stone gives Ness a list, taken from Nitti's coat, which shows that the jurors in the trial are all on Capone's payroll. Ness secretly persuades the judge to switch Capone's jury with one hearing an unrelated divorce case. This prompts Capone's lawyer to enter
3740-472: The more significant parts of the film. Set in Chicago, the primary goal of the game is to take down Al Capone 's henchmen and eventually detain Capone. It was reported on July 2, 2004 that Antoine Fuqua would direct an Untouchables spinoff titled The Untouchables: Mother's Day , which was later changed to Capone Rising . The film's script, which was written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien , focused on
3808-399: The outcome offers no surprises. Too bad: a lot of good work has been wasted on an unworthy cause". Thirty years on, critics have warmed to the movie. For the film's 30th anniversary, Alan Sepinwall , who has repeatedly professed that Midnight Run is his favorite movie, wrote about it for Rolling Stone : Yet all that ultimately matters---and makes the movie a classic worth revisiting on
3876-585: The part, De Palma mailed Hoskins a check for £20,000 with a "Thank You" note, which prompted Hoskins to call up De Palma and ask him if there were any more films he didn't want him to be in. Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando were also considered as options in case both De Niro and Hoskins proved unable to perform the role. De Niro's research for the role of Al Capone included reading about him and watching historical footage. He had one extra scene written for his character, and contacted Capone's original tailors to have identical suits and silk underwear made for him. He
3944-400: The project. Paramount president Ned Tanen claimed that the budget became too high and he decided that "it wasn't worth it." Universal executive Casey Silver had worked with Brest on Beverly Hills Cop and he was integral in setting up the project at Universal. To research for his role, De Niro worked with real-life bounty hunters and police officers. As Walsh uncuffs Mardukas on the train,
4012-493: The scene paying homage to the Potemkin Stairs from Battleship Potemkin (1925) was moved from a hospital to Chicago Union Station . A month after the film was released, De Palma downplayed his own role on the script: Being a writer myself, I don't like to take credit for things I didn't do. I didn't develop this script. David [Mamet] used some of my ideas and he didn't use some of them. I looked upon it more clinically, as
4080-579: The sixth-highest opening weekend of 1987. It went on to make $ 76.2 million in North America . According to producer Art Linson, the polls conducted for the film showed that approximately 50% of the audience were women. "Ordinarily, a violent film attracts predominantly men, but this is also touching, about redemption and relationships and because of that the audience tends to forgive the excesses when it comes to violence". The Untouchables received positive reviews from film critics. On Rotten Tomatoes ,
4148-400: The trio to a dinner party and beat them to death. In the film, Ness' wife is called Catherine and they have a young daughter. In real life, Ness' wife at the time was named Edna and the couple had no children at the time, though Ness would later adopt a son, Robert. The Untouchables opened on June 3, 1987 in 1,012 theatres where it grossed $ 10,023,094 on its opening weekend and ranked
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#17328587888704216-490: Was De Palma's first choice to play Al Capone, but it was uncertain if he could appear in the film because of his appearance in the Broadway play Cuba and his Teddy Bear . He also wanted to gain about 30 pounds (14 kg) to play Capone; according to De Palma, De Niro was "very concerned about the shape of his face for the part." De Palma met with Bob Hoskins to discuss the role in case De Niro could not appear. When De Niro took
4284-676: Was a highlight from the decade. In the first two decades of the 21st century, the films Kung Fu Hustle (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), Tropic Thunder (2008), 21 Jump Street (2012), and Bad Boys for Life (2020) were among numerous instances of the genre. The Untouchables (1987 film) The Untouchables is a 1987 American crime film directed by Brian De Palma , produced by Art Linson , and written by David Mamet . It stars Kevin Costner , Charles Martin Smith , Andy García , Robert De Niro and Sean Connery . Set in Chicago in 1930,
4352-465: Was paid $ 1.5 million for the role. Patricia Clarkson was cast to play Ness' wife Catherine, in her debut film role. Principal photography began on August 18, 1986, in Chicago , Illinois , where Ness's story begins with him recruiting his Untouchables team with the intent of taking down Capone. Filming locations included the Rookery Building (Ness' police headquarters), LaSalle Street ,
4420-509: Was parodied in the 1994 movie Naked Gun 33 + 1 ⁄ 3 : The Final Insult as a dream sequence . While the film is based on historic events, most of the film is fictionalized or inaccurate. The raid at the Canada–United States border never happened, and neither did the courthouse or railway station shootouts. Ness did not kill Nitti, who died in 1943, 12 years after the Capone trial, by suicide (the day before Nitti himself
4488-650: Was scheduled to be in court). In reality, Ness's unit had very little to do with Capone's final tax evasion conviction, which was orchestrated by U.S. Attorney George E. Q. Johnson and IRS Agent Frank J. Wilson (who inspired the character of Oscar Wallace, but was never part of the Untouchables). The scene where Al Capone beats a lieutenant to death with a baseball bat is based on an urban legend, albeit one that historians doubt actually happened: after discovering that John Scalise , Albert Anselmi, and Joseph Guinta were planning to betray him, Capone reportedly invited
4556-439: Was under the weather for most of it ... I was shocked when it came off so funny ... It sure wasn't funny making it. Universal invested $ 15 million in a print and television advertising campaign. The film's score was composed by Danny Elfman , and the album was released by MCA Records . Note : The version of "Try to Believe" in the film is instrumental. The track was later re-recorded by Oingo Boingo for their album Dark at
4624-420: Was very emotional whereas my mother was far more calculating. She would let him talk and lead him down alleys and then strike like a cat." Gallo paid tribute to Martin Brest, saying "Marty was highly focused, where I was a bit more all over the place. I'm not a person who suffers from not having ideas. If anything, I have too many ideas. Marty helped rein me in to stay focused on the main story. This has helped me
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