11 curious facts about the Untouchables crime drama

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Brian de Palma's classic crime drama was filmed as a remake of the 1960s TV series. The film, which tells about the confrontation between the FBI and the underground empire of Al Capone, stars Kevin Costner, Sean Connery and Robert De Niro. Despite the fact that the film appeared almost 30 years ago, interest in it has not subsided to this day.

1. De Niro insisted that he needs to get better

Before filming, the famous De Niro informed the director of "The Untouchables" Brian De Palma that he needed time to gain 13 kilograms in order to play the plump Al Capone. In order to quickly gain weight, De Niro went on a pancake diet and went to Italy on a food tour. Despite the fact that he managed to get better, the actor still had to use a false belly.

2. Also Al Capone was ready to play Bob Hoskins

As De Palma later said, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" star Bob Hoskins sat and waited to see if De Niro would agree to play Capone. In case of refusal, he would play this role. Paramount subsequently sent Hoskins a $ 300,000 "concern" check. Hoskins called it "the best job he has ever had."

3. Paramount really disliked the script

The Untouchables was written by award-winning playwright, screenwriter and director David Mamet. However, not everyone liked his works. According to Mamet, Paramount chief executive Ned Tanen openly called his script "a piece of shit." Producer Art Linson insisted that Mamet's script be adhered to during filming, only with the addition of the final text.

4. There was an idea to make a black and white film

To convey the 1930s atmosphere to today's audiences, director of photography Stephen Burum tried to convince De Palma to let him shoot in black and white. De Palma replied: "Don't worry in vain, Steve. We won't be allowed to do this."

5. The baseball bat scene was actually

While some of the film's facts have been embellished to make it more spectacular, one of the iconic scenes was filmed based on real events. In May 1928, after he became aware of a plot to kill him, Al Capone invited all the conspirators to dinner, got them drunk, and then beat them to death with a baseball bat.

6. Eliot Ness and Jimmy Malone have never met

In the film Ness is taught by seasoned Chicago police officer Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery). In real life, Malone and Ness never crossed paths.

7. The scene with the rolling stroller was filmed miraculously

De Palma has often been credited with visual references to Alfred Hitchcock throughout his career. The Untouchables featured a rolling sidecar scene that first appeared in Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 film Battleship Potemkin. Remarkably, this scene was not in Mamet's script and he called it ridiculous at all. When De Palma wanted to include the rolling sidecar episode in the film, Paramount insisted that it was time to end filming. Nevertheless, De Palme managed to insert the scene into the film based on the preliminary shot trial shots.

8. During the filming, consultations were provided by the real "Untouchables"

In order to as accurately as possible reflect the image of Eliot Ness and some of the scenes, while shooting the film, they turned to the only living member of Ness's team - 85-year-old Al "Wallpaper" Wolf. As a thank you for the advice, Paramount gave Wolf 160 free tickets to the premiere.

9. The studio pondered for a long time whether to cut out the scenes of violence

During a preview for Paramount executives, producer Linson and De Palma himself expressed concerns about some of the shootings in the film. The studio was especially disturbed by the scene in which a man standing by a white marble wall was killed: especially with pieces of brain matter on the wall in the frame. They decided to leave the stage.

10. The film earned Sean Connery his only Oscar

Despite many starring roles in dozens of films over a 30-year career, Connery has only been nominated for an Academy Award once. Luckily for him, it was this time that he won an Oscar for his role as Jimmy Malone. During the awards ceremony, the actor received a standing ovation.

11. De Palma wanted to film a prequel with Nicolas Cage

Following the success of The Untouchables, De Palma and Paramount wanted to direct the prequel to The Untouchables: Becoming Capone, about the famed gangster's early years starring Nicolas Cage. Since Cage was not satisfied with the filming schedule, Gerard Butler was invited.

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