“The Untouchables” (1987) [R]

     Brian DePalma’s film “The Untouchables” was really quite a break-through for most of its actors, Sean Connery and Robert De Niro being the only actors in it with well-known backgrounds in cinema. It is an incredible period piece, with some of the most exciting drama to be seen to date, and each of the actors gave terrific performances, especially bearing in mind that most of them became famous through this movie. The tale is truly gripping from start to finish, never letting up, and never letting go of the audience.

     The story is that of Eliot Ness’s group of “Untouchables” in the 1930s, whose sole purpose is to catch and incriminate Al Capone. It takes place during the time of Prohibition, and does a great job of showing Chicago during the Prohibition Era. The creators of this movie had sets and appliances on the sets that were around during the ‘30s, such as the styles of cars, guns, house appliances, and many more. This film also has the most mesmerizing drama to date. It rattles and plays with the emotions through the whole tale.

     A majority of the actors in “The Untouchables” weren’t all that well-known before they joined it. However being in this movie was like an instant claim to fame. Sean Connery and Robert De Niro were really the only two actors who had an established background in the industry. Gateways into fame were opened for actors such as Kevin Costner, Andy Garcia, and Charles Martin Smith just because they were in this incredible film and they gave enthralling performances.

     The storyline itself—of Eliot Ness and his fight to put Al Capone behind bars—is a gripping one. It was almost like a legend come to life with the back and forth fights between Ness’s men and Capone’s men. Even with the exciting script, this film wouldn’t be nearly as fascinating without the direction of Brian DePalma. This is one of the best movies of the Crime/Drama genre, and it’s difficult to find anything wrong with any part of this film. The entire production was done beautifully and is a great addition to cinema.

          My overall rating: 4.8 out of 5

“No Country for Old Men” (2007) [R]

     Based on Cormac McCarthy’s book of the same name, “No Country for Old Men” has got to be one of the best movies made in a long time. There are so many interesting things to talk about in this film that it’s hard to pick a place to start, but it has to be done. To begin with, this is without a doubt one of the best tales of good versus evil, all while being set over a sort of modern western when the protagonist, Llewelyn Moss, has to flee from and fight a psychotic killer known as Anton Chiguhr, who prowls the Texas outback area. In his portrayal as Chiguhr, Javier Bardem does an impeccable job, especially considering this was pretty much his big break into well-known theater. This is also one of the few films to go to go so far against the grain, and does that very well.

     There are many times throughout the history of stories, movies included, where the basic premise is a telling of good against evil. Many of these stories should be familiar to everyone; however this tale in particular takes it to the next level. The fight between good and evil has never been presented in a more perplexing way than in this film. Set in the style of a modern western, the protagonist, Llewelyn Moss, discovers something he shouldn’t and is then forced to match strength and wits with the psychotic villain known as Anton Chiguhr. Full of edge-of-the-seat suspense, the viewers can only guess how this incredible motion picture turns out.

     Before this movie, Javier Bardem wasn’t very well-known in popular cinema; however it would seem that this one has landed him a very nice place in popular culture. He is now being sought out for roles in various movies, and this is obviously because of his astonishing ability to portray the Chiguhr character. Bardem truly embraced Chiguhr, and makes the audience fall for his act as what would seem to be a complete lunatic. The audience won’t be able to even tell that he is a normal person in real life because of how amazingly he convinces viewers that he is the character.

     There are, of course, many different ways people can think of on defining how something can go against the grain of what is average. They can say that there are many movies these days that do that, and I would disagree with this. What I consider to be going against the grain in cinema is a film that is ground-breaking in nearly every aspect of which it can be spectated. This movie is one of few, especially these days, which truly does break ground into something that can lead the future. “No Country for Old Men” requires only one thing of its audience, which is for them to think further than what is simply presented in front of them and enlighten themselves to an idea the movie discreetly provides.

          My overall rating: 4.8 out of 5