“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

“Zardoz” (1974) [R]

     While “Zardoz” is an entertaining tale, it’s all too clearly a film of the seventies because of its odd cinematography and way of storytelling. It has beautiful scenery and sets like none other; it also has a wardrobe with styles and colors that could only be a product of the seventies. This movie’s best quality—one which only a smaller percent of pictures carry—is that it poses many great questions about both society and religion. However, the way in which the story is told can somewhat confuse some of the audience at times.

     The exterior scenes in this film are stunningly done, showing landscapes of grass and rolling hills, along with a few of the scenes set in eye-catching forests. These scenes draw the audience in with such beauty, but can occasionally cause the viewers to forget what’s really going on in the story. There are times when watching the outdoor sections that it will seem like watching a Fantasy tale instead of a Sci-fi story. The sets on the indoor scenes are amazing, especially for the time it was made. They were perfect illustrations for they utopian town where Sean Connery’s character ends up for most of the movie.

     Nonetheless, scenery and good landscapes alone don’t make good movies. In “Zardoz,” the wardrobe chosen for the actors was nothing short of diverse. There are three different groups in this film: the Eternals, who live eternally in a utopia called Vortex; the Brutals, who are uncivilized and are told by their god that when they die they will go to Vortex to be with the Immortals; and then there are the Exterminator-class Brutals who fight and kill other Brutals in war. The Brutals’ costumes seem like cavemen-style hides, and the Eternals’ wardrobe consists of futuristic gowns and shirts. Although the Eternals’ costumes do look futuristic, their colors are too much like the colors regularly worn in the seventies, therefore losing the sense of a futuristic movie.

     Of all the entertainment that comes from this film, the best of it all is how “Zardoz” raises questions about many things. It is a question of religion, showing a sort of false religion that is exposed for what it really is. It also brings up many questions of society, defying the norm by setting the Exterminator-class Brutal played by Sean Connery into the utopia of the Eternal’s civilization. With all of its controversial inquisitions, this movie seems more like a “thought” movie mixed in with an Action/Sci-fi tale. It’s an entertaining show; however the way in which the story itself is presented can confuse some of the audience. There are times when the movie cuts to another scene, and at first some viewers won’t understand what’s happening until they catch a certain part of dialogue, or see exactly where the characters are. All in all, it’s worth at least giving it a chance.

     My overall rating: 3 out of 5