Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes
Dave Kehr, Chicago Tribune: It's an action film without much personality or drive and without enough imaginative detail to make the action gripping or meaningful. Read more
Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times: Where, under his stainless-steel incorruptibility, was Ness' gnawing flaw? To Mamet and De Palma, goodness and dullness seem inseparable. Read more
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel: The Untouchables could be the breakthrough movie for Kevin Costner, a folksy, Gary Cooperish actor who holds center stage as Eliot Ness. Read more
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: A deeply satisfying and entertaining Prohibition gang-buster directed with a Tommy gun's rat-tat-tat. Read more
Vincent Canby, New York Times: It's vulgar, violent, funny and sometimes breathtakingly beautiful. Read more
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: The results are watchable enough, with a particularly adept use of Sean Connery, Chicago locations, and period details. Read more
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: ...it does not have a great script, great performances or great direction. Read more
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine: It goes to that place that all films aspiring to greatness must attain: the country of myth, where all the figures must be larger and more vivid than life. Read more
Variety Staff, Variety: The Untouchables is a beautifully crafted portrait of Prohibition-era Chicago. Read more
Hal Hinson, Washington Post: ...only marginally entertaining. Read more
Desson Thomson, Washington Post: ...an entertaining but incongruous mix of class and pulp. Read more