28 Nov 2010

The Best Quote From “The Untouchables”

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I have to say, the movie was not as good as I was hoping, with such a cast and topic. But I definitely loved the following exchange:

Malone: OK, pal, why the mahaska? Why are you carrying the gun?
Ness: I’m a treasury officer.
Malone: Alright. Just remember what we talked about now.
[Malone walks away]
Ness: Hey, wait a minute! What the hell kind of policemen you got in this…city? You just turned your back on an armed man.
Malone: You’re a treasury officer.
Ness: How do you know that? I just told you that.
Malone: Who would claim to be that who was not? Hmm?

Someone should send that to Tim Geithner.

3 Responses to “The Best Quote From “The Untouchables””

  1. RG says:

    It really panders to the “good” guys and lacks character depth, in my opinion. Overall I think it’s one of DePalma’s best, but it’s no Carlito’s way.

    My favorite quote:

    “A man becomes preeminent, he’s expected to have enthusiasms. Enthusiasms, enthusiasms… What are mine? What draws my admiration? What is that which gives me joy? Baseball.”

    Boardwalk Empire is everything that The Untouchables isn’t.

    • bobmurphy says:

      I was horrified at the Canadian bridge scene, when the accountant takes out the bootlegger with the butt of his rifle or something. I wanted to watch a Godfather-type movie, and instead I got Indiana Jones.

    • RG says:

      It’s definitely more of the cliche’d shoot ’em up cops and robbers flick rather than the historically accurate criminal action drama that the cast and director begs.

      I can’t speak highly enough of Boardwalk Empire to satisfy that itch. It shares a couple characters with both The Untouchables (Capone) and The Godfather II (Hyman Roth/Myer Lansky) and is soaked with historical accuracy, corruption and marriage of politics and organized crime that dominated the era, as well as the cast and film makers to deliver it (Scorsese directed the pilot and produces).