Sean Connery’s performance in The Untouchables showcased a new dimension of his acting, displaying vulnerability and frailty. Connery’s portrayal of Jim Malone earned him critical acclaim and his first and only Academy Award. The Untouchables marked a significant turning point in Connery’s career, leading to a series of films that showcased his sensitive side.
It would be a great disservice to confine the image of Sir Sean Connery to merely being the star of seven James Bond films. While portraying the iconic British Secret Service agent solidified his name as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, there is more to his acting prowess than having to repeatedly ask his drink to be shaken, not stirred. Connery needed to move on from the part that made him a star, and Brian De Palma’s Chicago-as-Chicago-can The Untouchables was the pinnacle of his career resurgence.
One can make the distinction that there are two halves to Sean Connery’s acting career. The first half established his immortal screen presence, the kind of which made everyone swoon. His machismo was off the charts, and his suave persona charmd audiences and critics alike. Connery’s performance as Bond catapulted him into the stratosphere, but it was the very same thing that drove him to seek fulfillment in other cinematic ventures.
The Untouchables was a perfect avenue for Sean Connery to explore a new dimension to his acting. The film weaves through the story of Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) and his valiant efforts to subdue Al Capone (Robert De Niro) and his control of Chicago during the era of prohibition. Ness chances upon Jim Malone on a bridge, to which the latter offers his help to stop Capone’s movements. Suggesting that they go to the police academy to find people who haven’t been corrupted yet, Malone and Ness recruit George Stone (Andy Garcia) to the cause. They are subsequently joined by Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith), and the four of them successfully raid a liquor warehouse to the acclaim of the city. The group finds out that Capone has not been able to file an income tax return for over four years and decides that it is within these bounds that they can mount a case against him.
Sean Connery (Via IMDB)
One of the most memorable scenes in the film is when Malone is shot and dies in the arms of Ness. Connery’s performance is phenomenal as he conveys the pain and desperation of his character. His pushes his body off the ground for a brief second as if he is suddenly given an electric shock before falling back down in weakness. The way he clutches for an object, only to throw it away in desperation, showcases his character’s determination to fight for justice until the end.
Roger Ebert mentions in his review of the movie that Connery delivered the best performance of the ensemble cast, noting how his portrayal brings a factor of humanization in the narrative, perhaps even possessing an interesting existence outside of the legend of “The Untouchables.” He adds that whenever he was on screen, the audience believed that the prohibition era was filled with real people, rather than plain old caricatures. There was great acclaim from critics regarding Connery’s performance, and it was this performance that earned him his first and only Academy Award.
The Untouchables sparked the second half of Sean Connery’s acting career. The film showed a vulnerable and frail side of the actor that challenged his audience’s perception of him. This sparked a series of films that showcased a more sensitive side to the mythos of Sean Connery, including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Hunt for Red October, The Rock, and notably, Finding Forrester. It was his willingness to come up with something new that revitalized his career, and audiences couldn’t be more thankful for it.
The Untouchables is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
