The Untouchables (1987) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

An incorruptible federal team confronts Capone's criminal and political network, transforming violent losses into a courtroom victory.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

Corruption Meets Resolve

Eliot Ness enters Chicago's Prohibition underworld and suffers an initial raid failure because corrupt policemen warn Al Capone. He begins assembling a smaller team of incorruptible officers and specialists.

Key Events

• Capone Controls Chicago Liquor — Capone dominates Chicago's illegal liquor trade during Prohibition. Characters: Al Capone, Eliot Ness Location: Chicago
• First Raid Fails — Corrupt policemen alert Capone, causing Ness's first raid to fail. Characters: Eliot Ness, Al Capone, Mike Location: Chicago liquor warehouse
• The Veteran Offers Help — A veteran officer urges Ness to find incorruptible police support. Characters: Eliot Ness Location: Chicago police area
• Stone Joins Ness — Ness recruits Stone for his marksmanship and integrity. Characters: Eliot Ness, George Stone Location: Police academy
• Wallace Joins Team — Accountant Wallace joins Ness and Stone in the investigation. Characters: Eliot Ness, Oscar Wallace, George Stone Location: Ness's office

The Untouchables Strike

Ness, George Stone, and Oscar Wallace successfully raid a liquor warehouse and gain public attention. Capone responds with a brutal warning, while Wallace identifies tax evasion as the most viable path to prosecution.

Key Events

• Warehouse Raid Succeeds — The team raids a liquor warehouse and gains positive publicity. Characters: Eliot Ness, Oscar Wallace, George Stone, Al Capone Location: Capone liquor warehouse
• Capone Sends a Warning — Capone kills a warehouse manager to frighten his subordinates. Characters: Al Capone Location: Organizational dinner
• Tax Evasion Strategy — Wallace identifies Capone's failure to file income tax returns. Characters: Eliot Ness, Oscar Wallace, Al Capone Location: Ness's office
• The Bribe Is Refused — Alderman offers Ness money to abandon the investigation, but Ness refuses. Characters: Eliot Ness, Alderman Location: Chicago

Witnesses Under Fire

Threats against Ness's family force a temporary relocation, but the team intercepts a Canadian liquor shipment and captures George. Nitti then murders George and Wallace, turning the investigation into a personal struggle.

Key Events

• Family Threat Escalates — Nitti threatens Ness's family, so Ness moves them to safety. Characters: Eliot Ness, Al Capone, Nitti Location: Ness's residence
• Border Shipment Intercepted — Ness's team intercepts liquor, kills gangsters, and captures George. Characters: Eliot Ness, Oscar Wallace, George Stone, George Stone, Nitti Location: Canadian border
• George Agrees to Testify — The team persuades George to testify against Capone. Characters: Eliot Ness, George Stone, Oscar Wallace Location: Police station
• Elevator Murders — Nitti, disguised as a policeman, murders Wallace and George. Characters: Oscar Wallace, George Stone, Nitti Location: Police station elevator

The Last Train Out

Mike's betrayal is exposed and a hidden location for Payne is obtained. After Nitti mortally wounds the veteran officer who supplied the train clue, Ness and Stone fight through Union Station to capture Payne alive.

Key Events

• Ness Confronts Capone — Ness confronts Capone after the murders but is urged to focus on the case. Characters: Eliot Ness, Al Capone, Nitti Location: Lexington Hotel
• Mike Reveals Payne's Hiding Place — Mike reveals where Payne is hiding after being forced to talk. Characters: Eliot Ness, Mike, Payne Location: Chicago police office
• The Apartment Ambush — Nitti ambushes and mortally wounds the veteran officer. Characters: Nitti Location: Veteran officer's apartment
• Last Clue Before Death — The dying officer shows Ness and Stone which train Payne will take. Characters: Eliot Ness, George Stone, Payne Location: Veteran officer's apartment
• Union Station Shootout — Ness and Stone capture Payne after killing his armed escorts. Characters: Eliot Ness, George Stone, Payne Location: Union Station

Justice in the Courtroom

Payne testifies while Ness discovers Nitti's connection to the apartment murder and confronts him on the courthouse roof. Ness then defeats Capone's paid jury scheme, leading to Capone's tax-evasion conviction and Ness's departure.

Key Events

• Nitti Exposed in Court — Ness links Nitti to the apartment murder and pursues him onto the roof. Characters: Eliot Ness, Nitti, Payne Location: Courthouse
• Nitti Falls from Roof — Ness captures Nitti and pushes him from the roof after his taunts. Characters: Eliot Ness, Nitti Location: Courthouse roof
• Jury Fix Is Defeated — Ness replaces Capone's compromised jury, forcing a guilty plea. Characters: Eliot Ness, George Stone, Al Capone, Payne Location: Courthouse
• Capone Receives Sentence — Capone is convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to eleven years. Characters: Al Capone, Eliot Ness, Payne Location: Courthouse
• Ness Leaves the Bureau — Ness gives Stone the keepsakes and says he may have a drink after Prohibition ends. Characters: Eliot Ness, George Stone, Reporter Location: Police station

Story Breakdown

• Chicago Under Prohibition — Capone's liquor empire and institutional corruption establish the central threat.
  • Capone's Liquor Empire — Capone controls most of Chicago's illegal liquor trade.
  • Corrupt Police Warning — Corrupt policemen alert Capone and cause Ness's first raid to fail.
• Building The Team — Ness responds to corruption by recruiting people defined by integrity and specialized skills.
  • Stone's Marksmanship — Stone is selected for superior marksmanship and integrity.
  • Wallace's Accounting — Wallace joins as the team's financial specialist.
• Early Victories — The new team gains momentum through a successful raid and public recognition.
  • Warehouse Raid — The team raids a Capone liquor warehouse.
  • Public Reputation — The press names the group The Untouchables.
• Tax Case Strategy — The investigation shifts from Capone's insulated crimes to his failure to file tax returns.
  • Financial Discovery — Wallace discovers that Capone has not filed an income tax return for four years.
  • Bribe Rejected — Ness refuses Alderman's offer to abandon the investigation.
• Violent Retaliation — Capone's organization attacks the team and removes witnesses who threaten the case.
  • Family Relocation — Ness moves his family to a safe house after Nitti's threat.
  • Elevator Murders — Nitti murders Wallace and George in the police station elevator.
• The Payne Pursuit — A chain of betrayal, sacrifice, and violence leads Ness to Capone's remaining accountant.
  • Mike's Revelation — Mike reveals where Payne is hiding after his betrayal is exposed.
  • Fatal Apartment Ambush — Nitti mortally wounds the veteran officer who has the train information.
• Union Station Battle — Ness and Stone risk themselves to capture Payne before he can leave Chicago.
  • Mother And Child — Ness helps a mother and child climb the station steps during the escape attempt.
  • Payne Captured — Ness and Stone kill Payne's escorts and capture him alive.
• Courtroom Reckoning — The surviving investigators defeat both Nitti's violence and Capone's courtroom manipulation.
  • Nitti's Roof Pursuit — Ness identifies Nitti as the killer and pushes him from the courthouse roof.
  • Compromised Jury Replaced — Stone provides the payroll list, allowing Ness to replace Capone's jury.
• A Bittersweet Farewell — Capone is imprisoned, while Ness passes the team's legacy to Stone and leaves the station.
  • Eleven Year Sentence — Capone is convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to eleven years.
  • Legacy Keepsakes — Ness gives Stone the St. Jude medallion and callbox key before departing.

Directed by

Brian De Palma

Key Cast

• Kevin Costner — Eliot Ness
• Sean Connery — Jim Malone
• Robert De Niro — Al Capone
• Charles Martin Smith — Oscar Wallace
• Andy Garcia — George Stone