35 Amazing Behind the Scenes Photos From the Making of “The Untouchables” (1987)

The Untouchables is a 1987 American crime film directed by Brian De Palma, produced by Art Linson, and written by David Mamet. It stars Kevin Costner, Charles Martin Smith, Andy García, Robert De Niro and Sean Connery. Set in Chicago in 1930, the film follows Eliot Ness (Costner) as he forms the Untouchables team to bring Al Capone (De Niro) to justice during Prohibition.

Principal photography began on August 18, 1986, in Chicago, Illinois, where Ness’s story begins with him recruiting his Untouchables team with the intent of taking down Capone.

Filming locations included the Rookery Building (Ness’ police headquarters), LaSalle Street, the DuSable Bridge, Chicago Cultural Center (the operahouse, the courthouse lobby, and the rooftop chase), the Blackstone Hotel (the mob banquet), Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica (the church), and Chicago Union Station (the railway shootout). The Lexington Hotel, Capone’s residence, had been closed since 1980, so the location was portrayed through three different locations in the film: the exterior and lower lobby was filmed at Roosevelt University, while Capone’s suite was the upper foyer of the Chicago Theatre. A West Side warehouse served as a soundstage.

In August 1986, Paramount Pictures contacted Garry Wunderwald of the Montana Film Commissioner’s Office to find a 1930s-period bridge to imply a border crossing between the United States and Canada. Wunderwald suggested the Hardy Bridge, which crosses the Missouri River near the small town of Cascade, southwest of Great Falls.

From October 6–20, the bridge was closed to traffic to film the shootout sequence. 25 local residents were cast to ride horseback as Royal Canadian Mounted Police during the scene. The crew then built cabins and summer homes along the river, and 600 trees were brought in from Lincoln and Kalispell areas, and planted in a day and a half. Several 1920s and 1930s-era vehicles were rented from ranchers from Conrad and Great Falls. Actual filming took approximately 10 days, but the production staff reserved the bridge for enough time to allow for production delays. Hundreds were allowed to watch filming from a nearby field.

Linson and De Palma wanted to have a more tender portrayal of Ness than Robert Stack’s “tough” portrayal from the 1950s television series, seeking to portray him as a “vulnerable family man.” De Palma initially wanted Don Johnson to portray Eliot Ness. Mickey Rourke, Jeff Bridges, William Hurt, Harrison Ford, and Michael Douglas also turned down the role. A 1985 issue of Variety announced the casting of Jack Nicholson as Ness, but he was ultimately replaced by Kevin Costner. In preparing for his role as Eliot Ness, Kevin Costner met with former FBI agent and Untouchable Al “Wallpaper” Wolff at his home in Lincolnwood for historical context and to learn about Ness’s mannerisms.

Robert De Niro was De Palma’s first choice to play Al Capone, but it was uncertain if he could appear in the film because of his appearance in the Broadway play Cuba and his Teddy Bear. He also wanted to gain about 30 pounds (14 kg) to play Capone; according to De Palma, De Niro was “very concerned about the shape of his face for the part.” De Palma met with Bob Hoskins to discuss the role in case De Niro could not appear. When De Niro took the part, De Palma mailed Hoskins a check for £20,000 with a “Thank You” note, which prompted Hoskins to call up De Palma and ask him if there were any more films he didn’t want him to be in. Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando were also considered as options in case both De Niro and Hoskins proved unable to perform the role. De Niro’s research for the role of Al Capone included reading about him and watching historical footage. He had one extra scene written for his character, and contacted Capone’s original tailors to have identical suits and silk underwear made for him. He was paid $2 millions for the role.

The Untouchables opened on June 3, 1987 in 1,012 theaters where it grossed $10,023,094 on its opening weekend and ranked the sixth-highest opening weekend of 1987. It went on to make $76.2 million in North America. According to producer Art Linson, the polls conducted for the film showed that approximately 50% of the audience were women. “Ordinarily, a violent film attracts predominantly men, but this is also touching, about redemption and relationships and because of that the audience tends to forgive the excesses when it comes to violence.”