News

The 1973 Al Pacino-led crime drama Serpico has just arrived on a new streaming platform. The movie, based on the true story of Frank Serpico, is available on Paramount+.

While The Godfather and Scarface are typically the first films that come to mind when thinking of Pacino, the actor's role in Serpico is considered one of his best performances. The film is adapted from a biography of the real-life Serpico. Written by Peter Maas, the Oscar-nominated film sees Pacino as Frank Serpico, an NYPD cop on a mission to expose the corruption in the force. The movie was directed by Sidney Lumet and earned $29.8 million at the box office on a $3.3 million budget.

RelatedOne of Al Pacino’s Greatest Performances Came 51 Years Ago in This Oscar-Nominated Crime Drama

Based on a true story, Serpico is classic Pacino with a twist. With several awards and nominations, Serpico remains one of Pacino’s best films.

One of Kevin Costner's most iconic films finds another streaming platform to call home.

1987's The Untouchables has officially made the move to Paramount+ as its new streaming home. Directed by Brian De Palma from a script written by David Mamet, The Untouchables stars Costner as a fictionalized version of real-life Prohibition Agent Eliot Ness alongside an all-star ensemble cast, including Robert De Niro as infamous Chicago gangster Al Capone.

Related 'We'll See What's Next': Yellowstone Spinoff Teased as Series Officially Ends After 5 Seasons

Yellowstone star hints at the future of the franchise while discussing just how much audiences love the hit neo-Western series.

The Untouchables also starred Sean Connery as Jimmy Malone, Andy García as Oscar Wallace, Billy Drago as Frank Nitti, Richard Bradford as Chief Mike Dorsett, and Patricia Clarkson as Catherine Ness. Upon its release, The Untouchables was met with largley positive reviews from critics, cementing...

One of the most acclaimed films in Kevin Costner's distinguished career is arriving on a new streaming platform. The award-winning actor and director's gangster epic, The Untouchables, shoots up a new streaming home on Prime Video.

Prime Video confirmed that The Untouchables is availabble to stream as of Dec. 1, allowing audiences a chance to watch (or rewatch) the Brian De Palma-helmed flick this holiday season. The star-studded film's Prime Video release is coming a few months after it debuted on Paramount+.

Related Yellowstone's Kevin Costner-Less Return Breaks Viewership Record

Yellowstone fans tuned in to see how series creator Taylor Sheridan would handle Kevin Costner's exit from the Western series as John Dutton.

Released in 1987 and loosely based on Elliot Ness and Oscar Fraley's eponymous 1957 book, The Untouchables chronicles Ness (Costner) and his titular team as they scheme to take down the nefarious Al Capone (Robert De Niro...

We're inching closer to the finish line on HBO’s The Penguin, the limited series spinoff to Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Each week, as we learn more about the crime world of Gotham and the villains who inhabit it, we also dig deeper into the supporting characters who impact the leads, such as Oz Cobb’s (Colin Farrell) mother Francis (Deirdre O'Connell). What makes Oz such a great character is how complicated he is; not only is he ruthless and conniving, but he's also awkward, insecure, and needs reassurance from his mom.

We get to know Francis a little bit throughout The Penguin, and while she might have a limited role, O'Connell’s performance does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to explaining why Oz is the way he is. I had the pleasure of catching up with the actress at New York Comic Con earlier this month,...

Gangster movies often tell the stories of real criminals or claim to have their basis in fact, although some experts question the validity of these depictions. As an insanely violent genre that showcases the most extreme sides of criminality, its not surprising that some filmmakers exaggerate for dramatic effect. However, thats not to say gangster movies shouldnt be held accountable, and its important that if something claims to be a true story, the movie should stand up against cold, hard facts.

Some of the greatest gangster movies of all time have been criticized for accuracy issues. Timeless classics by directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have had their fair share of historical detractors who took issues with different scenes, performances, or narrative choices. This can also be an issue for fictional films, as even if the characters were not supposed to be real, they were usually set within...

Film enthusiasts can rejoice as the iconic 1987 gangster film The Untouchables is set to premiere on Paramount+ on August 1. Directed by Brian De Palma and produced by Art Linson, this American crime classic was penned by renowned playwright David Mamet. The star-studded cast features Kevin Costner, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garca, Robert De Niro, and Sean Connery.

Set in 1930 Chicago, The Untouchables follows the relentless efforts of federal agent Eliot Ness, played by Costner, as he assembles a dedicated team to bring down notorious crime boss Al Capone, portrayed by De Niro. Although inspired by real events and the 1957 book by Ness and Oscar Fraley, the film takes creative liberties, crafting a thrilling narrative that captivated audiences worldwide. The film grossed $106.2 million globally and received widespread acclaim from critics.

Related Quentin Tarantino's Most Iconic Film Finds a New Streaming Home in August

Quentin Tarantino's most iconic film of them...

This big screen, big star crowd-pleaser is a whopping entertainment yet too disjointed to satisfy as a gangster movie. It can ignore history to make its points, but what is gained by killing off the only characters we really love? Audiences didn’t feel shortchanged: Sean Connery and Robert De Niro deliver strong characterizations and Ennio Morricone’s music is ideal. Brian De Palma’s visual instincts are at full strength too; the show is marvelous to look at. It’s a real winner, at least when its not running in knee-jerk Scarface overkill mode.

The Untouchables 4K

4K Ultra HD + Digital

Paramount

1987 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 119 min. / Street Date May 31, 2022 / Available from Amazon / 25.99

Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Richard Bradford, Jack Kehoe, Brad Sullivan, Billy Drago, Patricia Clarkson, Steven Goldstein, Del Close, Clifton James.

Cinematography: Stephen H. Burum

Art Director: William A.

Warren Beatty’s show is a beautiful, one of a kind epic. Never mind that it is sharply critical of John Reed, an American who was buried in the Kremlin — Hollywood never approached the title subject directly: (whisper) Commies. Beatty’s production idiosyncrasies raised eyebrows but his picture is quite an achievement in filmic storytelling, cleverly accessing a political scene sixty years gone through testimony by notables that lived it. Beatty and Diane Keaton provide the romantic fireworks that make the film commercially viable, amid all the revolutionary fervor and political chaos.

Reds 40th Anniversary

Blu-ray + Digital

Paramount Home Video

1981 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 195 min. / 40th Anniversary Edition / Street Date November 30, 2021 / 17.99

Starring: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann, Jerzy Kosiński, Jack Nicholson, Paul Sorvino, Maureen Stapleton, M. Emmet Walsh, Ian Wolfe, George Plimpton, Dolph Sweet, Ramon Bieri, Gene Hackman, Gerald Hiken, William Daniels, Oleg Kerensky, Shane Rimmer, Jerry Hardin, Jack Kehoe,...

Jack Kehoe, a character actor whose 50-year career was highlighted by appearances in Serpico, The Sting, The Untouchables, Car Wash and Warren Beatty’s Reds, died Jan. 14 at age 85. The Hollywood Hills resident had suffered a debilitating stroke in 2015.

Kehoe’s family announced his death today.

Kehoe made his Broadway debut in 1963 as a supporting player in Edward Albee’s The Ballad of the Sad Cafe starring Colleen Dewhurst, and would appear on Broadway again in 1977’s The Basic Training of Pavel Hummel starring Al Pacino.

The role in Pavel would be his second opposite Pacino: Kehoe appeared as a crooked cop in 1973’s Serpico, the first in a string of high-profile movies throughout the 1970s and ’80s that would include Melvin and Howard, The Sting (as the con man called The Erie Kid), Reds, Car Wash, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, The Star Chamber, The Untouchables and Midnight Run,...

Jack Kehoe, best known for his roles in the Al Pacino-led crime drama “Serpico” and “Midnight Run,” died on Jan. 10 at a nursing home in Los Angeles. He was 85. The actor suffered a debilitating stroke in 2015, which left him inactive in recent years.

Kehoe also appeared in several Academy Award-winning films during his 50-year career, including “Melvin and Howard,” “The Sting” alongside Robert Redford and Paul Newman, and Warren Beatty’s “Reds.”

Other notable movies on Kehoe’s resume: “The Pope of Greenwich Village,” “The Star Chamber,” “The Untouchables,” “The Paper,” “Midnight Run,” “Young Guns II,” “The Game,” and the cult classics “Car Wash” and “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.” He also appeared on the TV shows “Murder, She Wrote” and “The Twilight Zone.” Additionally, he reunited with Pacino in 1977 on Broadway in “The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel.”

Born on Nov. 21, 1934, in Astoria, Queens, Kehoe served in the...

Jack Kehoe, the top-notch character actor who supported such outstanding films as Serpico, The Sting, Midnight Run and The Untouchables, has died. He was 85.

A resident of the Hollywood Hills, Kehoe died Jan. 14 in after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2015, his family announced.

In '70s cult classics, Kehoe portrayed Scruggs, the cowboy who pumps gas, in Car Wash (1976) and the marksman "Set Shot" Buford in The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979). His résumé also included Melvin and Howard (1980), Warren Beatty's Reds (1981) and The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984).

In the best picture Oscar winner The Sting (1973), directed by George Roy Hill,...

Jack Kehoe, the top-notch character actor who supported such outstanding films as Serpico, The Sting, Midnight Run and The Untouchables, has died. He was 85.

A resident of the Hollywood Hills, Kehoe died Jan. 14 in after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2015, his family announced.

In '70s cult classics, Kehoe portrayed Scruggs, the cowboy who pumps gas, in Car Wash (1976) and the marksman "Set Shot" Buford in The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979). His résumé also included Melvin and Howard (1980), Warren Beatty's Reds (1981) and The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984).

In the best picture Oscar winner The Sting (1973), directed by George Roy Hill,...

What does the American dream mean to you? Hardworking folk just want the job and the house and the family as promised in the ‘old’ Contract With America that began to slip out of reach in the 1970s. To examine the social absurdities at the tacky end of the consumer divide, Bo Goldman and Jonathan Demme’s marvelous film follows Melvin Dummar, a luckless a guy who became an involuntary media sensation. You just want to hug plucky Paul Le Mat and adorable Mary Steenburgen, even though there’s not a thing to be done for them: going to ‘Easy Street’ isn’t so easy, not even after being named in a billionaire’s Last Will and Testament.

Melvin and Howard

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1980 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date April 16, 2019 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95

Starring: Paul Le Mat, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Robards, Elizabeth Cheshire, Pamela Reed,...

“No one seems to love or understand me. Oh what hard luck stories they all hand me”

Melvin And Howard screens Friday, June 16th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). This is the third film in their ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’ The movie starts at 8:00pm.

Paul Le Mat is an average Joe named Melvin E. Dummar in Melvin And Howard (1980) an effective combination of drama and comedy from director Jonathan Demme. Melvin often finds it difficult to make ends meet, no matter what line of work he’s in. Then, one day, it seems as if his luck might change. A stranger leaves on his desk a will proclaiming Melvin to be one of 16 heirs to the fortune of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. Once upon a time, Melvin had given a lift to an aged, decrepit looking individual (Jason Robards) who claimed to be Hughes. The...

Hollywood is filled with movies honoring working people and labor unions. I like labor unions but not everyone does – and well, labor unions (or union leaders) haven’t always been perfect. On Labor Day, we ran a pro-labor list but to reflect that other viewpoint, this edition of Throwback Thursday focuses on a Labor Behaving Badly list – films about bad or crooked union bosses, strikes gone wrong, workers behaving badly, and even a few anti-union films.

On The Waterfront (1954)

This excellent drama from director Elia Kazan is the gold standard of this kind of film, with a corrupt union boss (Lee J. Cobb) who have become a virtual dictator, treating the union like his own little army to do his bidding. One man, Terry Malone (Marlon Brando), stands up to him and breaks the power of the boss. Bad behavior indeed, and one heck of a good movie.

Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989)

Union corruption,...

Robert Redford movies: TCM shows 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' 'The Sting' They don't make movie stars like they used to, back in the days of Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner, and Harry Cohn. That's what nostalgists have been bitching about for the last four or five decades; never mind the fact that movie stars have remained as big as ever despite the demise of the old studio system and the spectacular rise of television more than sixty years ago. This month of January 2015, Turner Classic Movies will be honoring one such post-studio era superstar: Robert Redford. Beginning this Monday evening, January 6, TCM will be presenting 15 Robert Redford movies. Tonight's entries include Redford's two biggest blockbusters, both directed by George Roy Hill and co-starring Paul Newman: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which turned Redford, already in his early 30s, into a major film star to rival Rudolph Valentino,...

We love crime movies. We may go on and on about Scorsese’s ability to incorporate Italian neo-realism techniques into Mean Streets (1973), the place of John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle (1950) in the canon of postwar noir, The Godfather (1972) as a socio-cultural commentary on the distortion of the ideals of the American dream blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda…but that ain’t it.

We love crime movies because we love watching a guy who doesn’t have to behave, who doesn’t have to – nor care to – put a choker on his id and can let his darkest, most visceral impulses run wild. Some smart-mouth gopher tells hood Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), “Go fuck yourself,” in Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990), and does Tommy roll with it? Does he spit back, “Fuck me? Nah, fuck you!” Does he go home and tell his mother?

Nope.

He pulls a .45 cannon out from...

The folks behind the St. Louis Black Film Festival Presents a Classic Black Film Festival for Black History Month at Landmark’s Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in St. Louis’ Loop) each Thursday in February. Last year the St. Louis Black Film Festival presented a series of new films by black filmmakers, but this year are going back into the vaults and digging out some vintage cinema for audiences with an interest in black history to enjoy on the big screen.

This offerings for this Thursday, February 9th are Carmen Jones at 5pm and Car Wash at 7pm.

Carmen Jones (1954) was produced and directed by Otto Preminger from Oscar Hammerstein’s update of the Bizet opera. It stars Dorothy Dandridge as the title character, a free-spirited, free-loving parachute factory worker whose romantic entanglement with conflicted Joe(Harry Belafonte), who’s engaged to sweet Cindy Lou and about to go into pilot training for the Korean War,...

Brian De Palma directed one of the finest sequences of his career in The Untouchables. Ryan takes a look at its Union Station shoot-out…

Brian De Palma's talent often shines brightest in self-contained set-pieces. Think back to the gory fireworks of Carrie, the extraordinarily excessive concluding shoot-out in Scarface, the pool-room stand-off in Carlito’s Way, or even the spectacular exploding John Cassavetes in his seldom discussed 1978 thriller, The Fury. These sequences exemplify De Palma’s brilliance as a creator of suspense or shock – a master of composing, manipulating and assembling images for maximum effect.

For me, that mastery reached its peak in one specific (and obvious) moment in The Untouchables. The movie as a whole ranks alongside Scarface and Carlito’s Way as one of De Palma’s most satisfying mainstream thrillers. But in a film full of stand-out scenes, it’s the Union Station sequence that is inarguably the most memorable.