History Characters / TheUntouchables

!The 1987 Film

[[foldercontrol]]

!!The Untouchables

[[folder:Ness]]
!Eliot Ness
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/untengr_main1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Never stop! Never stop fighting til the fight is done!"'']]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/KevinCostner
--> ''"I have foresworn myself. I have broken every law I have sworn to uphold, I have become what I beheld and I am content that I have done right!"''
A Treasury agent who is willing to stop Al Capone's reign of crime and terror at all costs.
----
* ActionDad: He has two children by the end of the movie, and he's a Treasury agent who gets in shootouts with gangsters on his crusade to take down Al Capone.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Eliot Ness is the most classy of the group thanks to his black suit, though most of the time he is seen in action with his [[BadassLongcoat longcoat]]. Then he chases Nitti through the rooftop and we see it in full action, and also for a visible contrast between Ness and the gangster in white.
* BatmanGambit: The way Ness gets [[spoiler:the judge to bring in a new jury for Al Capone's trial. He lies and told the judge his name was in the ledger.]]
* BeingGoodSucks: At first, he steadfastly uses every lawful procedure to catch Capone, which grants him zero success and opens him up to widespread ridicule and derision. He then meets James Malone, who opens his eyes to the truth about his situation and shows him a much more unorthodox (but effective) way to defeat the gangster's organization. [[spoiler:At the end, he forces the judge to remove the corrupted jury by (falsely) telling the judge that ''his'' name is in the ledger paid off by the organization]].
* BerserkButton: He finally cracks when [[spoiler:Frank Nitti]] taunts him about how he killed [[spoiler:Malone]] and ends up [[spoiler:sending him to a DisneyVillainDeath]].
* BondOneLiner: After killing [[spoiler:Nitti]], he takes the time to tell George of [[spoiler:what happened earlier]].
-->'''Ness:''' He's in the car.
* ByTheBookCop: At first. He's quickly taught the folly of this when faced with the likes of Capone. He then goes full CowboyCop, raids places without a warrant, and, in one case, outright murders [[spoiler:Nitti]], whom he just arrested.
* {{Determinator}}: To stop Capone at all costs. At first, with conventional legal procedures, but when he fails at this and teams up with Malone, the Irish cop teaches him how to deal with dangerous criminals that don't hesitate at killing anyone, even sacrificing his moral convictions.
* TheFaceless: In his introductory scene, he's only seen from behind.
* FiringOneHanded: Famously during the staircase shootout with a [[http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/File:Untouch-winp7.jpg Winchester Model 1912 shotgun.]]
* GoodIsNotSoft: By the end of the movie he admits he's broken every law he's sworn to uphold, including [[spoiler:cold-blooded murder and blackmailing a judge]], but is convinced they were the right thing to do.
* HappilyMarried: To his wife, Catherine, who writes him encouraging notes saying how proud she is of him.
* TheHero: The one who leads the crusade against Al Capone's criminal schemes.
* HeroWithBadPublicity: When he first shows up, Capone learns of his raid on a warehouse full of liquor and switches the cargo to make Ness look like a fool. Sure enough, next day there's a headline of Ness looking ridiculous, holding one of the umbrellas found in the raid.
* HeroesWantRedheads: His lovely wife, Catherine, who is a redhead.
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:George (one of Capone's top guys and later key informant to the FBI), along with Ness' fellow Untouchable and good friend, Oscar Wallace, have been killed, leading the District Attorney to want to suspend the case because the latter individuals were important witnesses for the prosecution and Walter Payne, Capone's bookkeeper, may have left the city under his boss' orders, leaving Ness hopeless and almost to the point of giving up if Malone hadn't intervened.]]
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: In reality, while the Untouchables put pressure on Capone's organization, and Ness weeded out the corruption in Chicago's law enforcement, it was an unrelated IRS operation that ultimately brought down Capone. Ness's self-promotion at the time helped popularize the impression that Ness was responsible. The film also portrays Ness as an ActionDad who gains resolve when Capone targets his family, but Ness had no children when taking on Capone. His later life was marked with business failures, alcoholism, and his failure to capture the Cleveland Torso Murderer.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: He is the leader of the ''[[MeaningfulName Untouchables]]'' no less. Tell that to the corrupt alderman who tried to bribe him. He ain't playing in the same league as Capone.
* PapaWolf: To his daughter and pregnant wife. His first reaction to Nitti threatening them is immediately chasing after him with a gun, before rushing into the house to make sure they're okay.
* RageBreakingPoint: Ness is fairly a non-violent person but then Capone menaces his family, faces the very gangster himself after [[spoiler:Oscar Wallace is killed by Frank Nitti]] and [[spoiler:throws Nitti off the building rooftop when he says that [[BerserkButton Malone died screaming like a pig]]]].
* RecklessGunUsage: He has a nasty habit of pointing at things with his weapon, and hugs his daughter ''while carrying a .45 with his finger in the trigger well.''
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: He earned his men the nickname "The Untouchables" by his vehement refusal of a large bribe from Al Capone.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: At the climax he gets the drop on Frank Nitti, [[spoiler:the man who murdered Wallace and Malone]], with no one else around. He prepares to murder the oblivious Nitti in revenge, but relents and arrests him instead. [[spoiler:Then Nitti [[BerserkButton pushes his luck]] by bragging about how Malone died screaming, resulting in Ness throwing him off the courthouse roof.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Malone]]
!James "Jim" Malone
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/6599ee758f860ad06c43486b672a5e93.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:''"Well, the Lord hates a coward."'']]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/SeanConnery
-->''"You just fulfilled the first rule of law enforcement: make sure when your shift is over you go home alive."''
A veteran and tough street cop of Irish ancestry who has seen enough of Chicago's corruption.
----
* AlmightyJanitor: He's a simple beat cop who is the most competent man on the force by a long shot and on a first name basis with the chief.
* AlmostDeadGuy: [[spoiler:Even after Nitti shoots him more than a dozen times, Malone manages to cling to life just long enough to give Ness the train schedule of Capone's bookkeeper.]]
* BadassMustache: This time Sean Connery didn't grow a beard for the character.
* BeingGoodSucks: What Malone teaches to Ness.
* BigOlEyebrows: A trademark of Mr. Connery. They are very expressive. Pay attention when he is [[FascinatingEyebrow "amused"]] to hear George Stone as Petri's real name.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: To his fellow police workers. His old friend Mike points out that his new clothes are not very proper for an officer.
* CombatPragmatist: When Bowtie Driver attacks him with a knife, he responds with a sawn-off shotgun.
* CoolOldGuy: Even with his brutish personality, he is a friendly and charismatic man. He is tremendously ''tough'' for his age. He can more than hold his own in a fight punch to punch and [[spoiler:survives a long time after he has been shot to shit by Frank Nitti's machine gun.]]
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: Nitti empties most of a 50 round Thompson magazine into him and it takes an excruciatingly long time to die.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Being as badass and experienced as he is, it is not unusual that he likes to remark everything.
-->'''Malone:''' (''After listening to a stuttering police recruit'') There goes the next chief of police.
* DeathByRacism: [[spoiler:A rare heroic example. When the mob sends a knife man into his apartment, Malone pulls a sawed-off shotgun on him. Malone calls the knife man a "dago bastard" while chasing him out out of his apartment. Unfortunately for Malone, Nitti guns him down at the doorway immediately after that.]]
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler: He dies in Ness' arms after Nitti ambushes him with a Tommy Gun, but not before passing on vital information about the bookkeeper whose testimony can bring Capone down]].
* DiesWideOpen: [[spoiler:His eyes remain open after his death]].
* DoomedMoralVictor: [[spoiler:He's murdered by Capone's men, but his teachings help Ness bring Capone to justice.]]
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:While he's lured to his death quite easily, he doesn't die after absorbing [[MoreDakka a full magazine of bullets]], crawls almost the full length of his apartment to bring a vital clue into Ness' attention, and then delivers meaningful FinalWords in his final breath. The scene couldn't be underscored better by Morricone's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWCG5X3zqW0 death theme]].]]
* FightingIrish: He won't surrender for anything.
* KnightInSourArmor: He doesn't trust anyone, has a cynical outlook on life, and is willing to perform dubiously moral acts to bring down Capone, but when Ness gives him the chance to join him and make a difference, Malone agrees because he wants to cleanup Chicago.
* TheLastDJ: When Ness asks him why he's still a beat cop at his age, the latter answers that he's one of the few policemen in Chicago who isn't on the take.
* TheMentor: Years and years of patrolling the streets and watching his home city turn into a corrupt place made him very experienced, which is one of the valuable things Ness sees in him aside from his honesty. Though he teaches Ness some very unorthodox methods to deal with Capone's men.
* MentorArchetype: He teaches Ness how to deal with Capone's forces in Chicago beyond conventional legal methods.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: [[spoiler:He's Ness' mentor, showing him the ropes on how to bring down Capone and the corrupt system working against him. Then, Frank Nitti murders him on Capone's orders.]]
* MultipleGunshotDeath: [[spoiler:Pretty rare for the Trope, he manages to survive long enough to provide Ness a vital clue, although the scene makes it clear that he's in incredible agony the whole time]].
* NobleBigotWithABadge: He's not at all shy about voicing his prejudices towards Italian people. He gets along well with fellow Untouchable, George Stone, aka Giuseppe Petri, after insulting his heritage as a SecretTestOfCharacter.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: He's supposed to be Irish, yet Creator/SeanConnery speaks in his normal accent. When asked why he didn't attempt an Irish accent for the film, he reportedly said, "If I didn't talk like this, you wouldn't know who I am." (it was named "[[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3032052.stm Worst Accent Ever]]" by a UK magazine).
* OfficerOHara: A tough one. He's stated as Irish though Mr. Connery's [[NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent only thing in common with Ireland is his surname]].
* OhCrap: [[spoiler:After he chases the Bowtie Driver out of his house and finds himself face to face with Nitti.]]
* OldFashionedCopper: He is introduced by being such a hardass that he tells ''Elliot Ness'' to straighten up. His idea of recruiting a new cop? Go directly to the Police Academy and find the guy who ''literally'' shoots the straightest.
* OnlySaneMan: One of the few police officers in Chicago who is totally incorruptible.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Sean Connery's Irish-Scottish brogue. Almost comical when Jimmy Malone's talking to Chief Dorsett (who has a pronounced Irish brogue)... it's even more obvious Connery's accent is Scottish, not Irish.
* PetTheDog: Despite harassing Stone about his ancestry earlier (which was more of a SecretTestOfCharacter than anything else), he makes a point to approach him during the Canadian liquor stakeout and give him some sincere words of encouragement, telling him he's a good cop.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: As noted under "Noble Bigot with a Badge", Malone is bigoted towards most Italian people.
* PragmaticHero: In spades. The standout example is his gruesome "interrogation" and "execution" to scare George into cooperating. It's disturbing, but works extremely well.
* ReligiousBruiser: As an Irishman, he is a proper Catholic. He is always seen with a St. Jude medallion, the patron of police and lost causes. It tells a lot of his tough personality and how much he loves his job. Also, he finds the only secure place to talk about anything in a church.
* TeamDad: As the oldest and most experienced member of the Untouchables team, he's always ready to dispense sage and useful advice to the others. A key scene depicting this tendency is the Canadian stakeout.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: With Mike Dorsett, the Chief of Police, who's corrupt and on Capone's payroll. Mike is concerned enough with Malone's safety to warn him to get out of town, [[spoiler:but when he refuses to help Malone find Capone's bookkeeper, Malone resorts to beating the information out of him.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wallace]]
!Oscar Wallace
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7461e86979638d15a4f2c2167b092f94.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:''"Oh, yes, much more diverting than accounting"'']]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/CharlesMartinSmith
-->''Wallace:"We can prosecute him for income tax evasion!"''
-->''Ness:"Try a murderer for not paying his taxes?!"''
-->''Wallace: "Well, it's better than nothing!"''
An accountant sent from Washington to help Ness but ends up being a field agent. He also comes up with the idea of catching Al Capone with tax evasion accusations.
----
* BadassBookworm: As an accountant he has never been in action yet he can overpower dangerous gangsters when given a weapon. He enjoys it a lot.
* BoringButPractical: His ultimate plan to bring down Capone is not to charge him with his countless murders and bootlegging, but to charge him with tax evasion. It takes a while for him to convince his fellow Untouchables about this, but they concede after finding evidence that could make it work.
* CassandraTruth: Wallace tries to persuade Ness to go after Capone on tax evasion charges, but Ness blows him off. It doesn't sound so ridiculous after the Canadian border raid, thanks to George and his account ledger, and it ends up being the charge that gets Capone sent to prison.
* DistractedByTheSexy: When he sees the District Attorney's beautiful secretary coming from the lift. Being a cop is much better than a desk accountant! [[spoiler:Unfortunately this means that he doesn't notice the other occupant in the elevator is Capone hitman, Frank Nitti.]]
* GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: Depicted smoking a pipe in a handful of instances.
* INeedAFreakingDrink: After his heroic turn at the Canadian raid, he sneaks a quick swig of whisky from a spewing barrel.
* JusticeByOtherLegalMeans: His plan to put Capone away for tax evasion. [[spoiler:It works.]]
* MoeGreeneSpecial: Shot through the right eye by Nitti.
* OhCrap: When Nitti turns his gun on him in the elevator.
* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler: The first of The Untouchables to die.]]
* SpecsOfAwesome: Besides coming up with the plan to take down Capone, he shows himself to be this. During the Canadian border battle, when he runs out of ammo, he charges one of the hoods and knocks him unconscious with the butt of his shotgun. [[spoiler: Sadly, after the battle his badassery will be short-lived.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: He stays at desk looking at numbers but when Malone gives him a shotgun he becomes efficient. In the Canadian frontier assault, he shoots at several gangsters and knocks out one with the shotgun's breechblock.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Stone]]
!George Stone (Giuseppe Petri)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/george_stone.png]]
[[caption-width-right:320:''"We gotta bust these guys!"'']]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/AndyGarcia
-->''Stone:"Lost causes, policemen..."''
-->''Malone:"And which do you want to be?"''
-->''Stone:"I wanna be a cop."''
A rookie police officer of Italian origin.
----
* TheAce: He's the best shooter promoted from the police force, and proves it during the train station shootout.
* BerserkButton: If you insult his Italian ancestry, though the wise old Malone used this for a SecretTestOfCharacter.
* BondOneLiner: "Two." [[spoiler: after shooting the Bowtie Driver through the mouth.]]
* ChekhovsSkill: His ImprobableAimingSkills becomes very important during the train station shootout where he [[spoiler:headshots the gangster using Capone's bookkeeper as a HumanShield.]]
* GratuitousItalian: When he claims ''"Santo Jude"'' as Malone mentions St. Jude.
* GunsAkimbo: Wields two guns in the train station shootout.
* TheGunslinger: He was one of the two best gunmen at the police academy (and didn't stutter like Williamson). One of the reasons he got recruited.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: He shoots the Bowtie Gangster through the *teeth* at a good 10 yards, while holding up a carriage and laying on his back.
* NaturalizedName: His birth name is Giuseppe Petri, a close-enough translation ("Petri" is close to ''pietre'', Italian for "stones", but Giuseppe's English equivalent is traditionally Joseph, not George; normally, George would be the Anglicized version of "Giorgio").
* NewMeat: He's a rookie cop who's the best shot among his peers. Malone has Ness recruit him in order to get a skilled shot who hasn't had a chance to be corrupted yet.
* TheStoic: He's almost always reserved and quiet.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: He's pretty easy on the eyes.
* TheQuietOne: From all the Untouchables, he almost never speaks.
* TokenEnemyMinority: As an Italian cop going up against Al Capone and his mob.
* TragicKeepsake: [[spoiler:Ness gives him the deceased Malone's St. Jude medallion and callbox key, telling him Malone would want a cop to have it.]]
* WeaponOfChoice: A Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver.
[[/folder]]

!!Capone's Organization

[[folder:Capone]]
![[UsefulNotes/AlCapone Alphonse "Al" Capone]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/41mbjxr0cvl_ac.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:''"People are gonna drink. We all know that. All I do is act on that."'']]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/RobertDeNiro
-->''"I grew up in a tough neighborhood. We used to say, 'You can get further with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word'. And in that neighborhood it might've been true. And sometimes your reputation follows you. There is violence in Chicago... [[BlatantLies but not by me and not by anybody I employ, because it's not good business.]]"''
A ruthless and powerful Italian-American gangster who establishes a reign of crime, alcohol smuggling and corruption in the city of Chicago.
----
* AdiposeRex: Much like the real Capone, he is quite chubby. De Niro had to gain some weight à la ''Film/RagingBull'' and don some pillows to make himself look fatter.
* AtTheOperaTonight: [[WickedCultured Al Capone]] is seen attending an production of ''Pagliacci'' when Frank Nitti comes up and quietly informs him that [[spoiler:Jimmy Malone has been killed]].
* BadBoss: See YouHaveFailedMe.
* BadassBoast:
-->''"I'm gonna tell you something. Somebody messes with me, I'm gonna mess with with him. Somebody steals from me, I'm gonna say you stole. Not talk to him for spitting on the sidewalk. Understand? One more thing, you have an all out prize fight, you wait until the fight is over, one guy is left standing. And that's how you know who won."''
* BadAssInANiceSuit: Wears the most stylish (and expensive) suits of the day, as befits a mob kingpin. And while he obviously lets his underlings handle the day to day rough stuff, he is not above getting his own hands dirty to make a point, or if he just blows his top.
* BaldOfEvil: He has very few hairs and of course he's evil.
* BatterUp: Bludgeons one of his underlings to death with a baseball bat. At a fancy dinner, no less.
* BerserkButton: Has more buttons than an elevator. But his main ones seem to be receiving bad news, business setbacks and someone disrespecting him in front of his son.
* BigBad: It's his fault that Chicago is a city of corruption and violence even though [[NonActionBigBad he does not take part in any of his schemes]].
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Capone tells Eliot Ness, "You talk to me like that in front of my son? Fuck you, and your family!" [[HypocriticalHumor In front of his son...]].
* CoolHat: More often than not rocked a Fedora, as well as other stylish lids of the day.
* TheDon: He's the crime lord of Chicago who controls all the illegal activity and has the cops and other officials in his pocket.
* TheDreaded: Capone is very feared because of his HairTriggerTemper and the violent consequences he may take if someone messes with him. Just look at [[OhCrap the face of the barber]] who accidentally cuts him at the beginning.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Implied since he's outraged when Ness confronts him with his crimes in front of Capone's son.
* EvilGloating: When Capone hears of [[spoiler:Malone's death]], right at the most heartbreaking scene of ''Pagliacci,'' he chuckles for a moment.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He's a powerful mob boss who goes from pontificating on the joys of baseball one second to savagely murdering an associate with a bat the next. Every word that passes his lips is met by sycophantic laughter.
* GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: Seen enjoying a fine cigar quite often throughout the film.
* HairTriggerTemper: He has a BerserkButton that is very easy to push. Try to cross him, insult him in front of his son or mess in his "business".
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Well, sure, Capone himself was a ruthless crime boss who wasn't above killing his own associates or starting a MobWar, but the real Al was ''much'' less monstrous than the version here. Also, the movie's Capone had no problem killing kids, while the real Capone tried to avoid any bystander injuries in gun battles, and paid their hospital bills for them if they were hurt.
* {{Hypocrite}}: In public, he is seen as a constantly smiling and affable citizen, who claims that [[BlatantLies the violence in Chicago is not his fault and that he doesn't evade taxes.]]
* JusticeByOtherLegalMeans: [[spoiler:The classic example of sending a gangster and killer away on tax evasion.]]
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: For the entirety of the film, up until the end, he's evaded suffering any consequences for his crimes.
* KickTheDog: He personally beats one of his goons to death with a bat to bring home the point that despite his attempts to paint himself as a good-natured high-roller, he is quite the vicious, ruthless gangster Ness says he is. Also, he has no problem with children and other innocent bystanders getting blown up to progress his business.
* LaserGuidedKarma: He had an intricate empire that let him do horrible things with impunity... and was taken down in a way he didn't expect.
* NeverMyFault: He always excuses himself to the public that neither he or his "employees" are the ones causing the scaling violence of Chicago. It's because it isn't a "good business".
* NonActionBigBad: For the most part, as befits a mob boss with countless Mooks at his beck and call. But he does personally indulge in violence on two occasions.
* PetTheDog: After being accidentally cut on the cheek by his barber (who looks utterly terrified). he reassures him that it's all right.
* ShootTheMessenger: It seemed like he was on the verge of physically attacking the poor guy who informed him that the Untouchables confiscated his Canadian whisky shipment.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: He's popular with the media (and somewhat of a celebrity) despite his illegal ties.
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:He starts to come unglued when the judge has his bribed jury switched with an unbiased one, and when his attorney pleads guilty, he loses it, punching his lawyer out. By the time Ness comes to gloat, Capone has to be physically restrained by his men, repeatedly screaming that Ness is, "Nothing but talk and a badge!"]]
* WickedCultured: He enjoys opera ([[TruthInTelevision like his real life counterpart]]) as much as he enjoys to hear that a police officer has been brutally murdered.
* YouHaveFailedMe: In an infamous scene he beats an underling to death with a baseball bat during dinner because the man failed to stop the Untouchables from raiding his stash of booze.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nitti]]
!Frank Nitti
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msdunto_ec027_2000.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:''"I gotta permit for that."'']]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/BillyDrago
-->''"Nice to have a family. A man should take care- see that nothing happens to them..."''
Al Capone's efficient goon and a killer with no remorse that would do anything for his boss without hesitation.
----
* CarCushion: [[spoiler:How Ness kills him]].
* CombatPragmatist: [[spoiler:Sends the Bowtie Driver to lure Malone out before shooting him with a tommy gun.]]
* CopKiller: [[spoiler:In addition to Wallace and Malone, he also kills two uniformed cops as he leaves the police station.]]
* CreepyMonotone: He is usually seen in silence, but when he talks...
* DeathByAdaptation: In RealLife, he was not killed by Ness, but took over the Chicago Outfit after Capone's imprisonment and lived until 1943.
* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler:Ness pushes him off the building's rooftop after saying that Malone died screaming like a pig.]]
* TheDragon: He does every dirty duty that Al Capone commands, mostly assassinations.
* DressingAsTheEnemy: A villainous example - he briefly dresses up as a police officer to infiltrate the police department and [[spoiler: assassinate Oscar and the informant, along with two other police officers who were waiting outside]].
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: As portrayed by Billy Drago, he looks like the human form of Death walking the Earth.
* EvilGloating: Something he probably should have done '''after''' getting safely off the roof!
* FreezeFrameBonus: Look closely at his hands when he flees after [[spoiler: murdering Wallace and the informant]] in the service elevator: they are coated red after [[CouldntFindAPen he writes the word "touchable" on the wall with their blood.]]
* HateSink: It was sure satisfying seeing [[spoiler: Eliot getting revenge on him by throwing him off the roof.]]
* HeroKiller: [[spoiler:Murders George the accountant, Oscar, the two cops who were going to be escorting George, and Malone, plus several people, including a little girl]].
* HistoricalBadassUpgrade: The real Nitti wasn't as scary as how the movie portrays him. For the most part, he delegated the "dirtier" parts of his job to his subordinates.
* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: [[https://www.biography.com/.image/t_share/MTE1ODA0OTcxOTQyMDUzMzg5/frank-nitti-20706151-1-402.jpg The real Nitti]] was a deceptively meek-looking guy with a Hitler mustache, not the skinny, pale and skull-faced psychopath of the film.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Nitti was one of Capone's number two but wasn't the cold killer from the film and preferred to stay in the shadows.
* ImpersonatingAnOfficer: He disguises himself as a police officer to assassinate the bookkeeper the Untouchables have persuaded to testify, [[RefugeInAudacity right inside the police station]].
* KarmicDeath: He's killed by [[spoiler:Ness in retaliation for killing his friend Malone and taunting Ness about how he died]].
* KickTheSonOfABitch: He kills [[spoiler:George]] for cooperating with [[spoiler:the Untouchables]].
* LaserGuidedKarma: He kills Malone and shoots at least three other people during his escape, but he's sure [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections he'll never go to jail.]] [[KarmicDeath He doesn't.]]
* LeanAndMean: Unlike Capone, he's quite thin.
* OhCrap: When [[spoiler:Ness pushes him off the rooftop to his death]].
* PsychoForHire: A psychotic and sadistic gangster who kills people without even batting an eye and who also takes pride in it.
* SlasherSmile: He has one when Ness arrest him, knowing he'll be released soon. Billy Drago is quite an expert at this.
* TheSociopath: Never shows sign of remorse for any of his victims. When Capone beats a man to death he simply watches him without changing expression. We can say he almost surpass his boss in evilness.
* VillainInAWhiteSuit: A sociopathic villain who frequently wears a white suit. It also has a very symbolic black and white contrast with Ness' (a law enforcement agent) suit.
* WouldHurtAChild: He indirectly killed the girl at the bar but he didn't care. Nitti would kill Ness' family, including his daughter, to stop messing in Capone's business.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:George]]
!George
[[quoteright:259:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images_550.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:259:''"Why don't you guys just fuck off?"'']]
->'''Played by:''' Brad Sullivan
--> ''"You keep an eye out at all times! I'm telling you, they are going to send-" [seconds before [[spoiler:he and Oscar are shot dead by Frank Nitti]]]''
The man who checks the smuggling cargo for Capone.
----
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Despite (or because of?)his pivotal role in building the case against Al Capone, he was very rude with the Untouchables]].
* BringMyBrownPants: Implied during the border raid when Malone tricks the thug into talking after he shoots the already dead mobster:
--> '''Malone:''' And don't let him clean himself 'til ''after'' he talks!
* ChekhovsGunman: He's the man sitting to Nitti's right when Capone beats one of his henchmen to death with a bat and is visibly wincing whenever Capone strikes a blow.
* DirtyCoward: He readily mouths off to the Untouchables until Malone scares the daylights out of him by shooting an (already-dead) gangster.
* OnlyOneName: The end credits have him as George.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. He shares the name with Giuseppe Petri's American name, George Stone.
* PleaseIWillDoAnything: When Malone shoots the corpse to scare him.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He keeps the ledger that contains proof of Capone's tax evasion. [[spoiler:After Frank Nitti kills him for collaborating with the Untouchables, the district attorney wants to drop the case for lack of evidence]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Payne]]
!Walter Payne
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9189_20425.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:''"In a three year period, I personally disbursed to Mr. Capone monies in excess of one and a third million dollars."'']]
->'''Played by:''' Jack Kehoe
--> ''"He's crazy! Don't do this! I'll tell you what you want to know!"''
Capone's bookkeeper and accountant.
----
* ChekhovsGunman: He's first seen doing his bookkeeping job in Capone's hotel room. Apparently there is room for only one accountant in the organization. [[spoiler:When George (the informant) is killed (alongside Oscar Wallace) by Nitti, Payne becomes the single hope spot to prosecute Capone for tax evasion]].
* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: When Bowtie Driver puts a gun to his head and threatens to kill him if Ness and Stone don't back off, he immediately (and wisely) agrees to flip.
* PleaseIWillDoAnything: When he is retained at gunpoint by the bowtie driver, he encourages Ness and Stone to kill him and promises to give any information they need to know.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Bowtie Driver]]
!Bowtie Driver
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/93438cae5079b578aea3e6024d30bd7d.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:''"Don't worry about it, Pops- we won't come back!"'']]
->'''Played by:''' Vito D'Ambrosio
--> ''"I'm walkin' out with the bookkeeper. And the bookkeeper and me are drivin' away. See? Or else he dies. He dies, and you ain't got nuthin'!"''
A lesser henchman in Capone's organization.
----
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:Shot through the mouth by Stone who had him at gunpoint after threatening to kill Walter Payne.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: He is seen several times, particularly when he attempts to shake down the bar owner at the beginning of the film, when he [[spoiler:lures Malone out to be shot by Nitti]] and is later the one who takes the bookkeeper hostage on the train station steps [[spoiler:and gets shot by Stone]].
* HumanShield: Uses Payne as one when all the other henchmen are dead in the station.
%%* IcyBlueEyes
* KarmicDeath: He lures Malone into Nitti's tommy-gun ambush and gets a bullet in his head from Stone towards the end of the film.
* KilledMidSentence: Stone shoots him through the mouth mid-countdown.
* KnifeNut: Uses a knife to threaten Malone, luring him into an ambush.
* MadeOfIron: Takes a shotgun blast to the shoulder from Ness during the shootout and the arm is fine about a minute later.
* MookLieutenant: Leads Capone's henchmen during the shootout in the train station.
* NoNameGiven: His name is not mentioned any time and it is credited as "Bowtie Driver" only.
* UnfriendlyFire: Guns down several civilians who get caught in the crossfire during the shootout in the train station.
[[/folder]]

!!Other characters

[[folder:Catherine]]
!Catherine Ness
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/untouchables_the_1987_patricia_clarkson_as_catherine_ness.png]]
[[caption-width-right:320:''"Just tell me- are you being careful?"'']]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/PatriciaClarkson
--> ''"I am very proud of you!" [her note to Eliot left in his lunch]''
Eliot's supporting and loving wife.
----
* HappilyMarried: Catherine and Eliot are never seen arguing even with the stressful situation they're living with.
* {{Housewife}}: She prepares the food, takes care of her daughter and her newborn son, and is interested in the house's decoration.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: To Eliot. She loves him very much and supports him when bad things happen.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mike]]
!Mike Dorsett
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1937_20425.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:''"Sometimes it's better not to get involved."'']]
->'''Played by:''' Richard Bradford
--> ''"Go on and live the charade, with your soft clothes and your Federal stooges!"''
The Chief of the Chicago Police Department and an old friend of Jim Malone.
----
* DaChief: Only in the literal sense since he's the Chief of Police, but he's another corrupt cop on Capone's payroll.
* DirtyCop: Despite selling himself to Capone like most police officers, he helps Jim to gather information about the gangster's whereabouts and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold he is concerned about his safety]].
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's one of Capone's moles but performs the sign of the cross when he sees the police officers Nitti's murdered. He's also disturbed by [[spoiler:Wallace's]] death.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: He's one of Capone's moles, yes, however he's not shown to be overtly evil. He also appears quite remorseful [[spoiler:when Wallace is killed by Nitti.]]
* MoleInCharge: The Chief of Police, and a corrupt cop working for Capone. However he is also feeding information to Malone, apparently more out of friendship rather than because he believes the Untouchables will achieve anything.
* OfficerOHara: An Irish police officer.
* PetTheDog: Consoling Malone after [[spoiler:Wallace's]] death and warning him to get out of town to save his own life.
* TheStraightMan: To Malone's BunnyEarsLawyer personality.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: Mike and Malone were formerly close, and Mike still cares enough about him to warn him to get out of town for his own safety.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: It is never stated what was his fate after fighting with Jim Malone.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Scoop]]
!Scoop
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_w240_0.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:''"Mr. Ness! Any comment for the record?"'']]
->'''Played by:''' Steven Goldstein
--> ''"Listen, I can do a lot for you, what you're tryin' to do. I get the big scoop, you make a big splash. Whaddaya say?"''
A young journalist who wants to team up with Ness to get the latest news.
----
* IntrepidReporter: Though he is seen more often in public appearances, he goes on the snowplow raid (a potentially very dangerous situation) to get a exclusive.
* NoNameGiven: His name only appears in the credits and isn't even pronounced in the whole film.
* PluckyComicRelief: Like Oscar Wallace, he is a source of funny moments due to his gossipy nature, such as asking the District Attorney if he is part of the Capone Organization.
[[/folder]]
----

->'''Played by:''' Charles Martin Smith

* DeathByRacism: A rare heroic example. When the mob sends a knife man into his apartment, Malone pulls a sawed-off shotgun on him. Malone calls the knife man a "dago bastard" while chasing him out out of his apartment. Unfortunately for Malone, Nitti guns him down at the doorway immediately after that.

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: While he's lured to his death quite easily, he doesn't die after absorbing [[MoreDakka a full magazine of bullets]], crawls almost the full length of his apartment to bring a vital clue into Ness' attention, and then delivers meaningful FinalWords in his final breath. The scene couldn't be underscored better by Morricone's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWCG5X3zqW0 death theme]].

* {{Adorkable}}: He's a very nerdy guy with an enthusiasm for accounting. Even when he [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]], he awkwardly charges his opponents while [[ScreamingWarrior screaming]] then follows it up by sipping alcohol from the now leaking barrels when no one's looking.

--> ''"Listen, I can do a lot for you, what you're tryin' to do. I get the big scoop, you make the big splash. Whaddaya say?"''

A young journalist who wants to team up with Ness to have the latest news.

* IntrepidReporter: Though he is seen more in public appearances, he went to the snowplow raid to get a exclusive.

* MinionWithAnFInEvil: He's one of Capone's moles, yes, however he's not shown to be evil or something. He also appears quite remorseful [[spoiler:when Wallace is killed by Nitti.]]
* MoleInCharge: The Chief of Police, and a corrupt cop working for Capone. However he is also feeding information to Malone, apparently more out of friendship than because he believes the Untouchables will achieve anything.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: Mike and Malone used to be friends, and Mike still cares enough about him to warn him to get out of town for his own safety.

Eliot's perfect redheaded wife.

* HappilyMarried: Catherine and Eliot are never seen arguing even with the stressful situation they're living with.