This is a movie made in 1987. De Niro plays an absolute villain in it. In fact, De Niro has played a lot of gangsters before and after, but in these films, the director usually gives this character a positive or evil image, only in this film, He just became an "absolute" villain.
The story is based on real events. In the 1920s and 1930s, the United States issued Prohibition. Various gangsters immediately discovered the business opportunities, and they made a lot of money by engaging in bootleg alcohol trafficking, which also triggered a struggle for turf. Among them, the Chicago gangster Capone is particularly rampant. Not only smuggling, but also hurting many innocent people. The protagonist of the play, Ness, is in charge of investigating the matter. He vowed "to bring him to justice by legal means". But at that time in Chicago up to the mayor, down to the police. Having already been bought by Capone, Ness had a bad first apprenticeship, and even got on an undercover agent. Ness had to search for the "only good police officer in the criminal circle" by himself, and found Malone, Stone, and an accountant who was extremely obsessed with accounts. The four declare war on Capone. Capone's response was: "It's better to use a gun and a good word than a good word." He used various means such as bribery, threats and assassination, and Ness had to resort to various illegal means as a last resort. You come and go with these two opponents, fight several times, and everyone will guess the final result.
First look at the character of Al Capone. He was naughty from a young age, started as a bodyguard, and climbed to the position of the gang leader step by step. He doesn't have much culture and only believes in a golden rule: kill anyone who dares to stand in his way, and win over anyone who might be of use to him. It is said that half of the Chicago police at the time had accepted his bribes, and the mayor of Chicago was elected because of his help. The reporter in the film touted him like this: "In fact, you are the actual mayor of Chicago, you are just short of a letter of appointment." He laughed after hearing this: "A lot of things in life are like this, you feel ridiculous, Because that's true." We see Capone in the film like this: the camera is looking down from the ceiling, Capone is lying on a massage table, several doctors and girls are massaging him, surrounded by his bodyguards And the reporters, every word he said was greeted with flattering laughter. At this time, Capone was in full swing, and he was very unhappy. At the end of the court, Capone also looked around and laughed, and did not take the trial to heart at all. The usual hairstyle is very decent, and the dress is very luxurious, just like a local tyrant. When everything goes according to his wishes, he treats people politely and elegantly, and looks like a gentleman. But once his interests were touched, he immediately showed his original rural qualities, and roared loudly without regard for etiquette. The scene where he suddenly raised a baseball bat to kill the ghost at the banquet was even more ruthless, making the people around him tremble with fear. On the surface, his subordinates are extremely loyal to him, but in fact their loyalty is money. Whether it is his henchman, killer or accountant, they all have their own abacus. For money, they can do whatever they want. But when it comes to endangering himself, he immediately becomes cowardly. I think the same is true in real life. Gangsters and subordinates come from all over the world and come together for money. They are just interdependent relationships. Those are all corners of the country's righteousness, the two sides are just talking about it.
According to the information, Capone lived in Miami Beach after his release. His sanity was increasingly lost, his movements were uncoordinated, his speech slurred, and he wore pajamas every day and sat fishing on the pier outside his house for hours on end. The arrogance of the past is long gone. The old friends were full and only one person was left. Thinking about him is bleak enough. It was exactly what he said: seeing him rise up a tall building, seeing him feasting on guests, seeing his building collapse. If you know why today is the beginning. It is a pity that not only Capone, but almost everyone has never thought about the truth that prosperity must decline. Does today's glory necessarily indicate future decline?
Look at the Prohibition Law of the United States at that time. Prohibition began in 1920 and was repealed in 1933. The original intention of issuing this decree may be good. Drinking alcohol led to low labor productivity, continuous domestic violence, and the traditional concept of "puritans" in the American nation. . However, contrary to their wishes, the alcoholics did not stop drinking for a day. It is precisely because of the "Prohibition Order" that the gangsters see great business opportunities, show their talents and make a lot of money. In the past ten years, countless tragicomedies have been produced because of bootleg wine, which has destroyed the lives of countless people, and directed countless scenes of fighting and fighting. The social harm it brings is far greater than the street drunk. Therefore, moralists are not allowed to engage in politics. The foresight of politicians is reflected in judging the situation and appropriately expressing the wishes of the people, rather than realizing illusory ideals overnight. Drinking is just a necessity for many people, just like I am writing my impressions while smoking a cigarette, it is absolutely impossible for me to quit smoking. Perhaps after a few centuries, tobacco and alcohol will disappear, but that must be because of more interesting things replacing tobacco and alcohol, not because of a paper ban. "Prohibition" not only did not prohibit alcohol, but also created villains like Capone. The subsequent lifting of the ban was also a kind of helplessness. If you think about it, maybe God and Jesus also drink wine, but we can't see it with the naked eye. At the end of the film, the reporter asked Ness, what do you plan to do when you hear that Prohibition will be lifted? Ness replied, "Maybe I'll go get a drink." What a humorous answer!
Ness is a dedicated official who believes in the power of the rule of law. He was also determined "to bring him to justice by legal means". But in practice, it is very difficult to do so. Malone knows more than he does. When the underworld leader they captured refused to admit defeat, Malone used a dead gangster to fire another shot at the dead body. Under this threat, the leader finally gave in. Knais strongly disagreed with Malone's approach. However, in the process of playing against Capone, his concept is also gradually changing. He also recognized that it may be more effective to fight evil with evil. When he knew that the killer he had caught was the one who killed Malone, he pushed the gangster downstairs. When the judge was slow to convict Capone, he told the judge that his name was also on the books. The judge obediently changed the jury. These actions are obviously not in line with the spirit of the rule of law in his mind. In fact, not only Ness, but even the great men we have always admired, such as Lincoln, Sun Yat-sen, etc., have also had unexpected actions. This is not only a helpless, but also a strategy that has to be done. But in reality, people tend to criticize these behaviors, so as to deny them the purpose of denying it. From this, we think that when we judge the right and wrong of a historical process, we cannot look at what happened to a certain person or something in a specific environment. What is important is to look at the motivation of this person and the final effect of the whole thing.
De Niro is not the protagonist in this film, and he has played very few villains. His performance in this film is still commendable. The mocking eyes at the corners of his eyes when he is proud, and the grinning mouth when he is angry and sad are all very characteristic of him. However, it may be that the character that the director gave to this character is too thin, and it seems more vicious than insidious.
My rating: 7.0.
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