The Untouchables and America in the 1920s
The Untouchables and America in the 1920s
The film The Untouchables explores the mob and its police involvement and corruption in 1920’s Chicago. The film shows the effect of organized crime upon American society, both by focusing upon their role in society and upon their involvement with law enforcement. The two extremes between good and evil in this move are mob boss Al Capone and justice-seeking investigator Elliot Ness.
Through the film The Untouchables it is shown that organized crime serves the function of providing a service to society. Organized crime units simply look for something that is not available to the society legally and offer it to them for their own financial gain. In this particular film, Capone’s mob was offering liquor during prohibition to a society who desired it. The mob simply found their own “niche” market and jumped into it. The mob ensures that they do not have any competition or business losses through instilling an element of fear within everyone that they deal with. By portraying, and leading, a violent and ruthless way of doing business, the mob is both able to eliminate competition and trouble from other criminals. Additionally, fear, intimidation, and bribery can be used in the mob in order to control law enforcement and other public officials.
Initially, law enforcement agencies were inefficient in dealing with organized crime in The Untouchables because so much of the police force was in the mob’s pocket. Through bribery, Capone’s mob was able to create an environment where there would be virtually no trouble from law enforcement officers. Additionally, when and if there was any trouble with law enforcement officers, the organized crime units would also pay off public official, such as judges, in order to remain above the law. All of this changed when one law enforcement officer attacked the case that he was assigned to (prohibition) and never backed down. He refused to take any bribes and did not stop in spite of the fear that the mob had generated toward him through threats to his family as well as the violent deaths of several other members of his police force. This detective, Elliot Ness, was able to get around the corruption throughout his workplace by forming his own group of only people that he knew he could trust, becoming much like...