Daily Dialogue — November 11, 2012

Malone: You said you wanted to know how to get Capone. Do you really want to get him? You see what I’m saying? What are you prepared to do?
Ness: Everything within the law.
Malone: And then what are you prepared to do? If you open the ball on these people, you must be prepared to go all the way. Because they won’t give up the fight until one of you is dead.
Ness: I want to get Capone. I don’t know how.
Malone: Here’s how you get Capone: he pulls a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to hospital, you send one of his to the morgue! That’s the Chicago way! And that’s how you get Capone. Now, do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that? I’m making you a deal. Do you want this deal?
Ness: I have sworn to put this man away, with any and all legal means at my disposal, and I will do so.
Malone: Well, the Lord hates a coward.

[They shake hands]

Malone: Do you know what a blood oath is, Mr Ness?
Ness: Yes.
Malone: Good. ’Cause you just took one.

— Ness (Kevin Costner), Malone (Sean Connery), The Untouchables (1987), written by David Mamet, based on books by Oscar Fraley and Eliot Ness

http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=6Jb8

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is exposition suggested by Dean Scott. Today’s suggestion by Teddy Pasternak.

Trivia: Paramount Pictures made this film because they still held the filming rights to Eliot Ness’ autobiography which they used to produce the TV series “The Untouchables”. Originally, Paramount intended to make this, like so many other films since, as a big screen adaption of a TV series. However, director Brian De Palma, producer Art Linson, and writer David Mamet all felt that they didn’t want to remake the series so they took their own dramatic license with the story, and the true events that inspired it, in order to make what they felt would be a good big screen epic.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Teddy: “Jim Malone explains to Eliot Ness how things really work in Chicago’s underworld and what needs to be done in order to get Al Capone. That handshake signals no turning back for Ness and catapults us into the second act. Note the dialogue “The Lord hates a coward”, “blood oath” and the church setting to underscore the seriousness of the situation and their deal.”