The Untouchables is a 1987 masterpiece that treats violence like grand opera—it’s loud, bloody, and impossible to look away from. If your teen is ready for their first "grown-up" gangster movie, this is the gold standard, provided they can stomach a few truly visceral 80s-style kills and the kind of tension that makes a two-hour runtime feel like twenty minutes.
TL;DR: The Untouchables is a high-octane 1987 crime thriller that earns its R rating through stylized, visceral violence—most notably the infamous baseball bat scene. It’s a perfect "history-adjacent" watch for teens 14+ who can handle intense tension and 80s-era blood effects, offering a masterclass in filmmaking and a clear-cut "good vs. evil" story that feels more like a Western than a modern gritty drama.
If your teen is used to the clean, digital blood of modern Marvel movies, The Untouchables is going to be a wake-up call. Director Brian De Palma belongs to the school of filmmaking where if someone gets shot, you’re going to see the "squib" (the practical explosive blood pack) go off in spectacular, messy fashion.
It’s not "realistic" in the way a modern war movie is, but it is visceral. The movie doesn't just show you a crime; it wants you to feel the shock of it. For a teen who has seen Stranger Things or the later Harry Potter films, the level of gore won't necessarily be new, but the intensity with which it's delivered might be.
When parents ask if this movie is "too much," they are usually talking about three specific sequences. Here is the straight talk on each:
1. The Opening Bombing
Within the first few minutes, a young girl is killed by a bomb left in a pub. You don’t see the impact on her specifically, but you see her set the bag down and then see the building explode from the outside. It’s a major trigger for some because it involves a child, and it sets the stakes immediately: Al Capone isn't just a "cool" gangster; he’s a monster.
2. The Baseball Bat Scene
This is the one. Al Capone (Robert De Niro) is hosting a formal dinner for his lieutenants. He gives a speech about teamwork and baseball, then proceeds to beat one of his own men to death with a bat at the dinner table. It is sudden, brutal, and the sound design—the cracks and thuds—is what really lingers. If your kid has a low tolerance for "blunt force" violence, this is the peak of it.
3. The Train Station (The Baby Carriage)
This is a ten-minute masterclass in tension. It involves a shootout on a massive stone staircase while a baby carriage bounces down the steps in slow motion. It’s incredibly stressful. The "will the baby survive?" factor is the primary engine of the scene. It’s brilliant filmmaking, but for a sensitive viewer, it’s a lot of adrenaline to process.
Despite the blood, The Untouchables is actually a very traditional "white hat vs. black hat" story. Kevin Costner’s Eliot Ness is almost annoyingly moral at the start. He’s a Boy Scout in a city of wolves.
The real heart of the movie is the relationship between Ness and Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery), the veteran beat cop who teaches him "The Chicago Way." It’s a story about what happens when good people realize that playing by the rules doesn't work against people who have no rules. For a teen, this is a great jumping-off point for a conversation about ethics: Does the end justify the means? How much of your soul do you have to give up to catch a monster?
If your teen digs the style of this movie, don't just let it be a one-off. This is "Film School 101" material.
- The Music: The score by Ennio Morricone is legendary. It’s not your typical orchestral swell; it’s rhythmic, weird, and iconic. Ask them how the music changed the vibe of the shootout scenes.
- The Style: Every suit in this movie was designed by Giorgio Armani. It looks incredible. Compare the "dapper" look of the 1930s to the gritty, dirty look of modern crime shows.
- The History: This is "historical fiction" with a heavy emphasis on fiction. Al Capone was real, the tax evasion charge was real, but the rooftop fights and the train station shootouts? Pure Hollywood. It’s a fun excuse to look up what actually happened to the real "Untouchables."
- Malone’s Question: "What are you prepared to do?" Malone asks Ness this repeatedly. It’s the central question of the movie. Ask your teen: Is there a point where a "good guy" becomes a "bad guy" if they use the same tactics?
- The Tax Man: Most kids expect the big villain to be taken down in a gunfight. In this movie, the hero is an accountant. Discuss how the "boring" parts of the law (paperwork, taxes, ledgers) are often more powerful than bullets.
- The 80s Vibe: This movie was made in 1987 but set in 1930. Talk about how movies often reflect the era they were made in as much as the era they are set in.
The language is what you’d expect from an R-rated crime flick—plenty of F-bombs and "tough guy" talk—but it never feels gratuitous or "edgy" for the sake of it. The real hurdle is the violence. If your kid can handle the face-melting in Raiders of the Lost Ark, they can probably handle this, but the "real world" setting of The Untouchables makes the hits feel a little heavier.
Q: What age is The Untouchables appropriate for? Most teens 14 and up will find it thrilling. The morality is clear, the heroes are worth rooting for, and the "historical" setting provides a bit of a buffer from the violence.
Q: Is The Untouchables ok for a 12 year old? It depends on the kid. If they’ve seen other R-rated action classics and aren't bothered by blood, they’ll be fine. If they are sensitive to "innocents in danger" (like the opening bombing or the baby carriage scene), you might want to wait a year or two. According to the BBFC, it carries a 15 rating in the UK, which is a solid benchmark.
Q: How much swearing is in the movie? There is a fair amount of strong language, including several uses of the F-word. It’s standard for a gritty 80s crime drama, but it's not "Wall Street" or "South Park" levels of constant profanity.
Q: Is the baseball bat scene really that bad? It’s the most violent moment in the film. It’s short, but it’s impactful because of the sound and the suddenness. You can always "pre-watch" that specific scene on YouTube if you want to gauge your teen's reaction.
The Untouchables is a "Big Movie"—big performances, big music, big stakes. It’s a fantastic way to introduce a teen to the crime genre without the nihilism or moral ambiguity of something like Goodfellas. It’s a story about bravery, even if that bravery occasionally involves a shotgun and a slow-motion staircase.
- For more high-stakes classics, check out our best movies for kids list.
- Ready for more "grown-up" content? See our digital guide for high schoolers.
- Find more movies like The Untouchables
