Connery was scuffling something awful in the 1980s. Aside from a small part as King Agamemnon in Terry Gilliam’s “Time Bandits” and a return engagement as James Bond in Irvin Kershner’s “Never Say Never Again” (a stale remake of the already leaden “Thunderball” made possible via a rights claim by executive producer Kevin McClory), Connery seemed out of juice. He’d made some marvelous post-Bond movies in the 1970s (e.g. John Huston’s “The Man Who Would Be King” and Richard Lester’s “Robin and Marian”), but, now in his 50s, he seemed in danger of becoming one of those once-great actors who take whatever’s offered.
Brian De Palma’s “The Untouchables” changed this overnight. The prohibition-era action-thriller allowed Connery to lean into his elder statesman stature as a veteran beat cop who preaches the “Chicago way” to Kevin Costner’s untested federal agent Eliot Ness. David Mamet’s screenplay is loaded with quippy dialogue, and Connery’s having a ball all the way to his bloody dispatching at the hands of Al Capone’s hitman Frank Nitti. Academy Awards voters fell in love with the star all over again, and honored him with the 1987 Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
According to Lee Pfeiffer’s “The Films of Harrison Ford,” the star found the rejuvenated Connery to be an utter delight on set. “Sean is, of course, such a terribly experienced actor,” he said. “And that made it interesting to work with him. He’s an awfully nice guy, too. I’ve enjoyed knowing him as well as working with him.”