MovieChat Forums > The Untouchables (1987) Discussion > Why does Al Capone beat that man to deat...

Why does Al Capone beat that man to death with a baseball bat in the first place?

posted 4 years ago by TMC-4 (20161)
6 replies | jump to latest

I can somewhat see if the man was talking back at him or questioning his motives, but here's it just comes across as Capone acting like a psychopath just because:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy3MtznDeqg

Supposedly, Al Capone in real life (or his lieutenants), did in fact beat somebody within an inch of their life with a baseball bat:
https://www.quora.com/Who-did-Al-Capone-kill-with-a-bat

https://mylesdungan.com/2019/10/18/fh42-did-al-capone-kill-three-men-personally-with-a-baseball-bat-as-depicted-in-the-film-the-untouchables/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/80310/11-rapid-fire-facts-about-untouchables

But here, if you don't understand the entire context, it really just feels like it was for the sake of shock value to further tell viewers that Capone is the bad guy and how dangerous he is. I also assume that it was meant to show us what Capone will do to his crew if they aren't loyal to him or are being insubordinate.

[–] FilmBuff (7241) 4 years ago

I think the implication is very clear. The man Capone killed had either done something that was in his own self-interest at the expense of the Capone gang, or was failing to perform some essential duty. Capone's entire speech is about how a baseball player is only worthwhile if he is working on behalf of the team, and while an at bat is a time for an individual to shine, in the field everyone must work as one. Clearly, that guy did not do whatever he was supposed to do, and he was a poor teammate to the gang in some fashion. It's not an accident that Capone is talking about how someone who doesn't do his part in the field is letting down his teammates before killing that guy.

[–] JuanCalot (0) 4 years ago

[deleted]

[–] orangeflava (1864) 3 years ago

^This

The whole baseball analogy made this pretty clear to me

[–] Martoto (5042) 3 years ago

The fact that it was the same actor as the one who played the bootlegger who just got busted made it clear to me why Capone would want to whack him. They could have used a tiddlywinks analogy and it would still have made sense.

The baseball analogy simply gives Capone an excuse to walk around the dinner table with a baseball bat and for none of his henchmen to get suspicious.

[–] MrAnonymous (155) 7 months ago

I always wondered if any of them thought "Oh $#it" the minute he pulled it out. Maybe holding their breath every time he was behind them.

[–] Martoto (5042) 3 years ago

The guy that got killed is the guy who got busted with all that booze in the post office building by the Untouchables. That's why Capone whacked him.

How many times have we seen a henchman get killed for fucking up?

How fucking hard was that to figure out by yourself?