MovieChat Forums > The Untouchables (1987) Discussion > Jim Malone's movements in his apartment

Jim Malone's movements in his apartment


I think the most memorable scene is when Jim Malone is ambushed in his apartment. But does anybody wonder what his movements were exactly? At the start of the scene, we see the viewpoint from the henchman, Bowtie.

1. Bowtie enters the apartment from the bathroom window.
2. As he enters, we see Malone enter from the right side of the hallway, push a closed door face the bathroom doorway, then goes to the right side of the door again.
3. Bowtie enters the hallway and turns right and doesn't see him.
4. Bowtie walks down the hallway and looks right at the dining room and then the kitchen.
5. Bowtie reaches the slightly opened back door and he opens it all the way and looks outside for a while.
6. The sound of a winding phonograph gets the attention of Bowtie and he looks back at the hallway and notices Malone all the way at the end of the hallway in the living room.

How did Malone go from one end of his apartment to the other without Bowtie noticing?

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Did you notice Malone had a bottle of liquor in that scene?

"You want me to roll 6,000 of these!? What? Should I quit my job!?" George Costanza, Seinfeld

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Yes, the fact that he had a bottle of liquor indicated that Malone was just as corrupt as the other corrupt policemen in Chicago.

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Wrong. As has been pointed out several times in these threads, possession and consumption of liquor was not illegal during prohibition, only the manufacture, transport, and sale of the beverages described in the law. Read the Volstead Act (aka "prohibition"). What the fictional Malone character did would not have been illegal even during prohibition.

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Right, but DePalma does use the 'consumption of liquor' as a foreshadowing device to assassination, like the Godfather used oranges. The two men who get it from the team both are seen drinking before it happens.

Please nest your IMDB page, and respond to the correct person -

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That's movie magic, its meant to make you wonder why.

Of course Malone knew his apartment, that's how he tricked the thug. Not that it did him any good though.

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