Glucedee
It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
Dirtylogy
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
Benas Mcloughlin
Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
Jemima
It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.
billcr12
Mr. Untouchable tells the story of the Harlem drug kingpin Nicky Barnes who had built up a multi million dollar empire in New York City into the 1970s and because of his nickname which is used in the title, drew the attention of then President Jimmy Carter who was so incensed that he made it a priority of the attorney general to take down the notorious criminal. Director Marc Levin relies heavily on Mr. Barnes during extensive interviews for most of the documentary, and what should be a riveting tale somehow becomes tedious as the former convict is just not all that interesting. He complains about former associates turning against him and the deal he made to become an informant with d.a. Rudy Guliani to shorten his prison sentence. I was expecting a charismatic, charming, insightful man due to his wide ranging experiences, but instead a crashing bore who belongs in jail.
TheFilmBabes
This film was very well done. I enjoyed not only the story line, characters and authenticity, but the cinematography was fantastic! If you're looking for a movie experience that will leave you thinking, this is the one. The real life story of drug lord Nicky Barnes is fascinating and truly an eye opener. It takes a look into the city of New York in the 70's from a criminal view point. The acting in this film was top notch & very believable. Great work from many "unknowns". I would recommend this film to all types of movie lovers.
Vlad 1
Sitting at the Cinema Village the other night was a mind-blowing experience.There was more to Leroy "Nicky" Barnes: the man, then Cuba Gooding Jr: the actor could have ever portrayed in "American Gangster". Marc Levin has captured the real deal with "Mr. Untouchable", he paints a picture of the drug-infested landscape of the forgotten Harlem in the 1970's.We are reminded of how Harlem was before the War on Drugs was initiated in the Nixon administration.This was a true story of cops and robbers, dealers and kingpins, junkies and victims.Where bodies were dumped in the 1970's-hipsters now guzzle down Pumpkin Spice Lattes at the newest Harlem Starbucks.There will never be another Nicky Barnes.
GoneWithTheTwins
There's a moment in Marc Levin's ferocious new documentary, Mr Untouchable, when your heart just breaks. Moments after winning game seven of the World Series, a news reporter asked a young African American boy if his hero was the series' MVP, Reggie Jackson. The child responded, no it was Nicky Barnes.Nicky Barnes, who the New York Times nicknamed "Mr Untouchable" in 1977, was New York's most successful heroine kingpin. Levin's documentary chronicles the lavish life of the millionaire, covering his battle against addiction, his rise to power and his ultimate downfall.Filled with love, lust, power and revenge, Barnes story is an epic tale and Levin cuts right to the heart of this monstrous drug lord's true life narrative with a sense of style and pizazz fitting of the supercilious gangster. With a fantastic soundtrack and powerful imagery, Levin makes what could have been a bad episode of cops a fully cinematic experience.Of course it helps to get a hold of the man himself, Nicky Barnes, now under a different alias living under the witness protection program. While all of Barnes cohorts tell fascinating tales about the kingpin, there is something extraordinary about seeing the first photographed imagery of Barnes since his release from prison.Even today, a reformed man, his gigantic ego still overshadows his personality. It is easy to see how Barnes became such a success, his personality is overwhelmingly charming, despite his cut throat reputation and holier than thou attitude.The documentary is incredibly well structured. Early in the film Levin lets you become attached to Nicky Barnes the person. As he makes his turn from junkie to kingpin, you can't help but feel caught up in his success, no matter how dastardly his deeds were. Not only was Barnes the coolest cat in Harlem, he also did good will for the community he was destroying. While he was filling the streets with junkies, he was also handing out turkeys to the poor during Thanksgiving. Hypocritical? Maybe, but it is cinematically effective.Once you're attached to Nicky Barnes, Levin quickly destroys him, showing the dark side of the drug lord and taking away his glitz and glamor piece by piece, until there is literally nothing left of the man that used to be untouchable. Mr. Untouchable is thorough and informative, yet Levin manages to transcend the confines of the genre crafting a documentary that is extremely potent and undeniably entertaining too.-Joe Russo