A star-studded, action-packed mafia crime thriller is all set to air tonight on BBC Two.

Directed by Brian De Palma and written by David Mamet, the 1987 film stars all-time greats Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, and Sean Connery, joined by Charles Martin Smith and Andy García to round out a stellar cast.

Fans of the genre can catch The Untouchables tonight, November 16, on television at 10pm.

The film’s official summary reads: “After building an empire with bootleg alcohol, legendary crime boss Al Capone rules Chicago with an iron fist. Though Prohibition agent Eliot Ness attempts to take Capone down, even his best efforts fail due to widespread corruption within the Windy City’s police force. Recruiting an elite group of lawmen who won’t be swayed by bribes or fear, including Irish-American cop Jimmy Malone, Ness renews his determination to bring Capone to justice.”

Loosely based on the 1957 book of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, The Untouchables grossed a whopping $106.2 million at the time and was nominated for four Academy Awards, with Connery bagging the prestigious Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Boasting an 89 per cent audience score and 83 per cent critics approval rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, The Untouchables received largely positive reviews from fans and critics alike.

While one audience reviewer called it: “A great crime action thriller with fantastic performance and memorable plot twists. The Maestro Morricone’s unforgettably touching score makes this an all-time classic.”

Another fan of the film said: “Utterly brilliant from start to finish. A great (fictionalised) story, told well and with great performances, not just from the three A listers but from everybody – Charles Martin Smith in particular. I rewatched this recently and I’d forgotten how quickly the film races along; you barely get a chance to draw a breath. If they made it now it would be three hours long, easily, and no better for it. Very refreshing.”

A third viewer, in a glowing review of the film, said: “This is a solid film in every way. The suspense, the action, the characters, and the blood are all handled in great ways. Very underrated and a must see for anyone who enjoys the mafia genre.”

One impressed critic added: “A gorgeously-mounted, well-acted, and all-around fantastic motion picture, featuring all-time greats of the form on both sides of the camera- it’s just a shame that almost nothing in it is true”

And another reviewer said of the film: “The Untouchables is a terrific movie, full of the same brand of fierce vitality that made the 1930s gangster films so compelling.”

A third critic, lauding the actors’ performances, wrote: “De Palma’s masterpiece is an exhilarating, moving and larger-than-life cops vs. crooks epic. Connery and De Niro steal the show in charismatic supporting turns. The best film of 1987.”

The Untouchables will be broadcast tonight, November 16, on BBC 2 at 10pm.