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The Frank Nitti Story: Directed by Howard W. Koch. With Robert Stack, Richard Anderson, Myron McCormick, Dick Foran. Al Capone's main enforcer, Frank Nitti, has gone into the movie business. He threatens theater owners into paying him protection money...or else!
- (115)
- Action, Crime, Drama
- Howard W. Koch
- 1960-04-28
- Overview
- Biography
- Trivia
Frank Nitti (born Francesco Raffaele Nitto) is the secondary antagonist of the 1987 crime film The Untouchables. He is the psychopathic right-hand and personal hitman for gangland boss Al Capone.
He was portrayed by the late Billy Drago, who also portrayed John Bly in The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Barbas in Charmed, and Ramon Cota in Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection.
Working for Capone
Nitti is first seen in a rival bar alongside the Bowtie Driver, where he puts an explosive bag on a bench. The bar is soon destroyed, killing everyone inside, including the bartender and a child. Nitti is later seen at a dinner at Capone's hotel, where he quietly watches his boss brutally beating a man with a baseball bat. Nitti is seen again near the Ness family residence, where he sadistically mocks Ness about his family.
Hunting the Untouchables
Nitti's first major appearance is when he, disguised as a police officer, sneaks into the Police headquarters. Entering the elevator alongside Oscar Wallace and George, he ruthlessly shoots both with a suppressed pistol. On his way out, he guns down two other officers. Nitti later assists the Bowtie Driver in the assassination of Jimmy Malone, where after the Driver dives down outside Malone's residence, Nitti guns Malone down.
Final Stand
Nitti is present at Al Capone's trial, where he secretly brings a pistol. Eliot Ness then gets him out of the courthouse because of the gun. In the other room, Nitti reveals that he has a gun license (signed by the corrupt mayor) and the guard consequently allows him to keep the gun. Ness then mocks Nitti when he sees that a paper in Nitti's pockets has the address of the late Jimmy Malone. The scared Nitti then points his gun at the guard and slowly goes to the exit. The guard then attempts to shoot Nitti, only to be shot dead by the hitman. Ness grabs the guard's revolver and tensely chases Nitti through the building, eventually cornering and subduing Nitti. Nitti then mocks Ness by saying that Malone died like a screaming Irish pig and gloats how he won't see the inside of a jail cell, which angers Ness. While Nitti is brushing his hair, Ness pushes Nitti off the building. As Nitti falls screaming to his death, Ness shouts "Did he sound anything like that!?" in an act of irony. After falling four to five stories, Nitti lands in a parked car, the impact killing him instantly.
•In real life, Nitti was a completely different person, though he was still a gangster. He was known as "The Enforcer" for Al Capone, but unlike in the film, he stayed behind the scenes instead of doing the dirty work himself. Also, unlike in the movie, where he is thrown off a roof by Elliot Ness, Nitti survived the Prohibition Era and lived until...
Billy Drago plays a fictionalized version of Nitti in the 1987 film The Untouchables. In the film, Nitti dies after being thrown off a Chicago courthouse roof by Ness (Kevin Costner) during Al Capone's tax evasion trial in the early 1930s, well before his suicide in 1943. He is portrayed by Anthony LaPaglia in the 1988 biopic Nitti: The Enforcer.
- 1
- Tax evasion (1931)
- The Enforcer
- Crime boss
Aug 9, 2021 · He was not thrown off the roof of a downtown building by Eliot Ness, as portrayed in Brian De Palma`s $20 million production of ”The Untouchables,” now being shown at a theater near you.
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Bruce Gordon (February 1, 1916 – January 20, 2011) was an American actor best known for playing gangster Frank Nitti in the ABC television series The Untouchables. His acting career ranged over a half century and included stage, movies, and a varied number of roles on the small screen.
184. YOUR RATING. Rate. Action Crime Drama. With Capone in prison, Frank Nitti tries to grab the open top spot in the empire. But Capone's bookkeeper is giving him a run for his money. Director. John Peyser. Writers. David Karp. Ernest Kinoy. Eliot Ness. Stars. Robert Stack. Barbara Nichols. Bruce Gordon. See production info at IMDbPro.
