The Untouchables (TV Series) Head of Fire: Feet of Clay (1960) User Reviews

The strange connection about Ness's former friend and the Mobster Fortunato!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 16 August 2020]

Regarded as one the most impressive series on late fifties The Untouchables features in an unusual episode, this time Ness finds (occasionally?) his former friend from High school's days the successful business man Frank Barber (Jack Warden) that is owner of the Sports Hall fully bespoke for boxing matches, his main customers is Johnny Fortunato a Mob's chief who Eliot Ness had fruitless efforts to take him at jail for good, always has been founded not guilty for lack of proves, he treats by Frank as a profitable client, no further connection at all, in this odd tangle two things arouse Ness's instincts, something going to which he didn't catch yet between Fortunato and Frank altogether, suddenly Frank starts be a target of some reprisals after Fortunato loose an expressive sum of money in an arranged box match, soon appears some proves about a blackmail carried out by Frank over Eliot Ness's shoulder, he must finds the real truth by himself, here overly a different approaching from previous ones episodes, which may has an insider enemy!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5

An odd episode that hinges on a woman's traumatic brain injury....and not among the better episodes.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 15 March 2016]

"Head of Fire" is a watchable but confusing and rather muddled episode of "The Untouchables". It begins with an old high school chum of Ness showing up unexpectedly. Jack Barber (Jack Warden) has come to see Ness but the audience can't help but think that Jack is up to something. Soon you learn that Jack isn't altogether honest and bets on fixed boxing matches. Additionally, there's SOMETHING going on between Jack and a nasty hood, Johnny Fortunato (Nehemiah Persoff). How does Ness fit into all this? And, how does a woman with a traumatic brain injury (Madlyn Rhue) end up helping Ness figure out the truth?

So much of this episode doesn't work. The relationship between Jack and Ness is bizarre and makes little sense. Plus, the show is trying to humanize Ness...and very unsuccessfully. Off-duty, Ness is MUCH more rigid and humorless than Joe Friday ("Dragnet") or McGarrett ("Hawaii Five-O")...so seeing him acting (or TRYING) to act casual is strange to say the least.