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Visitors Review

Leopold2 2012-05-25 12:46:46

Brilliant!

The Departed is the first Martin Scorsese film I've seen and I have tosay this was brilliant. This is a great adaption of the Hong Kong filmInfernal Affairs. This is well directed, well written and all of theactors were great in their roles. Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan(a rookie cop.) Matt Damon as Colin and Jack Nicholson as the evil mobboss Frank Costello. I also think it is really good how Scorseseincluded some clever humour. I'm not surprised that this won bestpicture, this is probably the best film of 2006.This has a lot of language and violence in it, as do most of hismovies.I intend to watch more of Scorsese's films in the future. 5/5. A greatreturn for him.

timoth93 2012-05-24 16:21:36

Great

This movie has just about all that you need for a great crime drama. Ithas a great cast, and an intriguing story. In my opinion this isScorsese's best.This movie doesn't have a lot of action, but it proves that that is notnecessary for a good story, it keeps you thinking throughout and hasgreat character development. It is also great how it spans the genresas it starts out as a drama, then takes a lot more focus on the crimeand in the last 30-45 minutes it becomes a thriller.What is also great about this movie is that it stays real, while othermovies stick to predictable Hollywood clichés. Jack Nicholson isfantastic as Frank Costello a mob boss, the character is very necessaryto the movement of the story as most of the drama takes place in tryingto get to him. He does not have the screen time of Di Caprio or Damonbut he is a very great presence and you will enjoy every moment he ison screen. He also has a fantastic monologue at the start. Di Caprio isgreat as the main protagonist Billy Costagin who is told to infiltratethe mob. He is not your average hero as he suffers from anxietyproblems caused by the pressure of the job. Damon is good as ColinSullivan a smooth, high achieving cop with connections to the mob. Iwas not blown away by his performance, but it is the best role i haveseen him in.This movie portrays the environment of Boston very well and makes youfeel that everyone knows each other in the neighborhood as a fewcharacters might mention someone minor in one scene and then in thenext a different character mentions the same minor character.This movie is definitely deserving of it's awards and as far as I'mconcerned is my favourite of the best picture winners as. i do notusually care for other ones as the critics often make a mistake, butthere was certainly no mistake here.

2012-05-23 03:04:24

the rare occasion;remake is better than the original.

definitely deserved all the kudos.would have been a 5 star movie had there not been a romantic involvement.the womans role could have been completely cut out and i dont think anyone would have minded/noticed.plot....2 cops.1 good,1 bad.....mission for good cop is to go deep undercover to bust up organized crime set up.francis costello (jack nick) and his crew are planning on selling micro chips to asian crime gang.bad cop's mission is to supply francis with pertanent info.but heres the twist;both cops smell a rat.much cursing and violence ensues over rolling stones tunes.the acting is extremely convincing (even matt damon did ok)......exception,again,being the female role and the whole slut/psychologist involvement was so unnecessary it had me cracking up whilst pressing FF button.the original is a trilogy but how this ended i doubt a part 2 will be possible.btw,once again marky mark knocks it out the park.

fliehm01 2012-05-22 21:53:45

The Departed is a Scorsese film that should win the director a well deserved Oscar.

The Departed is a Scorsese film that should win the director a welldeserved Oscar. A major theme in the film could be said to be one ofthe oldest in film. It is the concept of identity and how it affectsone's emotions, dreams and even actions.This is a film that is set in South Boston where a well known Irish mobboss by the name of Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), uses ColinSullivan (Matt Damon) as an informant inside the Massachusetts StatePolice. At the same time, the police assign undercover cop BillyCostigan Jr, (Leonardo DiCaprio) to try and join Costello'sorganization. Once both sides of the law figure out what is happeningboth Sullivan and Costigan try to find out each others true identitybefore being found out.There is one scene in which Costello is at the Opera. The camera islooking up at Costello and his two female companions. The lighting inthe scene is red and low key giving us the impression that Costello isthe devil preparing for his emotional wrath. As I watch this scene I amreminded of a scene in Pretty Women in which Richard Gere hires aworking girl from the street played by Julia Roberts buys here niceclothes and makeup before taking her to the opera. Once at the operathe camera is using the same angle looking up at Gere and Roberts butthis time the lighting is high key which gives the audience theillusion of Roberts being a beautiful and emotional princess.As I watch the film, I discover an interesting motif happening in thefilm. It is one of a father-and-son relationship. We find Costellotrying to be a father figure to both Sullivan and Costigan; Sullivanevening referring to Costello as "dad" in a phone conversation and alittle further in the film Sergeant Queenon (Martin Sheen) acting as afather-figure-to Costigan. In the final shot Scorsese allows us to see the true identity ofSullivan. The shot is framed with curtains as the audience looks outthrough a window. On the other side of the window we see two things.The State Building which reminds us of what Sullivan wanted out of lifeand that is to be a lawyer. The second thing which shows us whatSullivan had really become a rat. On a broader note the State Buildingis a pillar of stability and the rat is a mobile gutter dwellingcreature that will take what ever it can to survive.

bcu11 2012-05-21 01:43:29

Inferior remake

Marty, Marty, Marty, what has become of you? People are saying this isgoing to win him Best Director? Oh, dear. Here's a spoiler-free list ofsome of the horribly clichéd or absurd things you can expect from thisremake of Hong Kong film INFERNAL AFFAIRS.This movie is all about psychological complexity. Which is why theyhave Matt Damon insulting a bunch of firemen near the beginning:"You're a bunch of homos!" he shouts. Leo's character is adown-on-his-luck kid with no family support network. It's so complex,you can't tell who the filmmakers want you to feel sympathy for.Remember how Braveheart ended by implying that Mel Gibson may havefathered a child who would later be raised by the estranged wife of oneof the bad guys? That happens.At the bleakly dramatic climax, Mark Whalburg shows up wearing ahairnet. It looks ludicrous.Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb crops up on the soundtrack - but atperhaps the most intimate, sincere moment in the movie, so that thelyrics wind up being completely out-of-context.At one point Martin Sheen's character, in fear of his life, has tobluff his way into an elevator past some thugs, which he does bypretending to be an innocent passer-by. In the original the scene wasset in an apartment block where people might be coming and going allday, so this very nearly works. Here, the scene is in an abandonedbuilding, and his actions make no sense. At all.A criminal mole in the police force decides to marry a psychiatrist whospecializes in treating the police.Matt Damon has just personally shot someone. While he's standing there,he takes a call from the guy's girlfriend. "He's been shot" Matt tellsher. Oooookay.You know the guy Matt shoots, who he was there specifically to shoot?Matt waits for the guy to shoot first before doing anything. Like in abad Western.Leo, the undercover cop, feeds Martin Sheen information by textmessaging him whilst there are highly tense, alert criminals standingall around him. Don't worry, he leans behind a pillar so that no onenotices. What a pity the original film didn't have a cool way of doingthis that would have made more sense. You get the idea. One thing I would never criticize is the acting,which is just fine across the board, unsurprisingly considering theexpensive cast. Jack and Ray are always fun, especially together. Thecinematography is boring but the dialogue is entertaining; it's justthat the story is mangled and it takes a ridiculous amount of time foranything to happen. It's as if 'Marty' couldn't decide who he wantedthe film to be about – Jack's character, the plot, Catholicism, orBoston itself – so he just put everything in and we end up waiting anextra hour for the same things to happen. I've avoided mentioning theabsurd, hamfistedly 'manipulative' final shot, or something else aboutwhat happens to Leo, because I don't want to spoil the ending. Watch the original instead, it's better in every way and 50 minutesshorter.

joestank15 2012-05-20 06:20:08

Same problem as with "The Aviator". Scorcese won't take home the Oscar.

The Departed - The Departed is set in South Boston, where the statepolice force is waging war on Irish-American organized crime. Youngundercover cop Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate themob syndicate run by gangland chief Frank Costello (Nicholson). WhileBilly quickly gains Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan (Damon), ahardened young criminal who has infiltrated the police department as aninformer for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power in theSpecial Investigation Unit.First off, this movie has the usual strengths of a Scorcese film.Firstly, a strong performance from Dicaprio and downright brilliantperformances from the supporters .In The Aviator it was Cate Blanchett,in The Departed it is Jack Nicholson. My god, the man has created sucha chilling and funny villain that somehow avoids being over-the top.Believe it or not, I didn't loath him half as much as I hated MattDamon's character Colin Sullivan. The man was such a weasely runt of asocial climber that one couldn't help but hate him. The film also hasstrong support from Mark Wahlberg as a trash-talking sergeant, MartinSheen as Captain Queenan, and Alec Baldwin in a serious movie for once(in the last few years) it seems.The film also has a strong script and great camera work. The violenceis sparingly used but effective. The film's drawback is Scorcese'scontinual mistake: He doesn't know when enough is enough. He gets tooleisurely with the pace of his films, and doesn't know how to make mesit through them either. It wasn't as weary long as The Aviator, but Iwas still looking at my imaginary watch far too many times. The movie'stwo and a half hours long, but it felt even longer. People alwayslament that Scorzese never takes home The Best Film Award, and this isthe reason: He continually turns in the A- film, but different peoplekeep on turning in the A film each year.A very good film, but I was happiest when The Departed finallydeparted. It gets an A-

at7000 2012-05-20 16:57:08

Great movie (With an interesting plot hole)

Great movie, no doubt about that. But wait a minute, did the Matt Damoncharacter really believe he could "delete Costigan's existence" withoutMarky-Mark Wahlberg's character coming back to ream his butt? Tjis justdid not make sense to me. Spoiler warning****The fact that Marky_Mark's character winds up wasting him in coldblood, just back up my thesis. Usually I just see a film and go along for the ride, I can 'suspenddisbelief' and all that other cool stuff. Just seemed to me this was ahuge plot-hole and there were several other minor ones in the mix aswell. Okay, some minor flaws in a very very good film.

craigsh11 2012-05-19 20:17:00

Scorcese in my top three movie makers of all time

I have loved Martin Scorcese for years and never realized that he hadnot won an Oscar. Jeez, Raging Bull alone should have garnered one...anyway. When I went to the theater, I knew that I would see a greatfilm but also a grotesquely bloody one. Both assumptions came true.Jack Nicholson was at his best since Cukoo's Nest, Matt Damon wasgreat, Leonardo DiCaprio (whom I've not liked since Titantic) was verygood. Mark Wahlburg Was my favorite however and for the first half ofthe movie I was thinking he was going to turn out to be the mole in thecops because he was so in-your-face anti-criminal. I love Scorcese'suse of period music, this was first best seen/heard in Goodfellas andhis use of comedic dialogue between bad guys. I disagree with any ofyour reviewers who said the movie was too long, MS needs every momentof movie time to weave his films. BUT, I had to turn my head/cover myeyes at least 6 times knowing there was going to be yet another headshot with too-realistic splatter (This is from a guy who used to watchScarface every weekend for a year). I would not attend or tolerate suchgruesome killings in any movie but one by Martin Scorcese (lovedGoodfellas, Casino, Taxi Driver and have seen all multiple times). IfRaging Bull had been in color I doubt if I would have seen it more thanonce. My other two favorite film makers are Woody Allen and Spike Lee(Clockers was produced, incidentally by Martin Scorcese). I wouldcompletely recommend this film for any adult without combat experiencesbecause it would surely evoke PTSD-like flashbacks in it's realism (I'ma psychologist BTW who works with vets daily). MS should have won BestDirector multiple times already. He should win it here as well as alife-time Achievement award (I think he already has one of these no?).

2012-05-19 17:15:12

great mobster movie

great movie. good acting and even better is great picture and sound quality. i like the dual format. it can be watch from anywhere in the house unlike bluray. i love the movie and love that its on hd dvd

joseph-cheuk 2012-05-18 20:41:57

Someone departed from the original

I am a big fan of the original(The Infernal affair). I am sodisappointed to see that "The departed"is really departed from theoriginal. The Screenplay writer only read the script and never watchedthe original. They waste a lot of money to buy the story! The originalis much more intense and emotional. I see nothing in this one. I feelnothing to be honest. I think you need to feel something even you arenot from Boston. What kind of crime sense they put up? "Microprocessor"? Give me a break! And the Cantonese in the movie make mesick! There will have a lot of Cantonese speaking audience knowauthentic Cantonese. Don't just find so America born Chinese to foolaround. Don't be that cheap to pay fly some 2-3 lines Cantonese actorsto do the role. The origin is use moose code to send message and uselaptop computer to send message not cheaply cellular phone. No skill atall. The reason why Matt need to kill Nickleson is somewhat made up. Idon't know why people praise Diclapio's acting. Please check out TonyLeung's emotional but no freaking out. I cannot add more to express mydisappointment.

yup...... 2012-05-10 05:18:41

OverHyped-good actors in a badly directed remake

You get a very vulgar over acted very average movie...critics must have been paid nice money to post the reviews they did...Jack was Jack, DeCaprio and Damon were OK...but the storyline was unrealistic and as a REMAKE it was just quite below ordinary......

Theo Robertson 2012-05-09 22:55:24

Scorsese Should Have Made His Own Movie

I had massive expectations for THE DEPARTED , a violent mob dramadirected by Martin Scorsese the greatest film maker in the world today. After seeing it I did have a slight of feeling of something I haveexperienced throughout my life - Disappointment ***** SPOILERS ******The film starts in typical Scorsese style of a sweeping framingsequence with a musical soundtrack by The Rolling Stones similar to thework he did in GOODFELLAS . Unfortunately the director doesn't sustainthis and whilst never becoming mediocre we don't see much in the way ofwhat cinematic beauty Scorsese is capable of and in several scenes mostnotably in the death of Queennan the original film INFERNAL AFFAIRS didit far more better THE DEPARTED suffers from a very uneven screenplay courtesy of WilliamMonahan . When it's bad it's woeful but when it's good it's great . Itshould be pointed out however that when it's good it's entirely down toSiu Fia Mak's original script and if you've seen INFERNAL AFFAIRSyou'll notice how tight the storytelling was and how loose andcluttered Monahan's adaptation is in comparison . Did we really need aromantic subplot ? And there seems a lack of thought put into Costello. He's spent years as a crime boss so how come it appears it's only nowthat the Boston police department have come up with the bright idea ofputting several moles into Costello's crew ? Are we to seriouslybelieve that Costello is being protected for < Plot revelation that Iwon't give away > , and just because a tough gangster likes opera thatdoesn't make him multi layered , it just makes him clichéd andunconvincing . Most ridiculous scene is where Costello meets his policemole in the cinema . If it's a clandestine meeting then why doesCostello draw attention to himself by grunting and pulling out hispenis ? Possibly the most stupid sequence I've ever seen in a Scorsesefilm There's been many other criticisms of this movie , a movie that seemsto have split the critics right down the middle . One is the cast . Ido think DiCaprio is a much better actor than what he's given creditfor but I was never entirely convinced when he has to dish out violence. Someone a little less pretty should have been cast while you're leftwith the impression that Deniro and Pesci were first choices forCostello rather than Nicholson . Damon does merely okay as Sullivanwhile Ray Winstone as French is somewhat distracting because he's awidely regarded actor and household name in Britain and seeing himattempt an American accent is something of a shock to the system . Theone performance I wasn't keen on was Mark Wahlberg as Dignam down tothe fact he plays one of those fast talking foul mouthed cops thatwe've seen in far too many films and HBO series. Perhaps I'm beingsomewhat harsh to the cast in general and Wahlberg in particularbecause the dialog in Monahan's screenplay contains far too muchswearing . Yeah I know swearing exists in real life but it's almostlike it's included in every line just so the audience know that it's ahard hitting adult drama . I think everyone knew that when we saw thename Scorsese in the title . No need to over egg the pudding or includea fist fight every few minutes otherwise someone might think they'rewatching a Tarintino movie As for the good points ... well if you've liked most of this greatauteur's movies then you'll certainly like THE DEPARTED , just not asmuch as you've liked Scorses's previous output . If you have loved mostof Scorsese's films then you'll be slightly disappointed . It's nothelped by the fact that this is the first movie directed by Scorsese topick up the Oscar for best film where as master works like TAXI DRIVER, RAGING BULL and GOODFELLAS didn't

John DeSando 2012-05-05 21:44:51

Never will be "departed" from the pantheon of premiere American directors.

"The heaven sets spies upon us, will not have Our contract celebrated."Shakespeare, The Winter's taleIt's not Taxi Driver or even Goodfellas, but Martin Scorsese's Departedis one of the year's best films and one of his best, after his 2 or 3indisputable classics such as Raging Bull. The director has assembled afirst-rate cast, who, right down to Jack Nicholson as mobster kingpinFrank Costello, are having a great time nudging each other'sperformances toward excellence through collaboration.Remade from a 2002 Hong Kong smash called Infernal Affairs, TheDeparted tells of moles within the Boston State Police Department andthe South Boston Irish-American mob. When the director opens the filmwith Costello's brief narration and the Stones' Gimme Shelter forbackground music, we're in for a whole lot of no shelter for anyone anduncommon acting for everyone. The set up is just complex enough to act as a metaphor for the nastyworkings of the United Nations, Iraqi Assembly, and US Congress. BillyCostigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) willingly serves as a mole in the SouthBoston Irish-American mob for the State Police, while Colin Sullivan(Matt Damon) does the same in the State Police for the mob.Amongst the intertwining machinations of cell phones and lies is atriangle with those two operatives and a psychologist Madolyn (VeraFarmiga), as well played by the three as could be hoped for in such atrumped-up situation that provides little sexual payoff for audiencevoyeurs and many scratched heads for those who enjoy well-structuredplots. This triangle is the only disappointment in a film layeredexpertly to show how intertwined crime and punishment can be in a worldlast laid bare by Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winning Mystic River (2003).Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and production designer Kristie Zeaare winning collaborators with the director for a look that isauthentic (I worked in South Boston for 3 year), crisp, and dark. Butin the end the film belongs to the actors, chief among them DiCaprio asa young Scorsese acolyte showing the master's handiwork after 3 filmswith him. And Matt Damon has never been better in his hometown, as hasfellow South Bostonian Mark Wahlberg in his role as a detective with abarbed tongue and equally sharp intuition.Welcome back, Martin S. The Departed may not win you an Oscar, but itdoes guarantee you never will be "departed" from the pantheon ofpremiere American directors.

David Lawrence 2012-05-05 12:21:06

If you value your cinematic experience watch the original...

I feel compelled to write my first ever review...Before we all get all excited about this movie "The Departed" which ithas just been my misfortune to view, I would like to suggest to you,the viewer, if you value your cinematic experience, to watch theoriginal film this "movie" is made from: Infernal Affairs http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338564/The original film is excellent and possibly the best "cop" film evermade in my opinion. A Hong Kong made film which is truly gripping withthe characterisation just pulling you into the story-line. The outcomeof the original film also leaves you with questions and a real sense ofbeing someplace else, a sense of journey. A sense which, unfortunately,this hash re-make does not. Scorsese has failed me on this one!Why re-make a film that is perfect. One word to describe this movie:rubbish. See the original and you won't get disappointed.Check-out more world cinema and these hash re-makes in "English" won'tget made.For example: À Bout de Soufflé (1960) (aka Breathless) remade asBreathless (1983); Abre Los Ojos (1997) remade as Vanilla Sky (2001);L'Appartement (1996) remade as Wicker Park (2004); Boudu Sauvé des Eaux(1932) remade as Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986); Les Compères(1983) remade as Fathers' Day (1997); La Cage aux Folles (1978) remadeas The Birdcage (1996); Les Diaboliques (1955) remade as Diabolique(1996); Et Dieu... créa la femme (1956) remade as And God Created Woman(1988); La Jetée (1962) remade as Twelve Monkeys (1995); Nikita (1990)(aka La Femme Nikita) remade as Black Cat (1991); Nikita (1990) (aka LaFemme Nikita) remade as Point of No Return (1993); Profumo di Donna(1974) remade as Scent of a Woman (1992); Taxi (1998) remade as Taxi(2004); Trois Hommes et un Couffin (1985) (aka Three Men and a Cradle)remade as Three Men and a Baby (1987); Yojimbo (1961) remade as LastMan Standing (1996); Rashomon (1950) remade as The Outrage (1964);Jules et Jim (1961) remade as Willie and Phil (1980); Shichinin noSamurai (1954) remade as The Magnificent Seven (1960) and Mou gaan dou(2002) remade as The Departed (2006)The list goes on and on but I have just selected the originals which Ipersonally have seen, which are all far superior to the re-makes. Theysay the greatest form of flattery is imitation, but just for once let'sleave the original alone can we... --- post script: OK time has passed,i have watched this film again, alongside the original... OK it hassome merit and is quite good (for a remake). tip my hat humbly xxx

2012-04-28 18:41:29

Great movie but not for the kiddies

GREAT movie! funny, action, romance and thriller all at once. Not for young folks or those who are offended easily.

jonmon 2012-04-28 07:30:27

Jon Monsarrat review: Fantastic in every way

The Departed works as an action / thriller, but it is really a seriousdrama with the best plot line and action since The Untouchables. Everyactor, including the supporting cast, is spot on and the plot keeps youguessing. The accent is a little overdone at times -- television andradio have cut into the traditional John F. Kennedy Bostonian accentand not everybody in Beantown speaks that way. But if that's thebiggest gripe I have, the film must have been nearly flawless.The film gives a sense of the underworld, and undercoverinvestigations, without the flair and rippling muscles of Miami Vice.Nobody takes stupid chances to save the day because They're Just ThatGood. Nobody says "I'm too old for this s---." It's hard to say who'sbetter, Matt Damon or Leonardo Decaprio... I'm not sure Matt could playa bad guy, he's just so clean cut. Leonardo is one of those actors who(unlike Tom Hanks who seems to play the same guy in every film untillately) really has no pre-specified film persona that scripts are"written for".Every nuance of the film avoids being trite and campy, but it alsoavoids going into melodrama. There are no flying triple spin carexplosion stunts, but the action is engaging because of the drama ofthe people involved. I'm usually bored right away when we dwell on thepain too much... this film did not do that. The musical score does notinterfere with the mood; it stays in the background like good moviemusic should. This is what distinguishes the action flick from aserious drama; whether celebratory music is playing during the action.And none of the minor supporting characters get a plot; they arewindow-dressing and they stay in the background, too.As a nice addition, much of the film is actually shot in Boston, whereI live, whereas most films set in Boston (Blown Away, Good WillHunting) have a few outdoor staging shots and leave the rest toHollywood sets.Who should see this film:-- Everyone, if you're old enough to handle the violence, which is notQuentin Tarantino bad but there is plenty of it.-- Whitey Bulger, wherever you areI'll give this film an outstanding 10 out of 10, something I will dopossibly 2 or 3 times a year, max. Note, it is kinda long, so don'tforget to use the restroom beforehand.

evolat 2012-04-28 02:15:48

i don't like this movie

Departed was not a really good film.It was made good but for me and alot of people they don't liked the swearwords.They were to much.Themost was about gays.And i think i am not the only one who can say"OKthere a fictional characters and its only a film" but a good film livesnot from swearwords.And there were a lot!What does gays have to do withthis film.Why they have to say these words against gays.We have 2006and i think no film have to use swearword's against gays in thistime.These times are over.And my next critic is that Serpico with AlPacino have more thrill then departed.So i hope Hollywood is ready fora good film without strong language.If someone think the same he/shecan write a comment about this.

naveedjami 2012-04-27 14:16:07

Its Not Oscar Stuff.

I do not see any aspect of the movie to qualify for an Oscar. It has agreat cast no doubt, but it is an action packed violent movie, it wasnot pleasant in any way, the viewer does not develop enough associationwith any character, this is meant to happen in a movie with a grandcast. There is rarely a moment when a scene touches your heart, thoughit does leave a bad taste of memory on your mind, something that you donot want to think about again. I only watched the movie because of the cast and the probability thatit might be an Academy Awards Movie. There are violent / and actionpacked movies Natural Born Killers, God Father but this one just anagony to the mind.

Pete Simone 2012-04-24 19:30:41

Yes, Its Really THAT Good

I walked into The Departed with pretty high expectations from Scorseseand his cast of all-stars, and walked out with all those expectationsfulfilled and more. Scorsese makes his first film in a while that istruly up to par with his classics. Everything about it clicks togetherperfectly.The acting is top notch on all fronts. Everyone in the film gives acareer defining performance. Jack Nicholson steals every scene he's in,with his best portrayal of a villain since The Shining. If he does notreceive at least a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscarsthis year, I'll be shocked. Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio also turnin spectacular performances, Leo especially made the character ofWilliam Costigan his own, although the both of them tend to overdo theBoston accent a bit (I'm from Mass, and the accent just isn't thatprominent). You can really feel a sense of stress and urgency in theirvoices that does not come off as forced. Whalberg's performance isprobably the weakest of the four leads, but that doesn't really meananything. His job was still rock solid, but just pales next to how wellthe others took their roles. Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone,and Vera Farming all have well acted supporting roles as well.The plot, without telling you anything about it that isn't already outthere, revolves around the Massachusetts State Police trying to pindown reputed mobster Frank Costello (Nicholson). Costello's characterappears to be loosely based real life Boston mobster Whitey Bulger.Each organization has a mole in their ranks, and the bulk of the actioncomes as they hunt each other down. It really blurs the line betweengood guy and bad guy. Honestly, I don't think the film had a singlelegitimate good guy in it. This is a film that you'll want to seerepeatedly, you'll pick up new plot details every time. It's a veryrealistic portrayal of the struggle between the law and organizedcrime, and a very poignant portrayal of the struggle for identity,motivation and meaning for the soldiers on both sides of that war.Scorsese could have ended the movie at about the 115-minute mark, butchose to go on and wrap up the unresolved conflicts of all of thecharacters, and that is what separates this from a run of the millcrime drama.The violence in the film is some of the most realistic I've ever seen.Plenty of gray matter paints the walls during the course of the film.The soundtrack also works very well, centrally using Boston natives theDropkick Murphy's cover of "I'm Shipping up to Boston" to craft a greatcity atmosphere at the beginning of the film.The Departed is the best film I've seen this year. It knocks both V forVendetta and Little Miss Sunshine out of the tie for the top spot onthe list. The The 150+ minute runtime just flies by. It'll grab you bythe neck and pull you in to it and hang on for dear live.

stylewarz 2012-04-24 13:38:11

movie snobs

it is rare for me to go see film in a major theatre as I would wait forit to be screened at the Bloor (toronto), or i would get a spadinaspecial ($4 quality burn). but this was worth it. i am glad i caved. idid not xpect the flick to be that good. (in my defense I was drunk) itreminded me of the Casino experience in the theatre. the last movie Isaw in a theatre was "The Fountain", Aronofsky's proof that anyone canfall off the wagon. Needless to say, I lost all faith in my big timedirectors. Marty challenged my cynicism by droppin a bomb. if -YOU- areholding out to buy a burn...two words...crazy talk. this is a definitetheatre screening or you will kick your own a#s later. drop the $$$ andfeed the movie-machine.you know who u are...