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Harry visits THE DEPARTED twice this week!
Finally! Finally a remake that doesn’t make me think of the original classic upon which it was based. Scorsese’s THE DEPARTED is to INFERNAL AFFAIRS what THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN is to SEVEN SAMURAI. It is its own film, in its own culture, time and period. The characters are not English speaking substitutes for the original brilliant Hong Kong cast, they are their own characters. That said – INFERNAL AFFAIRS was never on the level with SEVEN SAMURAI – and THE DEPARTED, while absolutely wonderful… is not THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN – didn’t have to be, it’s THE DEPARTED.
Now – I’m not going to regurgitate the plot and the twists. Anyone that spoils that sort of thing on this film should have their kneecaps blown out. I’ve seen the film twice now, once at a press screening… and tonight, opening night, with a packed Austin audience at the Galaxy Highland 10. I was taking Yoko, as she didn’t make the earlier screening and frankly – I was just using her as my excuse to see it again. I think next, I’ll take my sister – cuz I know she hasn’t seen it yet and this is a “must see” film.
This isn’t a GOODFELLAS or a CASINO. Nor is this a MEAN STREETS type of Scorsese. In an odd way… I saw it as his ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES. His Michael Curtiz Pop Americana Cops and Robbers flick. This is Scorsese, not ripping open the soul of crime to show the moral decay eating away at the criminal’s conscience. Rather, this is the game. The Game of Cops & Robbers. The back and forth. As the film goes on, you can see Scorsese throwing his hands up in the air and screaming, “What the fuck, Let’s have some Bloody Fucking Fun!”
I haven’t seen Scorsese having this much fun since Deniro’s Max Cady hit the screen with Juliette Lewis. And this time out, it’s Nicholson doing his take on the Cagney-esque madman / genius crook. Literally, “the rock star” as Alec Baldwin calls his character. This is Scorsese’s Big Top. Three Rings. The Cops, The Robbers and The Rats. All performing magnificently. In an odd way, this is the perfect capper for Scorsese’s DiCaprio trilogy of GANGS OF NEW YORK, THE AVIATOR and now this film.
It’s the best of those three, by leaps and bounds. Gangs never worked for me, AVIATOR dazzled but was in the end, it was missing something. Something Scorsese was missing. It was a great film, just not a great Scorsese film. Cinematically it was flat out a marvel, but it was always a fantasy to me, never fully anchored to our reality. In fact, that was the point of the film. Very much a confection.
With THE DEPARTED – it is not only a tasty film, but cinematically, aurally and performance wise it’s fantastic. It’s a heightened universe where cops and robbers have the most amazing personalities, charisma and poise. However, the nastiest of shit that can happen in the real world happens to them. It’s great. It’s the blending of the pop and the art into the showiest Scorsese, that still FEELS Scorsese that we’ve seen to date.
I’m gonna wrap this up, there’s been so much that’s been written on AICN about THE DEPARTED in the last few days, that to go on and on would seem like such a hard sale. But before I can go… I’ve got to point out one geek thing that Scorsese did that completely made me giddy. Marty did a couple of Iris outs and ins that – well… They were just absolutely awesome to see on the big screen in a modern film.
And... for this film, the title says it all... For the past year or so, I've hated the title. Having seen the film - It is absolutely the only title that would work.
Go see THE DEPARTED this weekend. It’s worth every penny.
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oh yes
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and its THIS! Im seeing it tonight...watching the making of taxi driver right now.
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A better idea would be: She goes to the movie by herself or with a friend/relative of choice, and then you, Harry, could use that time doing something more interesting than going to the same movie for the third time in a week. no?
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What a pleasure to see a film full of marvellous direction, spot on acting, luminous cinematography and no CG. My favourite film of the year, ahead of Miami Vice and United 93.
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I glad you reviewed one of the best damn movies in years. I was going to be dissapointed if you didn't. Movies like this are why I come to this website. Movies that you can love and have to keep talking about after you watch them.
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What a pleasure to see a film full of marvellous direction, spot on acting, luminous cinematography and no CG. My favourite film of the year, ahead of Miami Vice and United 93.
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I dont even know where to begin. Though let me say Leo Dicaprio hands down saved this movie. He was incredible in it. Matt Damon was good, but whoever casts Alec Baldwin in a movie from now is a fucking retard. Everytime he was on screen I was completely taken out of the movie. He is now a caricature who is desperate to work to pay off his alimony.
There were too many small issues that I had in this movie. Like how frakin obvious should it have been that Bill was the mole thats just one of many things. I give it a B or B+ not sure yet -
Just fucking brilliant. A few minor quibbles and neither of them have anything to do with Jack Nicholson. The film, just for the sake of relationships, maybe needed a bit MORE exposition to flesh things out. The relationship between Vera Farmiga and Leo was thrust upon us a bit, you can see how it happened but there are some blanks you have to fill in for yourself that the movie could have easily filled with just one extra scene or so. Also they introduce a tiny subplot near the end that never really gets resolved, but seems to exist merely to throw us off from the actual, much more visceral conclusion. Its not so bad but kind of a dirty trick. Other than that a surprisingly restrained Scorcese hoists up the anchors and makes a thriller as taught as piano wire. Go and go now cause the audience experience is half the fun.
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Just fucking brilliant. A few minor quibbles and neither of them have anything to do with Jack Nicholson. The film, just for the sake of relationships, maybe needed a bit MORE exposition to flesh things out. The relationship between Vera Farmiga and Leo was thrust upon us a bit, you can see how it happened but there are some blanks you have to fill in for yourself that the movie could have easily filled with just one extra scene or so. Also they introduce a tiny subplot near the end that never really gets resolved, but seems to exist merely to throw us off from the actual, much more visceral conclusion. Its not so bad but kind of a dirty trick. Other than that a surprisingly restrained Scorcese hoists up the anchors and makes a thriller as taught as piano wire. Go and go now cause the audience experience is half the fun.
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Just fucking brilliant. A few minor quibbles and neither of them have anything to do with Jack Nicholson. The film, just for the sake of relationships, maybe needed a bit MORE exposition to flesh things out. The relationship between Vera Farmiga and Leo was thrust upon us a bit, you can see how it happened but there are some blanks you have to fill in for yourself that the movie could have easily filled with just one extra scene or so. Also they introduce a tiny subplot near the end that never really gets resolved, but seems to exist merely to throw us off from the actual, much more visceral conclusion. Its not so bad but kind of a dirty trick. Other than that a surprisingly restrained Scorcese hoists up the anchors and makes a thriller as taught as piano wire. Go and go now cause the audience experience is half the fun.
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Great now I'm "that guy". Damn you computer!!!! *shakes fist angrily*
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And nobody moved! The whole audience just sat there and went BOOOOOOO!!! Silly huh?
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And nobody moved! The whole audience just sat there and went BOOOOOOO!!! Silly huh?
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Very, very good stuff indeed. Saw it last night with a near sell-out crowd and have to agree with one of the above posts about seeing this with a big audience - its definitely the best way to experience this film because this is one that really plays to the rafters. Mainly because its so damn funny and that I probably wasn't expecting. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this film is laced with more humour than any other Scorsese film, and credit for this has to go to writer William Monahan and actors Alec Baldwin, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg - where the fuck did Wahlberg's Sgt. Dignam come from?? This is probably the biggest addition the Scorsese film brings to the original story (along with Vera Farmiga's cop shrink) - there is no way Wahlberg's performance should strike you to the degree that it does given the excellent work of all those around him, but its just incredible what they've done with what is essentially just a fringe role. The words and the delivery are just impeccable and provide a real added bonus to everything else. The audience was buzzing literally every time he was on screen, just waiting and hoping for one more delightfully profane insult, and he even manages to make you want more - perhaps its fitting he has the last word in the film. That his scenes don't throw the film out of synch is down to the fact that the whole enterprise is so amped up to the max from the very start (and very nicely countered by sparring partner Alec Baldwin doing an only slightly more congenial riff on his GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS cameo). DiCaprio is the real star here, though, and this is his best performance to date. He's gotten better through his three films with Scorsese and he's absolutely riveting here, providing the film with the closest thing to a moral conscience. Without this, it could've spiralled totally into nihilistic satire, and there are more than a few moments where you think the film is going to lose it because it walks such a high-wire, but DiCaprio keeps the audience emotionally involved. By keeping the chaos compelling, Scorsese is able to sustain the tension. Its unlikely that THE DEPARTED will go on to be regarded alongside TAXI DRIVER, RAGING BULL, GOODFELLAS etc. because it is, at its bleakly cynical heart, a genre piece and little more. But its unquestionably one of the most purely entertaining things Scorsese has done, and that's no bad thing - very few present filmmakers know how to do this stuff on this scale. But if any of that makes the film seem lightweight, it is anything but. This is as violent as anything Scorsese has done and the body count could probably rival GOODFELLAS and CASINO combined - I've got a pretty strong constitution but even I have to admit to wincing on several occasions. I actually think some may have problems with the violence, particularly during the last act - there's not a lot of sentiment shown towards these characters and you wonder if the almost absurdly careless regard for life shown during these final scenes is an indication that Scorsese was making a black comedy after all. It might not sit well with all, but perhaps it is the only real resolution for these lost souls. And there's also possibly something in the argument that when you go and see a film like this, you know there's going to be violence and you know its going to be brutal and, let's face it, we're going to revel in it - the harshness of the finale here is perhaps Scorsese's way of saying that if that's the case, you've gotta take a little punishment too. Whatever you're take on it though, the main thing for all to know is that Scorsese is still very much on top and THE DEPARTED proves it. I've written before that I've greatly enjoyed the diversity of his work over the last fifteen years so I'm not gonna say this is his best since GOODFELLAS as is quickly becoming the thing to say. I love THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, believe CASINO was a further and arguably deeper examination of the type of underworld depicted in GOODFELLAS rather merely an extension or retread of it, still admire and enjoy GANGS OF NEW YORK for all its faults and find THE AVIATOR pretty hard to fault at all. So, for me, Scorsese has remained at the top all along. THE DEPARTED isn't so much a return to form as confirmation that this living legend is still very much in his prime.
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It's "The De Part-Ed" - haven't you people seen the posters?
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IMC cinemas Ireland arent showing it. First new line films and NOw warner bros? what the hell is going on? It even says general release on the poster. Its on everywhere elese but why not the IMC? very odd....
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I loved it. Every actor does such a fantastic job in my opinion, and I just wanted it to keep on going. Also, the accents didn't bother me. I really hope he wins Best Director for this, because everyone is brought to the top here. Also, that snow-like cocaine sequence was so visually interesting.
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IMC cinemas is not showing it. first new line now the WB. Hollywood what gives.
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IMC cinemas is not showing it. first new line now the WB. Hollywood what gives.
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Which I absolutely hated in spite of loving Michael Mann, this movie is a prime example of how to have a well done shoot out at the end of the movie. And Wahlberg WAS great, just stuff like him walking by the window giving the finger...Him getting a nomination would be fantastic.
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IMC cinemas is not showing it. first new line now the WB. Hollywood what gives.
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extra incentive if it was
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Scorcese was still working on the film and it wasnt finished. The movie eeked into Irish cinemas yesterday without some much as a peep.
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Scorcese was still working on the film and it wasnt finished. The movie eeked into Irish cinemas yesterday without some much as a peep.
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Scorcese was still working on the film and it wasnt finished. The movie eeked into Irish cinemas yesterday without some much as a peep.
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Scorcese was still working on the film and it wasnt finished. The movie eeked into Irish cinemas yesterday without some much as a peep.
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Along with some other neat ones, that have now escapen me (Blood Diamond was one).
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Your posts keep doubling and doubling, or should I say, they keep Dublin and Dublin. Ha! I am hilarious!
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Outstanding on every level.
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Your posts keep doubling and doubling. Or should I say, they keep Dublin and Dublin. Ha! I am hilarious!
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It became over the top and ridiculous when **SPOILERS** everyone and their brother got popped in the head and then we're hit over the head with AN ACTUAL RAT scurrying along Damon's balcony. Otherwise, a fun movie.
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As is the personal shame. And on-topic, I'm glad to see reviews for what looks to be a good movie. None of the summer movies met expectations. I held out hope for Miami Vice (due mainly to Heat), but it was boring.
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Inquiring minds want to know, Harry.
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I'm trying to think of a better one . . .
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The theater that i attended last night didnt quite reach the volume of the surround sound speakers. I could barely hear it, even though they had at least 20 speakers surrounding the auditorium. THats why i enjoy going to the alamo in Austin because they play the volume to full blast that your head will explode. Other than that a perfect movie about corrupt cops and criminals regardless of a remake or not. i love both films equally and scorsese is the king!!!
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I think DiCaprio has his Oscar locked down. I haven't seen a stronger performance this year. I'm going to have to see this one again. I saw it at a local theater and the screen is abnormally small and the seats felt like church pews, plus I was surrounded by old people who had no idea what the fuck was happening and yapped away like bastards. Anyway all of that is beside the point. It's a terrific film that no one should miss.
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I had a problem with almost all the deaths in the film. There were very little reactions to them (except Martin Sheen's). We don't see any reaction to Nicholson's, or to Di caprio's. They just die and are therefore out the story. So much for "I want my environment to be a product of me". We hardly find out how any of the deaths affect surrounding characters. That was the only problem I had, but it was a pretty major flaw for me.
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I saw this opening day, first showing at a cinema here in the UK. A cinema with a huge James Whale monument out front (he was born in Dudley, UK). What does this have to do with the film? Nothing. But hell the cider had bitten me.
The film was okay. Not great Scorsese. Good Scorsese. From the Scorsese that showed up for Bringing Out the Dead. Good, but not brilliant.
So there. Now I gots to go. Gots a squirrel peakin'.
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First off, I'm curious as to what other fans of the original "Infernal Affairs" think of this movie. I love "IF" - it's subdued and suspenseful yet full of pathos and a slightly melancholy air. "The Departed" in comparison suffers from ADD - it's cartoony, way over-the-top, and nihilistic. Every line if dialogue is macho and in-your-face, and I didn't feel anything for the characters, except for Leo's great performance. But as another Talkbacker mentioned, about 5 or 6 people are shot in the head within the last 5 minutes of the movie and people in the audience were actually LAUGHING. None of the deaths had any impact or emotional resonance - just a CGI spray of blood from their skulls and that was it. "The Departed" is always entertaining and often hilarious, but it's just hollow and nihilistic entertainment. The original "Infernal Affairs" is far superior. Come on, actor Tony Leung has won the Best Actor at Cannes about two times within the past decade - his performances are always subtle and yet incredibly moving. Subtlety=something "Jack" has forgotten.
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Sorry, but this movie was a major disappointment. Nowhere near Scorsese's best. Felt thrown together. The music was just awful and distracting. Nicholson and Damon are the best part of this film. Wahlberg was cartoonishly bad. Dicaprio was fine- except for every he had to lie to hide his secret identity, you could see the obvious stressed look on his face. This from a character who is supposed to be cool under pressure. Plot hole after plot hole. Even the violence was boring. Just like "History of Violence" and "Mystic River," this is another overhyped, cartoonish dud.
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Scorcese DID see the original prior to making this film - apparently he was misquoted wherever I read that he had not. That erases my major beef with THE DEPARTED - that Scorcese was claiming to have not seen INFERNAL AFFAIRS even though the trailer for DEPARTED featured a number of shots nearly identical to those in the original film. Glad to be wrong as on the whole I'm a Scorcese fan. Now if there was only some way to digitally replace Jack Nicholson. As far as what BillEmic says about CGI blood, I will simply say NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! CG blood is one of my biggest pet peeves these days, but as far as I can tell it's mostly been a problem in recent Japanese films (particularly Takeshi Kitano's woefully overrated ZATOICHI and Kenta Fukusaku's universally loathed BATTLE ROYALE II) - US films mostly stick to the real (fake) thing, as God intended. For Martin "Blood Dripping From DeNiro's Finger In TAXI DRIVER" to resort to CG splatter is just sad. Still looking forward to checking DEPARTED out, since my (second-hand) error about Scorcese's integrity has been happily cleared up.
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Which i enjoyed immensly however, I am very worried about a trailer I saw called the holiday by Nancy Myers. It Stars Jack Black, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jude "lock up your nannies" law. It seems to be about two women who swap houses, cameron diaz ends up in London and Kate winslet ends up in hollywood. Looking completely out of place in all of this is Jack black. I dont associate rom coms with jack black. party boys yes, slackers, yes, stone heads yes. But rom com seems knda sell-outish for me. did any one else see the trailer for the holiday and if so do you agree that it looks a steaming pile. I hope black hasnt sold out but i am beginning to think he has? Any one else....
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I hope the departed is as great as they say but When they open the envelopes in feb, I think clints name will be on all of them. including best director....
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he does it to win the OSCAR (tm).
So he beddah win it, ya know, in fact, dah whole f**ckin mooveee beddah win it.
I have renewed faith...a faith never really lost...but now definitely reborn... after seeing Pan's Labyrinth, Apocalypto, and now The Departed. The two Grindhouse movies are probably gonna complete a near perfect list. Anyone who loves movies needs to see The Departed. I tried to talk my movie-goin' pal into seeing again after we just saw it last night, but she wanted to wait a little while so some things can sink in more...sigh. The movie is so richly layered, humor, story, visuals, humor, twists, awesome acting, lines for shock, twists, humor...like a really good Sunday dinner lasagna...tho' I s'pose Franky wouldn't care much for the analogy. But who cares? See this movie. -
Damn you Michael Bay
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so much so i spent most of my time whilst watching The Departed wishing i hadn't seen IA, and i'm a huge fan of IA.
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I can relate to frequently being in a nihilistic mood. At the same time I had to ask myself, isn't it a little sad that a movie this unrepentently bleak and cold is considered the pinnacle of film entertainment circa 2006? Contrast this to the icy melancholy of the original "Infernal Affairs", which had a lot of emotion and pathos despite the fact that it followed a Buddhist philosophy that resigned its characters to the lowest level of hell. (SPOILERS) - The sustained tone of the original "Infernal Affairs" is particularly striking considering that it had no Mark Whalberg character at the end to dish out "justice"; just goes to show that Hollywood still thinks American audiences are so naive that they can't handle a movie in which bad deeds go unpunished. On another note, I'm glad to see that this Talkback has maintained some intelligence and not degenerated into trolling (so far).
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I would agree that the end end was definitely to satisfy american audiences want nice and neat endings that return things to a nice 'even keel'. But since I so enjoyed Mark Whalberg's character and perfomance I am happy with the end because for me it is a payoff for a very strong character who deserved payoff.
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him yelling “What the fuck, Let’s have some Bloody Fucking Fun!” you fucking nerd. he ain't British.
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that you have to see this movie more than once.
Did anyone else notice that the "antidepresents" Costigan was taking, that were prescribed relunctantly by the shrink, were, in reality, a hormone with an aphrodesiac effect? -
D'oh. Can't spell when I'm tired. Maybe it was just a freudian slip.
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want to see Matt Damon suck on Jack Nicolson's black dildo in the porn theater scene? Nicolson: "That's right, suck that black cock you little bitch." Damon: "Orraphahd." NIcholson: "What's wrong, can't talk with your mouth full of big black cock." Leo gasps as he witnesses this bizzare scene. Jack looks up from looking at Damon sucking his fake rod, spots Leo, thinks for a moment and yanks out his gun. Leo beats him to it and shoots. The bullet goes right though Damon's head and smashes through the dildo until it hits Jack's real cock. Jack" "You shot my fucking cock." Leo: "that's right, who's the bitch now."Thus ends the worst scene ever.
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I liked the movie well enough, but I think Scorsese may have lost the audience with that elevator scene. It had people laughing out loud and many yells of "What the hell?! That's stupid." It was too over the top and cartoonishly nihilistic. That said, the rest of the movie was pretty good and finely acted, but I think the ending diminishes the film.
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I know I'm in the extreme minority here, but it's true. :)
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A lot of people laughed at some of the deaths when I saw it too. Maybe that's what Scorcese was "aiming" for, but as I said, the deaths were the only areas I had problems with. The porn theatre scene was friggin hilarious though.
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I can't see why people like his movies so much.
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I dont see anyone tackling the fact that the film jumps the shark a little on coherency. The story is really garbled most of the time. The performances from Alec Baldwin, Nicholson, and Even DeepCrapio were good. Baldwin had some hilarious lines. I actually laughed out loud, something most recent films have FAILED to make me do. Back to the story, it really wasn't fleshed out very well. Microchips? Missiles? FBI informant? Moles inside? The boss looking for the mole is a mole himself? Leo is banging Damons Girl, is that going to be a problem? Okay we get it, there are a lot of plot threads, but just focus on the good ones. Performance wise, good stuff. Story wise, not so hot. Besides, it's a remake. Come on. The trailer for 300 was cool though, seeing it on the big screen made me actually excited for its release. But forget that, BRING ON THE FOUNTAIN!
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fun to watch. Great performances, true... but plotting in the end becomes silly and convenient. It's not anything close to "Goodfellas" and won't have the same shelf life. We're just starving for anything close to a great movie.
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Scorcese is overrated you know you have some asinine opnions flying around. There is just no argument to support a statement like that. He's one of the masters and no cinephile worth his salt would deny that. Also if you had trouble with the plot see the movie again, I had no trouble at all following along nor did anyone else I know who saw it. It all connects just fine in the end. I also LOVED the elevator scene. You guys act like every major character got killed in one scene in a matter of 30 seconds when in fact only one died (which elicited a huge gasp from the audience) the other two were very very minor characters. I mean i;m sorry that you didn't get slow motion and sweeping music when aformentioned major character died but that would have seemed out of place in this film. As for the laughter, it almost is a funny scene, intentionally so. So much goes on that the human psyche has nowhere left to go. I could understand if any character did anything dramatically out of turn but every decision made fit the way the story was headed. It's nihilistic but if you dont like that then I suggest you skip alot of Scrocese's films. Like Taxi Driver and Goodfellas for instance. Also for those of you saying it was too cartoonish I think you missed the point. What Scorcese is doing here is telling an Urban New England fairy tale where cops and crooks live (and subsequently die) by the sword, men are men, and the strong survive. It's really very old fashioned storytelling and it fits in perfectly with the (often superstitious) Irish blue collar culture of Boston.
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Unlike Yackbacker who gave away a major development of the film, and THEN said SPOILER (brilliant, Hawking), I'll say it now.
**SPOILERS**
This film was very entertaining, but I have to say the last shot, with the actual rat scurrying across the balcony was one of the cheesiest (no pun intended) endings I have ever seen. People in the packed cinema in Glasgow where I watched it groaned and said things such as "Oh come on" and "you're kidding". There was also much communal mirth when everyone got shot in the elevator scene. And it wasn't nervous, shocked laughter, it was hearty, incredulous, disbelieving sniggering. It was also blatantly obvious that Damon was going to be killed by Wahlberg, and in that exact manner. They might as well have put a caption up telling you what was about to happen. Jack's death a few scenes earlier seemed a bit half-arsed as well.
So a lame ending it has to be said.
However, I would argue that by that time it probably didn't matter. I'd been entertained for a good two hours by a strong cast and some great dialogue and interplay. Mark Wahlberg for me was the star of the show(Ok, Jack chewed his way through his scenes, but then he is Jack). Shame Marky Mark effectively disappeared for 30 mins. I thought maybe his contract had expired halfway through the shoot.
Baldwin was quality too (shit he looks old though!). But I can't condone Ray Winstone. I've never enjoyed him in any film. His accent was truly horrendous. I couldn't take him seriously.
It was a good film, but I can't agree with anyone who says this is up there with Goodfellas and Taxi Driver. It's reaches nowhere near those lofty heights. At the end of the day though, despite a few niggles, I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish. So job done then.
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got spaces between their paragraphs.
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Infernal Affairs 1-3 was good, but I have no interest in watching a remake, however good it is. Remaking a 2004 movie? I still dont miss it yet.
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It was that there was absolutely no after thought for any of the characters after they died except Martin Sheen's character. Nicholson dies and all we get is a round of applaus from a bunch of cops. No reaction from Jack's camp, no consequnces or anything. Same can be said for Di Caprio and obviosuly Damon. All the injustice in the world can be done and I wouldn't moan, but you should at least acknowledge that the characters even existed. You could of course argue that it's all part of the nihilism, but even if that's the case, just because he "meant to do it" doesn't stop it from spoiling the otherwise great film to some extent.
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Where everyone dies in a matter of 10 seconds and you are left with nothing but your thoughts? Hell Mr. Pink's death happens offscreen. There is not a whole lot of difference betwee that and the elevator scene of The Departed. In fact those films seem like first cousins. I just dont understand how pissed people are about that scene, sorry you didnt get a moment to grieve but jesus. It completely fits with hte tone of the rest of the film, *SPOILERSSSSSSS* The only reason Martin Sheen got more of a fallout is because his death had major implications on the last 3rd of the movie whereas with everyone else the end was minutes away.
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What? What you've just said makes no sense. First of all, you're telling me that you deliberately give away vital information about a film BEFORE you say SPOILER? That would make you a colossal prick. Why would you want to deliberately spoil the film for people that haven't seen it? Secondly, did you read my post, or did you just like the mention I gave you. The fact I talked about the film, might have hinted at the fact that I've seen it. Some people...
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Not that it's important, but since my post was 1 hour after yours, I would have to be some kind of magician to have seen the film after reading your post. I too am a colossal prick, but my point is **SPOILER** why did you say Sheen died, then SPOILER. It's too late by then. You've already spoiled it. Now you're telling me you did that deliberately to spoil the film for people?? That's what I don't understand. Why? This is fairly futile, isn't it.
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You wacky prankster you. Not sure why you admitted that you suffer from delusions that you're an animal, but hey ho. Everyone likes to be responsible for causing an argument, no?
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Then it seriously devolves into a terrible version of a futuristic THE FUGITIVE. **SPOILER** From the moment the two protagonists escape their prison, the movie goes downhill.
It's almost as if two different people directed it---Ridley Scott for the first half, and Michael Bay for the last half. -
Oh wait, wrong movie. I'm glad everybody is agreeing that the shot of the rat on the banister at the end of "The Departed" is the most ridiculously obvious metaphor of 2006. While I hate to be part of the crowd who is criticizing a filmmaker as talented as Scorsese, somebody has to tell the Emperor he has no clothes. But my problem lies mostly with the screenwriter; it's interesting to me that a film so obviously made for and targeted to adults feels like it was written by a 14 year-old trying to come up with the most inventive ways to use the f-word and anal sex references.
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And Forrest Gump would say,"That's all I have to say about that." Good thing I'm not Forrest Gump. Michael Bay is only good for one thing, and that's explosions. And that good thing, is only a good thing, if you like explosions that dont make any sense. And I dont. So that good thing just became irrelevant in my case. Meaning there are only bad things left to say. Which I dont need to say, because Michael Bay is the Suck. Thanks kids
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He can shoot the hell out of action and explosions but can't carry a narrative or help an actor develop a performance worth a damn.
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Not great, but so much better than anything else I've seen in a long time. Good story, great acting, good dialoge but I agree that there was little emotional resonance. It was not stupid, which always wrecks it for me. The deaths? OK, maybeye too much at the end, but the movie works. Nice to hear Lennon doing 'Well Well Well," From the Plastic Ono Band record. That Klaus has such a cool bass style.
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either a shakey cam or too much olde english...
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An astonishingly difficult rating to achieve. The film is a critical and commercial success. Not that that is a guarantee of a brilliant film (case in point, Crash) but it certainly seems to negate any point you are trying to make. And it's far superior to Crash.
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The Departerd used the word "cunt" creatively. It is almost cousins with Inside Man and Kill Bill. The creative use of "cunt" makes it a better movie. The Departed is a good film, but just because it shares a common factor with Reservoir Dogs and they are both good films does not mean that all the ideas they share are great ideas.
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I thought _The Departed_ was fast-moving and entertaining. A couple of things did not make sense to me, however. Spoilers: In the scene where DiCaprio is killed, they are all cops - albiet some of them dirty. How does Damon explain himself afterwards that he was involved in a shootout with all cops? Secondly, DiCaprio is given the burial with honors, after Damon has deleted all of his personal records. No one knew DiCaprio was a cop except Wahlberg who hiding out. What gives? These inconsistencies seemed to lessen the movie for me. To end on a positive note, this is is at least the second movie with Jack Nicholson that features McIntosh audio equipment. Check out _As Good As It Gets_.
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Just recently saw this for the first time. For some reason, I avoided "Leo DeCaprio" movies like the plague, but The Aviator was on cable in HD the other week and I watched it and really liked it, so when I saw Gangs on I caught that too.
A terrific flick IMHO. It was missing "something", but some of the performances were outstanding (especially Daniel Day Lewis' over the top "Butcher Bob"). In any event, I'm really looking forward to The Departed - can't wait for the DVD. -
I suppose since you didn't offer an argument to what I said that you don't really have one. An assumption further confirmed by the fact you had to take my comments out of context inorder to mock them. I didn't say that since The Departed and Resevior Dogs share a similar scene that everything in The Departed is automatically brilliant, but the detractors seem to be focusing alot on the elevator scene and Im wondering if they are a fan of it's sister scene in Resevior Dogs. If not then its obvious we fundamentally disagree on the value of that particular plot device and the conversation can go no further. Saying these films are cousins was just something that came to mind the more I thought about their similarities and not an attempt to argue one way or the other that The Departed is a good film. Having just reread your post I now see that you refered to The Departed as "The Departerd". I'm thinking you are probably thirteen years old and now I wish I hadnt bothered to respond, but since I wrote the whole thing....
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You smoke? You don't smoke? What, you one of those health nuts? Gofuckyaself.
so damn funny
PATRIOT ACT! -
I'm pretty sure that most people here, myself included, are not reacting negatively to the existenece of the elevator scene (it's a crucial plot point!) but the way it was *handled* in terms of directing/cinematography/CGI blood/etc. I don't know about everyone else here but the deaths in "Resevoir Dogs" hit hard - they all had weight and were handled rather realistically, or at least as much as a movie can do. "The Departed" offers a static shot of several people being shot in the head in quick succession, complete with a cartoony spray of computer-generated blood. This is a far cry from "Resevoir Dogs" with Tim Rothman groaning and crying in Harvy Keitel's arms...in fact, it's like comparing "Tombstone" to "Unforgiven"! It doesn't take a genius to see that the latter tries to deal with violence in a much more serious, realistic fashion. Same goes for "Resevoir Dogs"...not so for "The Departed."
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I said I liked the film and only had one gripe with it. You must think it's a masterpiece and you obviously feel strongly about it. You shouldn't have to try and shoot down everyone's arguments, especially those who agree it's a good film. I don't have time to say what my above posts said so if it's important to you, just read them again. I also didn't have time earlier on as I was talking to people at university, hence the typo which apparently weakens my argument (my tone might have been more offensive than I meant, but again, I didn't have time to read it over).
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In regards to the elevator scene not being handled seriously, I would have to disagree. How do you think this would go down? Slowly with each character explaining their actions or in succession without really thinking things through. The action was not glorified but straight up. When Leo got shot in the head the entire audience let out a huge gasp. It hit people really hard.
My one complaint is how Damon's character was handled differently from Infernal Affairs. In the original, Damon's character clearly wanted to be a good cop and made a decision to be good in the end. In Departed, Damon killed Jack out of revenge not b/c he made a moral decision. Point being, you were never supposed to route for Damon, which made the movie more simplistic. -
I just recently left a screening of The Departed. Sadly NOT the reported return to form Scorsese (after weak films like Gangs Of New York and The Aviator). Terrific cast (especially Sheen, Baldwin and Whalberg) but nowhere near the standards set by earlier work like Casino (sorry, but I really dig that one!) Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. The material here was just far too ordinary and passionless. I suspect the real Scorsese died sometime during the mid 90s. Despite its flaws I gotta say...I've NEVER seen or heard an audience respond to a film the way they did during the final 30 minutes or so of this film.
From the moment Sheen came down from that roof right through to that "shocking" elevator sequence...the crowd was WILD. To be quite honest the shock of the last section of this film suckers you into thinking it's a better film that it actually is.
You guys can gush all you want...but...just wait and see...time won't be kind to The Departed. It's no better or worse than Marty's lazy (but enjoyable) Cape Fear remake. -
***Spoiler***
When marky mark kills damon at the end and they show the stupid rat are they implying whalberg is in the mob as well, or is it a revenge kill for sheen, cause if he is a mole too the movie makes no sense.
thought the acting was brilliant, great movie but the last 10 minutes kinda ruined the film, going to try to find a copy of the original to see how it compares -
...for clarifying that Scorcese misquote. After you brought it up in the other talkback, I looked everywhere for it and couldn't find it. So I was plagued with doubts and unease when I finally went to see this film and had the notion that Marty was still trying to convince folks he hadn't seen the original (you're right about the cinematography in some of those scenes...but Marty's take seemed richer, somehow). Anyway, a fan-fucking-tastic film. I will buy the shit out of it on DVD and will watch the ever-loving-fuck out of it as I currently do with Goodfellas, Reservoir Dogs, Grosse Point Blank and The Thing (in other words, it has instantly earned a place in my five favorite movies of all time list).
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...when I'm excited. Shit.
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I'll see you in Mori's New Release Tuesday talkback. And you may well end up being right. I've only seen the movie once and I'm still running witht he rush it gave me. But it definitely gave me a rush. And look at the other movies in my top five. Even I could argue there are better made movies out there than Grosse Point Blank, but none that really spoke to me in precisely that way and continue to do it for me on subsequent viewings. Well...none except for the other four on my list. I dug the Departed. I'd see it again now if I could make the time and I'd pay full price again. If it ends up not living up to its first impression, that won't make it any less a good film experience in my eyes or memory. Out of curiosity, how many times have you seen it that you're so sure it won't hold up?
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The Departed is equal to Cape Fear. Which isn't a knock because I like it when Scorsese attempts to make a purely popcorn-Saturday night-date film. But let's not overinflate it more than it deserves. It IS this year's most entertaining movie, and it's a lot of fun, but Best Picture quality? I didn't think so.
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Nobody has mentioned the tune Scorsese closes the flick with: Roy Buchanan's cover of the classic "Sweet Dreams." The perfect version of the perfect song to end it with...
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Everything moves so fast, because in real life, you'd be surprised and stressed as hell, and you don't have time to act. Also, the fact that Damon was living a double life for so long, he obviously has trust issues and ANY of those people could be lying to him. Who can he trust? Himself, so he kills everyone else. It makes sense, and it shows how damaged he has become.
"Just kill me." "I AM killing you."
Come on guys, it was great. -
where they rip on CSI and seedy detective shows and the bad guy kills all his pals then faces the kids and says "now I've killed everyone I can't trust, except... there's only one thing to do" and he shoots himself in the face.
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The guys is as lazy as they come and his analysis sucks. The KC Star has consistently become more and more reliant on reviews from other newpapers or wire services to fill out the paper. The guy is a hack.
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And last I checked, that was the rotten tomatoes score for Infernal Affairs.
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It is a very good movie. Not the greatest I have seen but 100x better than the shit this year that has come out. Great performances all the way around.
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I'm an Irish 18 year old independent Filmmaker from Quincy, MA which is litterally linked to Boston SO first of all it was a trip to see my town and all its areas represented throughout the movie...Jack Nicholson (who as the Italian whitey bulger like mob boss KICKED 32 FLAVORS OF ASS!) walking on the same dock I've walked dozens of times in addition to many overwhelmingly nostalgic scenes alike. In fact, at one point of the movie a thug is speaking about burying a cop in the marsh and the location he speaks of is litterally the one 20 feet from my house! The movie itself was intense and fun, liked the gritty double crossings and questioned morality of both sides of the fight...Leo and Matt are excellent as the tortured "rats" pressured on both ends of thier jobs. MARKY MARK IS THE EPITOME OF BOSTONIAN. From scene one I had to explain to my family in NY (I just got back from a weekend upstate) that in Boston yes they really swear that much and Mark Walberg is realistically funny and obscene as the tough talkin right hand man of another great Martin Sheen who is the only character whos death affected me. Alec Baldwin is great as the supporting D.A. or whatever he was humorously and angrly. I loved the Irish Southie vs. Italian North End mentality that is always going on around here. During the only "sex scene" barely shown the song Comfortably Numb played and might I add that just topped the movie being my favorete song ever :D. anyways yea well the movie was mad long and yea the multiple ending were LITTERALLY OVERKILL but marky mark in those trace-proof stockings in the end brought it back. the psychiatrist chick is pretty good too but just adds to the complexity. When I look back it was almost too ironic how Leo and Matt never met and always evaded being found out like every 2 scenes it was an awesome Scorcese film, never saw the original but if youre a BOSTONIAN, JACK NICHOLSON FAN OR JUST LOVE REALISTIC ESPIONAGE SEE THE DEPAHTED. I CAN SEE BOSTON RIGHT NOW OUT MY WINDOW HAHA
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Because it wasn't the Pink Floyd studio version. I noticed they had it in the trailer too.
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I have been reading Butler's reviews for about 25 years. He is a hack. He doesn't even see all the films that play here, he uses reviews from other newspapers or wire services (makes it sort of useless to publish a 10 Best Films of the Year list when you didn't see all the films that were released).
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I absolutely loved this move and overall I would give it a slight edge over IA because it does a better job with back story and setup. IA moves incredibly fast, too fast at times. SPOILERS. However, I did prefer the Matt Damon character (Inspector Lau) in IA better. The twist at the end that he chooses to be good when he kills his boss, and basically gets away with it is more interesting in its moral dilemma. I liked the whole theme of good guys doing bad things and the guilt and remorse that comes with it. The Departed lacked a lot of this because Matt Damon’s character is basically entirely bad - only killing Nicholson because he’s being shot at, and then you get the impression that he’d be only too happy to kill Dicaprio if he could. The revenge killing of Damon at the end is satisfying but it does neatly wrap up in black and white terms what was a very gray area in IA. The ending in IA had more of an emotional impact IMO. Still, both are well worth seeing.
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Maybe. Maybe not. ...Maybe fuckyaself.
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It was van morrison's version of Comfortably Numb. Take that poxy scissors sisters.
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Let's face it, besides having the same premise, the two films were completely different. For starters, Infernal Affairs posed some really interesting questions. Like...if you're inherently a good person forced to do bad things, are you still a good person? Essentially, what makes us what we are? The questions asked in the Departed were different. Like...if someone gets shot in the head at close range, how much CGI blood should get splattered on the wall? Don't get me wrong. I liked The Departed. But it was basically a smarter version of a big, dumb action movie.
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Damon's partner shoots Leo in the head then announces he is also a Costello rat. Was this true or did he figure out Damon's game and was looking to make some money? If he was working for Costello why would he start a gunfight when he saw Costello's guys coming out of that building. Then the other crook the white haired one who gets shot pretty much tells Leo he is also a cop but he helped throw the captain off a roof. So basically Costello's crew had 2 cops undercover for over a year but they never got around to arresting him??? The part with Marky Mark shooting Damon works because Leo had left a letter with Damon's girlfriend which in the event of his death was no doubt sent to Marky Mark spilling the beans.
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I didnt think about the white haired crook helping to throw the captain off the roof even know he was a cop. That is something of a plot hole. I mean even if the other guys threw him off the roof you would think there would be soemthing he could have said to stop it. You would have to assume that the throwing of the captain off the roof was spontaneous and done by the other crooks. WHich is plausible but thats usually more assuming than I like to do with a film.
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I don't think the white-haired guy was a cop. He basically finds out Leo is the mole right before he gets shot so he doesn't have time to tell anybody. After he gets shot, he knows he is going to die and doesn't tell anybody because he likes Leo. That would follow with IA where the guy basically covers for the Leo character because he's his friend - and since he's dead anyway it doesn't really matter who the mole is. It's sort of a like a small bit of redemption, a final good act. That's how I saw it anyway.
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I guess that's possible but I'd need to see the movie again to be sure. Maybe Harry will take me for his 8th viewing. The way I remember it he was telling Leo how he gave him the wrong address but then he said"but I didn't tell anyone now why do you think that is?" It seemed like a joke on his you know how I know you're a cop line but also a confession. If it was a final good act then why confuse things by having him easily found in the marsh and broadcasting that he was a cop if he wasn't a cop then adding that bit was just bad writing in my opinion.
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What the fuck is this "Scorsese is overrated" bullshit? The guy is BRILLIANT!!
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What the fuck is this "Scorsese is overrated" bullshit? The guy is BRILLIANT!!
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Still don't know how Damon worded his way innocent of that shootout, and how Leo was given a cop funeral after he was deleted.
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I'm tired of being inundated this "BEST MARTY MOVIE SINCE GOODFELLAS LOL!!!" garbage. Everything in-between was wholly superior; The Departed didn't have the look or feel of a Marty movie and the top-shelf assembly of redoubtable talent slummed and slogged their way through it unmemorably. What a waste...adroit participants who could've ad-libbed something more interesting on the spot of the first shooting are used as a means to an end of some stupid, convoluted, hackneyed, and hollow cops & robbers potboiler. Oh, and if you're a card-carrying member of the asinine demimonde that foolishly favors this over the timeless greatness of Goodfellas...get a CAT scan of your cranial region posthaste. The knee-jerk "Goodfellas, eat your heart out!" sentiment is flippantly infuriating for anyone who knows a Marty movie that's worth its salt when they see it.
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He uses one in the fantastic short "Life Lessons" from "New York Stories" when Nick Nolte spies Rosanna Arquette's anklette - it's perfect. And Jodie Foster in "Taxi Driver" plays iris. "The Departed" is a wholly different style of film than "Infernal Affairs" and improves on the story in a number of ways, or I should say makes more from the basic ingredients of the same story. But IA had the better stand-off scene between Triad Boss and chief investigator with the Chinese food. And Tony Leung, performance-wise, is pretty untouchable as usual. My main impression of the Departed besides enjoying its over-the-top tongue-in-cheek quality a lot was the way Mark Wahlberg stepped up and owned every scene he was in from more established actors and bigger stars - I was glad his character was so nicely paid off and thought that Damon had a very nice and singular reaction in that scene that was surprisingly realistic and totally chilling at the same time. Jack didn't care much about doing the accent - he sings "Mother Macree" instead - but he's great at being Jack. I think they cut that girl/coke scene in from a party at Jack's actual house that had nothing to do with the movie and saved the production $250,000. I'll see this one two or three times in theatres.
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Sullivan told the police that his partner (don't remember the name, I'll call him "Partner") was Costello's mole in the police department, and Sullivan only just survived the encounter himself (his meeting with Costigan and Partner could be explained because (1) he was looking for the mole on Alec Baldwin's orders, and (2) he took over for Martin Sheen).
Because Costigan and black guy were shot with Partner's gun, it wouldn't be too hard to convince anyone of his story. Plus, Alec Baldwin's character (who was about the only cop closely involved who was still alive) trusted Sullivan.
I don't know how they knew Costigan was still a cop, except for Sullivan's say-so (after taking over for Martin Sheen) and the fact that he USED to be a cop.
I also don't know why they didn't just arrest Costello for murder (Costigan even asks about this, but is told the microchips are more important - But later, a police captain is thrown off a building, you would think THAT murder (capital murder?) is important, but whatever).
I also don't know why the CIA or whoever is in charge let local yokel cops handle the matter of selling missile computer chips to China - you'd think that with the international law implications, the local cops aren't the best to deal with it. But whatever.
The movie's plot wasn't the greatest. But good movie over-all, and I liked almost all of the performances, except Alec Baldwin - he's a ridiculous characature and took me out of the movie.
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...thus far, I'll say that I really like it, but not as much as many of the critics. I'd say it's about dead even in terms of quality with Gangs of New York, and I'd actually place The Aviator above it. For all its twists and turns, thrills and chills, it feels more spare and off-the-cuff than the average Scorsese film... and I'm not sure if it's a good thing. I mean Nicholson's performance and the final plot twist/scene are TOTALLY played for laughs, and there isn't a great deal of content behind the laughter. This is certainly one of Marty's less weighty films. So, I dunno... it's a fun time, but it might also be something of a step down for its director... a down-and-dirty piece of pulp before his next big, prestige project. I'd be surprised if this wins many Oscars or even that many noms... I'm not saying it won't happen, but it'd be against the norm (not that I care). Anyway, I need to see it again, I'm still not entirely sure, but for now I'll say.... slightly overrated?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyxqRiy3PUY
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I am reading from other sites that Marky Mark's character is actually Frank Costello's son! Did anybody else get that idea?
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You do realize that Mark Wahlberg came back to kill Matt Damon because Vera Farmiga opened the envelope from Leonardo DiCaprio. Don't you?
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Who among you, that truly claims to grasp the brilliance and originality of Scorsese's early genius with violence in such films as MEAN STREETS, TAXI DRIVER and GOODFELLAS, can genuinely defend his latest attempt as anything other than a confused mess from a once towering, cinematic giant. Let me clarify that I believe the majority of his career has been excellent with a handfull of stellar films...classics. But, you certainly do him no credit by lumping this recent spat of films including the AVIATOR,BRINGING OUT THE DEAD and now the DEPARTED,with those seminal masterpieces. The DEPARTED lacks everything that drew you to Scorsese in the first place, this one feels, and worst of all, LOOKS like a made for t.v. movie. The acting is passable at best and that's not a crack at the actors so much as a comment on what I assume was Scorsese's floundering direction and the most sedated editing that we've ever seen from a director who's films used to mesmerise you with their fluidity. Blame the editor? Blame the actors? No, there is no one single flaw with this film but many, the script,score,ending and cinematography to name a few others. If it weren't for the occasional and unintentionaly comical camera pushes and whirls, would you truly recognise this as Scorsese? I'm afraid of the thought that this is what we should come to expect from Marty in the future...I hope not, if so, this film would stand as a fitting epitaph for a once great FILMMAKER who has become a simple parody of himself...Here lies Scorsese...now departed.
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...where the bad guy wins. It's just that it's more satisfying, at least in this case, how it ends. It always amuses me how people think having evil win out in an entertainment means someone is somehow more "grown up" and accepting of the reality of moral ambiguity in the real world. The whole "moral ambiguity" thing is so tired and lame--is there a bigger cop movie cliche than the "morally ambiguous" cop who's undercover and finds himself attracted to the dark side? Zzzzzzz.... Best picture of the year hands down. Scorsese is a movie director; the rest are small-minded indie nerds or people who think sensation is the same as drama.
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it ranges from okay to good. I had a lot of problems with this movie. the boston accents were at times shaky. alec baldwin's and mark wahlberg's characters are a little too ridiculous. The love story between matt damon and vera farmiga's characters was awkward and badly developed. i like leo a little better after this movie, but he had some weak scenes, but fairly strong performance for the most part. great casting with the young version of matt damon's character. i especially liked that the martin sheen last scene was not as stretched out with the emotional music like in infernal affairs. scorsese did a good job with the tension at the end. Personally, I think Scorsese is slipping.
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No more than was The Wild Bunch. They both were operatic in their use of violence--if Tim Roth were really suffering those wounds he'd be just screaming for the rest of the movie. Tarantino obviously gets off on violence, and he gets off on the "masculine trial by fire" stuff, which is fine in its way. A previous poster put it perfectly--the elevator scene is how this scene would have actually happened--BANG! BANG! BANG! No snappy dialogue exchanges and pop culture references in a moment when lives are tossed away and decisions are made and actions taken to cover one's ass. This was such a freaking good movie that I am delighted at the screams of pain from the petty. Scorsese is god, freakin deal with it. People who "have problems" with this have no problem with Tarantino's childish and terribly dated pop culture confections. Scorsese does the same kind of material and no, it doesn't have Tarantino's marvelous Barry Levinson-esque references, but some of us can manage to get through a movie without fourteen references to Saturday morning cartoons and bad westerns or whatever. Tarantino will be a footnote because he is an excellent practitioner; Scorsese will be considered one of the greats because he created a style--Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Casino, Raging Bull, King of Comedy, Last Temptation of Christ, After Hours---sorry, Tarantino's pleasant little confections, which reek of a life lived watching movies, while Scorsese's have LIFE in them, simply can't match that lineup, no matter how much the geeks giggle over surf music behind Tarantino's violence-for-kicks choreography.
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"I'm the guy that did his job...you must be the other guy."
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I have a "Leo" moment better than when he floated to the bottom of the ocean in titanic... "I am killing you".. *DING* doors open..... fucking classic.
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I agree that Scorsese has a much better range of work. That said, if you could choose one movie to watch right now, would you watch Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver or Pulp Fiction? Cuz I'd watch Pulp Fiction. And it wouldn't even be that hard of a decision. I guess what I'm saying is, Scorsese probably makes better movies, but Tarantino makes more enjoyable movies. Make sense?
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Haven't been to the AICN forums in over a year. Glad to see that neither the level of content or IQ levels have raised. Losers.
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Haven't been to the AICN forums in over a year. Glad to see that neither the quality of content or IQ levels have raised. Losers.
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Is the one with the double post and the grammatical errors (it's neither/nor). Nicely done, moron. Now kindly go away for another year.
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scorsese is arguably, the best maker of crime films EVER. The casual violence in his movies is always unsettling...which isnt easy to do with an audience so used to ultra violent movies.
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scorsese is arguably the best maker of crime films EVER. the violence is so real and causual, it really creeps me out. Which is awesome...it takes alot for a movie to affect me like that, now that im no longer 8.
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Why is it that the review for one of the best films of the year doesnt have a longer review by the master reviewer.
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That version is a live one by Roger Waters & some friends (Phish? Widespread? Anyone?) It's most definately not the studio version. I think all the background audience nosie would have been a tip off.
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Wow...what a total P.O.A. Where did she come from, and are there any more at home like her? Yow-zaa!!!
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Roger Waters is joined by Van Morrison & The Band. Niiiice!
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Forget about "The Queen", "Running with Scissors", "Flags of our Fathers", cuz Marty's going to get the pity vote on this one for sure even though it's a sub-par effort compared to his classics (for which he rightly should have won). Bottom line is that the Departed could have been great, it had an unbelievable film in it - it just wasn't tight enough, could have trimmed 30 minutes and given a little more detail.
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Always enjoy the talkbacks, though usually for the wrong reasons. This one has been consistently entertaining, though, and uncharacteristically mature and pertinent. (Give or take the left-turn-at-the-lights rant about The Island - where did THAT come from, guys?) Thoroughly enjoyed The Departed - not vintage Scorsese, but a classy genre piece. Well-acted and never boring. Love the whole opening sequence where Jack's character is constantly in shadow, even when standing in the middle of brightly-lit rooms. All the gripes and nit-picking you've contributed have made me want to see the movie again. Caught it in Bangkok where, despite a thriving sex industry, they blacked out the dildo in the cinema scene. (Even more bizarrely, in the nutty-but-cracking Crank, they snipped the hilarious Chinatown sex scene, cutting out all the cheering from the crowds, leaving it looking like a pretty nasty rape, thus throwing the film completely off-balance for a while.) Anyway, back to the nit-picking - I had a problem with the Leo/shrink relationship. If he was so deep undercover, would he really be consulting the police councellor? Either way, a good flick. Harry, now the dust has settled, how about giving us your full-blown opinion? Whilst I'm on, allow me to strongly recommend you seek out the Thai ghost story called Shutter. Scared the shit out of me when it debuted here about eighteen months ago, but nothing mentioned since in Premiere, Total Film, Empire, even AICN. Very warmly recommended. Roll on Borat!
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Why does Marti not work with Joe anymore..? They bring out the best in each other and only he could have brought some truly insane Cagney-esque abandon to the proceedings. I thought Baldwin's performance was superb and stole the movie. He deserves a Best Supporting Actor Oscar and i doubt many here would disagree.
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If I hear another person compare The Deaparted to Goodfellas, Raging Bull, etc... Come on! I'll will give you that Damon and Baldwin gave good performances. But Whalberg and Nichlolson were widly over the top as was Scorcese's direction. I understand he was having fun doing an homage to those classic cop and robbers movies. But, there were many scenes that can only be described as a sloppy music video. Oh, yeah DiCaprio is not a good actor at all. After Daniel Day embarraced him in Gangs of New York, DiCaprio really showed his laughable acting chops the climatic roof-top scene. If he wins the Oscar for "Bling Bang" there will be serious problems.
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is King of comedy. The film is way ahead of its time in terms its look at celebrity and the dark side of fame and Jerry Lewis has never been better.
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... i am last!
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Marty FINALLY won an Oscar!
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.... again?
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