** Hi Shelley -- I
have not seen INFERNAL AFFAIRS, and in a way, I'm kind of glad because
people who've seen the Hong-Kong original have commented negatively about THE
DEPARTED. But I now plan to see INFERNAL AFFAIRS and will
compare.
** The main gripe I've
read from reviewers of both films, is that it takes Scorcese 30 minutes longer
to tell the same story about two moles trying to rat each other out, and unless
you follow closely, you can get lost. Fans, just remember this going in --
one of the moles is Matt Damon, a squeaky-clean looking kid who's been
"groomed-for-crime-since-childhood" -- by Irish mobster Jack Nicholson.
Matt Damon infiltrates the Boston police force. The other main mole is an
honest cop with a long boyhood rap sheet (Leonardo DiCaprio) -- who grew up
on the same bad streets of Boston. As a condition of joining the
force, he must go to prison on purpose so that when he gets out -- he can fake
psychopathic behavior well enough to infiltrate Nicholson's gang. DiCaprio
comes out so scary that you're not sure if he's really a good guy.
** The riveting thing
is that we soon learn no one is trustworthy. The paranoia level for the
audience goes through the roof about an hour into the film. Some critics
have said Nicholson chews up scenery in the same foul way that Bette Davis
romped through "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?," making "The Departed"
unnecessarily longer.
** Well you know what
people say. Anything that's good in a picture never feels long. And
Nicholson is great, Boston accent and all. He is the devil incarnate yet
doesn't blow Scorcese's great team of younger actors off the screen. The
film's only weak actor is the woman psychiatrist. However, even though
she's an annoyance, and I won't give away the ending -- her character is one
of many keys that enable a mainstream audience to finally walk out of a
Scorcese picture with satisfaction. I don't mean a happy ending, which is
so not Scorcese. But you get an ending that settles scores, so to
speak. I would've preferred a stronger female lead in that role, the type
of woman you see in Scorcese's previous pictures. When you see it, you'll
know what I mean.
** It's the day after and I'm still washing the
blood off of me.
-koose.
From: Shelly
Whitworth-King <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: Shelly
Whitworth-King <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To:
MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
Subject: Re: Scorcese's "The Departed"
Date:
Sat, 7 Oct 2006 12:21:16 +0000
Hi Koose
Have
you seen INFERNAL AFFAIRS, the film that this is 'based' on (although, not a
remake)? Just wondering! I thought it was excellent.
Am looking forward
to THE DEPARTED.
Thanks for your impressions.
Shelly
----Original Message
Follows----
From: David Kusumoto
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: David Kusumoto
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To:
MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
Subject: [MOPO] Scorcese's "The
Departed"
Date: Sat, 7 Oct 2006 00:51:05 -0700
** Before
people start falling over themselves proclaiming Martin Scorcese's new film,
"The Departed" as being his among his best, it isn't. But when they
say it's his best film since "Goodfellas" and "Casino," it's
true. After spending more than 10 years trying to "art" it up doing
hoity-toity stuff that's unfamiliar to his palate, it's clear Scorcese will be
to crime dramas what Alfred Hitchcock was to thrillers. And like
Hitchcock, he may never win an Oscar. So what.
** "The
Departed" rockets off the screen during its first 30 minutes, then does a
baffling stall for another 30, before zooming to a blood-and-gore riveting
finish during its last 90. Because of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull,
Goodfellas, e.g., Scorcese's best films -- you might say "The Departed" falls
short of greatness. But if you didn't know "The Departed" was
directed by Scorcese -- you "might" say it's one of the best pictures released
so far in 2006, with many more potentially great films to be released before
Dec. 31.
** People are talking about the stellar turns by Jack
Nicholson, Matt Damon and Alec Baldwin, but this picture belongs to Leonardo
DiCaprio -- and, in my mind, stolen -- by a surprisingly spectacular Mark
Wahlberg, in a secondary role I hope people won't forget. The writing
and editing during the film's last 90 minutes are vintage
Scorcese.
** Since this isn't a review -- what follows is an
impression. I had almost forgotten what Scorcese violence is like
on the big screen. This, you may remember, was one of the major
raps against "Goodfellas" when it lost the Best Picture Oscar to the politically
correct "Dances with Wolves" in 1990 -- and "Taxi Driver" when it lost the top
prize to "Rocky" in 1976. In 1995, "Casino" got mixed reviews, with
many noting that it was "the same old Scorcese."
** Well "Casino"
has become more fondly remembered over time because of what Scorcese has
directed since. It still holds up while the films he's done since
then have not. The body count and gore in "The Departed" is comparable to
"Goodfellas," "Casino" and "Taxi Driver." It's so gruesome that even
the most ardent Scorcese fans must be warned in advance that what they're about
to see on the big screen, 11 years after "Casino" -- that is, the stylish
violence they "thought" they adored on the little screen (and I still believe
MOST people, judging by box office receipts, first saw "Goodfellas" and "Casino"
on video, not in theaters) -- that they could still be in for a jolt when they
see "The Departed."
** There's an "in-your-face,
matter-of-fact-brutal-truth" feeling to the violent images in "The Departed,"
and when you leave the theater -- (hopefully satisfied, which is unusual for
most Scorcese films) -- those of you who've followed his career may resign
yourself to the fact that really, after 35 years, urban crime dramas are what
Scorcese does best. Hitchcock's legend is similarly based on a single
genre, and he was better than other directors who have won Oscars. "The
Departed" feels effortless because the guy behind the camera know the landscape
of rats, moles, guns and cops better than anyone.
** You almost get the
feeling that "The Departed" works for the very reason that it's not aiming for
the fences. Nothing fancy here, very few camera tricks, just fabulous
cinematic story telling, especially its convoluted final 90 minutes. Don't
bring the kids.
-koose.
