By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Jack Nicholson | Leonardo DiCaprio | Mark Wahlberg | Martin Sheen | Matt Damon | Ray Winstone | Vera Farmiga
Country: hong_kong, united_states
Year: 2006
Running time: 151
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/
Bruce says: “Adapted from the critically acclaimed Hong Kong film INFERNAL AFFAIRS, THE DEPARTED is fairly faithful to its source. The wonderful, intricate plot remains intact – a mole from the local mobsters has infiltrated the police force and a mole from the police has infiltrated the mob. The famous rooftop stand-off scene has been transferred from Hong Kong to Boston where the action now takes place. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon are almost as good as Tony Leung and Andy Lau. Mark Wahlberg delivers a terrific performance as a hard nose Boston cop. Vera Farmiga, Ale Baldwin, Ray Winstone and Martin Sheen are good as well.
“The cinematography and editing are both laudable. While THE DEPARTED flows nicely without overly confusing the viewer, the style and panache of the original has not been duplicated to the same satisfaction. The weakest aspect of THE DEPARTED is the casting of Jack Nicholson in the role of lead mobster. While his performance is not as grizzly as I was led to believe by some critics, Nicholson is simply not professional enough to remain in character, his smugness seeps into his screen persona throughout the film. There are moments when it is strictly Nicholson on display. Certainly Hollywood will pay no heed. It is likely that the prevailing notion will hold Nicholson partly responsible for the many awards the film received.
“Scorsese has made an engaging film but it is not the Scorsese film that should garner so many honors. Where remakes are concerned, adaptation is not exactly the first word that comes to mind; THE DEPARTED is more of a customization. This is a case where the original film is more deserving of an award – for the inspiration – than the remake.
“If you haven’t seen INFERNAL AFFAIRS, the good news is that all three films in the INFERNAL AFFAIRS trilogy (INFERNAL
AFFAIRS [5 cats], INFERNAL AFFAIRS 2 [5 cats], and INFERNAL AFFAIRS 3 [4 cats]) are now available on DVD. 4 cats”