Not a Classic
- The Departed review by CP Customer
Saying that this Scorsese picture is not that good is like saying that you live in a naf house in kensington. They don't exist.Putting this observation aside and only comparing this movie with other scorsese pictures, its pretty poor. Jack Nicholson is always very watchable, but seems to spend the whole movie doing a parody of himself. As for the others, Leonardo Decaprio is probably the best and seems to give it 100%, Mark Whalberg and Matt Damon seem out of their depth.Although the film moves at a good pace the plot seems clunky at times and a bit predictable. Compared to other filmmakers this picture is very good, Compared to Scorsese's other work, its very average.
4 out of 5 members found this review helpful.
Outstanding Oscar winner
- The Departed review by CP Customer
I thought this was an exceptional piece of film making. The cast are outstanding; DiCaprio acts everyone else out of almost every scene, although Wahlberg gives him a run for his money in a couple! Nicholson is genuinely frightening as the mob boss. They are lucky to be working with such a brilliant script, and, of course, the genius direction of Scorsese. It's violent and shocking and some parts had me staring at the screen open mouthed. I didn't find it predictable, in fact there were many twists and turns. A fantastic evening's viewing and a classic must-see.
4 out of 5 members found this review helpful.
One of Scorsese weakest films to date.
- The Departed review by CP Customer
The Departed has got to rank as one of the most undeserving Oscar winners of all time. The film is actually a remake of the 2002 Honk Kong film 'Infernal Affairs' which itself was a decidedly average good cop/bad cop movie. Aside from the generic Scorsese direction the acting is easily the weakest part of the film. DiCaprio and Damon are fairly unremarkable, Jack Nicholson gives the same performance he does for every bad guy he plays and Ray Winstone was plain awful with a cockney/Irish/American accent which was pretty much laughable throughout the whole film. Overall, this is easily one of Scorsese weakest films to date and unfairly showered with awards, more due to guilt at overlooking Scorsese's past films than out of any real merit as a good movie in its own right.
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Jack Nicholson's rat impression
- The Departed review by BP
This is a full-on mobster/cop thriller and keeps you guessing throughout. The cast are generally excelled particularly Di Caprio but Wahlberg was a bit over the top. Jack Nicolson seemed to be playing a strange version of his portrayal of the Joker; either that or a parody of himself. At one point he actually does an impression of a rat when he talking about the rat in his organisation... I found his character implausible and that kind of soured the movie for me. I've seen each of the Oscar winning best movies from the last 10 years and this was one of the less good ones in my opinion.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
great film
- The Departed review by LK
great film one film I will watched all the time
1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Second rate Scorsese is still pretty good
- The Departed review by Tim from London
I agree with the first reviewer that this is not up there with classic Scorsese - such as Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Mean Streets, Taxi Driver or King of Comedy. It's probably not quite as good as his 'second rate' films like Casino and Last Temptation of Christ - but it's not far off (and certainly better than the Aviator and Bringing out the Dead). I thought it was an enjoyable thriller with some great scenes - but what was missing for me was strong central performances (in the mould of De Niro or Pesci). Still pretty good though.
1 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
If you like realism in your mobster films get this
- The Departed review by CP Customer
Gritty, tough, very frightening and even amusing at times, this is an American Gangster film that hits the spot. All the acting is superb but Di Caprio and Nicholson excel.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
A cracker
- The Departed review by CP Customer
The quality cast list of Di Caprio and Nicholson does not let you down with this gangster thriller set in Boston....
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
An outstanding Scorsese film with incredible performances, music and ambience, set in Little Italy
- The Departed review by TB
This is a great film, showcasing once again Marty's love of gangsters and loyalty. And what a cast he has assembled for this journey. As much as there has been some pushback from other reviewers of this film, the only issue I had with it was it was just that little bit too long. Unfortunately, there were points where the film could have used some better editing, as well as shaving off at least 10-15 minutes.
As time has gone on, Scorsese's films have got longer and longer, which is not a good trait. I'm all for letting stories breathe, but not at the expense of keeping momentum going. For example, Wolf of Wall Street was hideously bloated and should have been at least half an hour shorter, although I detested Jordan Belfort, so sitting through his escapades for any length of time was tiring.
But there is a huge amount to love in The Departed. For a start, the cast are amazing. Whilst Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio are the main draws, everyone is great. Martin Sheen in particular takes the thankless cop role and does wonders with it. Mark Wahlberg used his own "extensive experience" from his younger days involving the police to embody Dignam. And Ray Winstone is also great as Mr French. But also, this film has an incredible stand-out performance from Vera Farmiga. Scorsese films often don't have strong female leads, but here Farmiga's shrink who falls in love with Colin Sullivan only to have her heart ripped out is incredible watching.
The film also has many twists and turns, as well as the kind of dark & snappy humour that Marty can conjure up in spades. The soundtrack puts the icing on the cake.
I do agree that this isn't Scorsese's masterpiece (that will always be for me Goodfellas,) but there is so much to like here, plus this was the film that finally got Marty his well-deserved Oscar. Great viewing.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
Brilliant acting deeply thoughtful
- The Departed review by JD
This genre suited Leonardo's acting best. His dilemmas and anxieties were tangible. Nicholson was good but didn't draw me in and Damon appears too wooden (better as a superhero). The plot is extremely sound (I hate one with gaps and glitches)and more importantly full of insights and unpleasant truths.
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.