The Departed - Reviews

[Tojo]

I just didn't get what it was trying to say or do. If you say,'Well it's just a thriller and it has no deep meaning', i can accept that but then that would make the film generic, which is not Scorceses style. Especially when you consider such greatness as Taxi Driver or Raging Bull.

And i'm not even mentioning the many contrivances, but then again that is a pre-requisite for almost any movie. I guess if there wasn't any then movies just wouldn't go anywhere :/

 

[Secret_Riddle]

No i dont agree with you. this movie amazed me.

 

[C.F. Kane]

I thought it was everything *but* average.

But to answer your question, I think it's gotten the praise not only for the slick direction and great performances, but above all for how unforgiving it is. No one is spared. It's high tragedy with head-shots.

 

[Mr. Socko]

I enjoyed it but I believe it is overrated. Scorcese has done better. Just because the names "Scorcese" and "Nicholson" are on it, the critics are going wild, saying it's the greatest thriller of all time.

 

[Killgore]

The movie had a fantastic theme, if not one of the most debated themes in literature, science and life itself. Are we a product of our environment or is the environment a product of us. Nature versus nurture. And it is brilliantly outlined by the dichotomy between DiCaprio and Damon. DiCaprio is born to a family of criminals and endeavors to strike out on his own and not be a product of his environment. He struggles to set himself apart and succeed on his own, and he does it by choosing a career that is in direct conflict with his environment. Just when he thinks he has succeeded and becomes a police officer, that very environment not only drags him down and thwarts his progress through the ranks of the department, it is also the very reason he is valuable to the law. He is forced to embrace that life, that environment he hates. All of his hard work puts him into a crappy hole of an apartment, a lonely existence as a street-level crook and a drug addict. Every day he is in perpetual fear of being exposed as a rat, and that puts his life in grave jeopardy.

Damon on the other hand has his life handed to him. He doesn't have to work to excel. Instead he rapidly raises through the ranks because of his duplicity. He has a great apartment, a hot girlfriend, a stable life, he is respected and if he does get exposed, so what, no worry, he'll just go to jail. He has the life that DiCaprio has worked so hard to attain and has failed so tragically, so miserably, and of no fault of his own.

Now tell me that this is just a generic cop and robbers story.

 

[Mr. Socko]

No, it's a remake originally devised by the Chinese. Shame they don't get the credit they deserve.

 

[primemover]

Great movie in all ways, direction, acting, writing, storyline, etc. It's deserving even if Scorcese gets a gift Oscar.

 

[CorporalHicks]

I think most people that don't like this movie didn't understand it, because it can be kinda hard to follow

 

[AssMan]

People love it because you do not like it. How do you like them apples

 

[Killgore]

No, it's a remake originally devised by the Chinese. Shame they don't get the credit they deserve.

It is???? OMG CONSPIRACY! I wonder why none of the critics noticed it? Oh yeah, THEY DID. Nearly every professional critic mentioned Internal Affairs, but few cared to recognize the debt that Hong Kong cinema owes to Scorsese. Does it matter that it is a remake? Scorsese grounded his with a fascinating theme that is absent in Internal Affairs and his version lacks the syrupy sentimentality that bogs down Lau and Mak's.

Remakes and variations on a theme are as old as art itself. Look at Donatello's earlier David versus Michelangelo's vastly superior version that was no doubt influenced by Donatello's.

 

[Triadkd]

The Departed is average. Infernal Affairs is better than this movie in every way. The original had more depth the two protags had been undercover for a decade. Lau was a cop, and Leung was a gangster. The Departed turned the excellent ending from the first into a bad snl sketch. This is not anywhere near goodfellas, or even casino. Dicaprio was great, every one else was not. Jack was just horrible. Seriously how does a guy like that even stay in power. He was just way to over the top. I also like how the writer felt the need to pay "homage" to IF by including that terrible "hey let's all laugh at the chinese gang scene". No one born before 1990 should think this movie is anything special. It's good to see MS get back to his roots, but let's not get carried away.

 

[zer00]

So because you and like 4 other people think it's not as good as everyone says. That means you're right and it's average or below? It's really getting hard to call myself a fanboy...or human

 

[Halofan1]

The Departed is average. Infernal Affairs is better than this movie in every way. The original had more depth the two protags had been undercover for a decade. Lau was a cop, and Leung was a gangster. The Departed turned the excellent ending from the first into a bad snl sketch. This is not anywhere near goodfellas, or even casino. Dicaprio was great, every one else was not. Jack was just horrible. Seriously how does a guy like that even stay in power. He was just way to over the top. I also like how the writer felt the need to pay "homage" to IF by including that terrible "hey let's all laugh at the chinese gang scene". No one born before 1990 should think this movie is anything special. It's good to see MS get back to his roots, but let's not get carried away.

I love IA too, but Scorsese outdid it. The "excellent" ending you speak of was done better in The Departed as it came off more authentic. There was no big pause, no over dramatization and no slow music playing. It came off as more effective because it didn't have those things that IA had.

What I really find funny is your claim that IA had more depth. Not counting the sequels, we really don't know jack about Yan other than he's been undercover for ten years and hates it. In The Departed, we know Costigan exactly where Costigan comes from and we know why he's becoming a cop. We actually get to know Costigan, something IA didn't let us do with Yan. Hell, they even did the relationship between Costigan/Yan and Queenan/Wong better than IA.

And by the way, I was born before 1990 and I think The Departed is one of, if not Martin's best work. And yes, it's better than Casino.

 

[Killgore]

The Departed is average. Infernal Affairs is better than this movie in every way. The original had more depth the two protags had been undercover for a decade. Lau was a cop, and Leung was a gangster. The Departed turned the excellent ending from the first into a bad snl sketch. This is not anywhere near goodfellas, or even casino. Dicaprio was great, every one else was not. Jack was just horrible. Seriously how does a guy like that even stay in power. He was just way to over the top. I also like how the writer felt the need to pay "homage" to IF by including that terrible "hey let's all laugh at the chinese gang scene". No one born before 1990 should think this movie is anything special. It's good to see MS get back to his roots, but let's not get carried away.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/departed/

Yeah because all of these professional critics are under 16.

You're right Zer00. This place has become flooded with hostile, opinionated yet highly ignorant trolls. They're just trying to get some $#!+ stirred up.

 

[Killgore]

I love IA too, but Scorsese outdid it. The "excellent" ending you speak of was done better in The Departed as it came off more authentic. There was no big pause, no over dramatization and no slow music playing. It came off as more effective because it didn't have those things that IA had.

What I really find funny is your claim that IA had more depth. Not counting the sequels, we really don't know jack about Yan other than he's been undercover for ten years and hates it. In The Departed, we know Costigan exactly where Costigan comes from and we know why he's becoming a cop. We actually get to know Costigan, something IA didn't let us do with Yan. Hell, they even did the relationship between Costigan/Yan and Queenan/Wong better than IA.

And by the way, I was born before 1990 and I think The Departed is one of, if not Martin's best work. And yes, it's better than Casino.

Insightful and well thought out post. You've been here since 2002 and only have 44 posts? Content over count, eh?The hype is in desperate need of people such as yourself to post more often.

 

[Warhammer]

The Departed is average. Infernal Affairs is better than this movie in every way. The original had more depth the two protags had been undercover for a decade. Lau was a cop, and Leung was a gangster. The Departed turned the excellent ending from the first into a bad snl sketch. This is not anywhere near goodfellas, or even casino. Dicaprio was great, every one else was not. Jack was just horrible. Seriously how does a guy like that even stay in power. He was just way to over the top. I also like how the writer felt the need to pay "homage" to IF by including that terrible "hey let's all laugh at the chinese gang scene". No one born before 1990 should think this movie is anything special. It's good to see MS get back to his roots, but let's not get carried away.

Dog, I'm sorry, but you need a better critique.
To say that IA is superior to this is one thing, but to say that this movie is average is just crazy.

Whatever floats your boat, though...

 

[The Chairman]

Edit

 

[The Chairman]

Since I'm too tired to come up with an original response, here's a repeat of my post defending the film from a few nights ago:

Well, for starters the cast of the movie is incredible. Scorsese has a knack for bringing out the best in the actors he chooses for his roles, and The Departed is no exception. Many people agree that this is the finest work by DiCaprio as well as Wahlberg, and I know a lot of people who held Matt Damon in much higher regard after seeing the movie, including myself. Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen and even Jack Nicholson, all long time renowned veteran in the movie industry, turned in some of the best work of their careers.

Secondly, the pacing is great for a film that lasts over 2 hours. This has always been a trademark of Scorsese's. Goodfellas and Casino, both of which are over 2 hours long (Casino is a minute shy of being a full 3 hours), never seem to be as long as they really are, and The Departed is the same. Scorsese makes every moment in the film lively and exciting, and there's never a dull moment. Few directors pace their film btter than Scorsese's.

Next, while the plot may not seem revolutionary at first, it's still one of the best written in recent years. The parallel between Costigan and Sullivan is incredibly conceived, and the character development (always a a strong point with Scrosese) unfolds seemlessly.

Add to that it has the usual excellent editing from Thelma Schoonmaker as well as a fantastic soundtrack (another signature element to a lot of Scorsese's best movies namely Goodfellas and Casino), and The Departed truly is worthy of all its acclaim.

Revolutionary? Well, not quite. But it's definitely a masterpiece, no question there.

There's my argument.

 

[JackBauer]

Dog, I'm sorry, but you need a better critique.
To say that IA is superior to this is one thing, but to say that this movie is average is just crazy.

Whatever floats your boat, though...

the guy's a (or maybe THE) Michael Bay fan. finding masterpieces like this average is expected.

 

[The Chairman]

the guy's a (or maybe THE) Michael Bay fan. finding masterpieces like this average is expected.

Exactly. He shouldn't be taken seriously.

 

[Killgore]

He also claims that Scream is a classic, and that Peter jackson is overrated.

 

[JackBauer]

dunno about GR, as I haven't seen it, but yeah, someone who thinks Departed didn't have depth and thought Bad Boys was about race relations or some s#!t like should just lay off the pipe.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Everyone calm down in here

 

[Halofan1]

He also claims that Scream is a classic, and that Peter jackson is overrated.

I appreciate the compliment you gave me earlier, but I agree that Jackson is overrated to a degree. He can make a good film, but I wasn't particularly blown out of my seat with the Lord of the Rings films as a whole.

Jackson isn't a Michael Bay case where he just completely sucks, I just don't think Jackson is "brilliant" and "innovative".

 

[Hades]

I seen this movie a few days ago.

It was ****ing awesome.

Seriously liked it alot...more then I thought I would.

and the music was freakin' awesome also

That's about as in depth of a review you're going to get from me....