Jaw dropping fantastic

Rating: 10/10 (12 October 2006)

And yes my jaw did actually drop on a number of occasions throughout this film as I witnessed one of the finest films produced by Scorcese and in the gangster genre in a long time.
Scorcese is back doing what he does best: creating gritty, uncompromising urban dramas that centre around tough working class boys, playing men, who continually vie, simultaneously, for both your affections and loathing.
The pace of this film, (noteably because of the deliberately abrupt style of Scorcese's editor Thelma Schoonmaker) leaves you reeling, as does the dialogue that is layered with Boston street and cop slang as the characters continually use each other as punch bags, both physically and verbally. The casting is superb and each actor cranks up their macho and prowess to give 100% to their characters, probably aware that as a Scorcese film, their every word and action will be taken apart and mimicked.
What separates Scorcese from his contemporaries in this film and indeed in this genre is that he allows the characters to have layers, each man pitting his wits against the other in attempt to achieve whatever it is they are searching for, both personally and professionally. That sounds a little deep, but it is rare in todays saturated market of "gansgta" movies and the false image of urban culture that the mainstream movie industry is forcing down everyones throats, to have characters from tough areas to be portrayed as scared, comical, stupid, evil, good, courageous and real all at the same time.
I already want to see this film again and I only saw it last night