Great Lover

Rating: 8/10 (6 March 2007)

***This comment does have spoilers!!!****
This movie was like a fine dinner, real enjoyable, parts of it delicious and just long enough. I honestly thought that Leo DiCaprio is an excellent actor, and even though I'm sure that that's been obvious to many people before, I really just saw it for the first time in this movie, how complex, and realistic his acting is. His expressions in so many scenes are just straight on. There's one thing about the movie that I really liked, and something that I found a little hard to swallow.
First of all, I loved the contrast of the guy you hate, versus the guy you love. Leo is of course the one we love and root for. I wasn't really sure if Matt Damon's character (Sullivan) was despicable, until it was shown in the light of his relationship with Madolyn. Because both guys had a relationship with her, it enabled the writer or director to show their differences. Sullivan (Damon) doesn't want her picture hung in his house, so he makes some lame excuse and puts it away in the bedroom. Apparently she brings it home, probably feeling quite rejected (should be a huge red flag for her, but she ignores it) but then when Castigan (DiCaprio) shows up, unannounced, it's the first thing he notices. He picks the picture up gently, and tells her that he knows that it's her. Then, instead of putting it back on the table, he spots a little nail in the wall, and hangs it there. He does the complete opposite of Sullivan.
Also, in the conversation that Sullivan is having with Costello (Nicholson's character), the (particular) pleasure that Sullivan gets from Madolyn is referenced to, whereas when DiCaprio finally shows up at Madolyn's house, and they make love, it looks like it's going to be (or start out, at least) with him, lovingly making HER happy. He's giving, grateful and attentive, as opposed to the cold Sullivan. The camera cuts away just in time, and I think that love scene was very well done. Having "comfortably numb" playing in the background, also made it very emotional, and sweet. I don't know who that vocalist was, but I didn't mind that it wasn't Pink Floyd. It's a great song, any which way you slice it. Also, the fact that a real life looking actress was utilized, without obviously enhanced breasts and lips, is movie making at it's best. I just loved those contrasts, and also the way DiCaprio was so "vulnerable", as she put it.
I was, however, just the tiniest bit uncomfortable with the question of Sullivan's sexual orientation. Whether he was straight, but had (what they call now)ED, or whether he was gay, and using her as a cover to look straight, was a little unfair in my opinion. He is our "bad guy", so I guess I felt like especially in our day of political correctness, to make the bad guy impotent on top of everything, or gay, was a little risky. But then again, the movie's about tough bad guys back east, so I guess that being gay wouldn't be too welcome with that group of thugs. I think it took some balls for Scorsese to do that. Couldn't he be criticized for that? I have not seen the other movie which this story is based on, so I can't compare the two. But, I also felt that the rise of Sullivan in the dept. was a bit rushed, and unrealistic. He wouldn't be the only guy with a spic and span record, yet he was promoted to this elite unit. That didn't set too well with me. Other than that, I thought it was really great. The lame DVD I had gave out at one point, and I had to fast forward to get past the blip, so maybe I missed why Madolyn decided to stay with Sullivan, instead of the very sexy Castigan. Also, Alec Baldwin had a few funny lines, delivered well. And Mark Walburg's character was unchanging, but satisfying, in the end. I recommend this movie for adult viewing, if you like good cops and robbers stories, and don't mind a bunch of blood, and 4 letter words.