Wannabe tough. Wannabe cool. Missing excellence. And I DID expect excellence from such a star cast. Could have been a lot better..., but it is still OK though

Rating: 7/10 (17 October 2019)

2 snitches try to rat out each other. 1 good snitch (Di Caprio) is inside the mob. 1 bad snitch (Matt Damon) is inside the police force. Whose cover will be blown first? That's the whole story.
A copy is often never as good as the original. This movie is a copy of the original "Infernal Affairs" (2002), which is a much more subtle, refined detective movie. The difference in attitude is enormous. "Infernal Affairs" is especially to be recommended for the arthouse movie fans and for those who find the many swearing and violent scenes obnoxious in The Departed. The original "Infernal Affairs" is a gentleman's detective, where one outsmarts the other with a smile and a polite, yet deadly insult. "The Departed" on the contrary is all about vulgarity and looking macho through acts of violence. What a world of difference.
Something keeps nagging at me every time I see this copy with such a terrific star cast. What do I miss? I miss excellence. And I DID expect excellence with such a terrific star cast. Matt Damon is definitely miscast. Matt Damon is always known to be the good guy in all his other movie roles, but now he has to play a snitch, a homophobic ruthless killer. That role just doesnt look convincing, although Damon tries his best. The other actors are good in their roles, but somehow I miss chemistry between them. For that lack of chemistry I blame the director Scorsese.
Not every Scorsese picture has to be a brilliant classic, but when a director tries to make such a grand, star powered gangster movie, he better deliver the product. He missed the mark of excellence though. But even when Scorsese doesnt excel, it is still worthwhile the watch, with such great acting talents, therefore I will still reward it with 7 stars. It could have been a lot better though...