Nothing but quality

Rating: 10/10 (17 July 2008)

This film is one of the best films I have ever seen. It has made multiple top 10 list sand has won 4 Academy Awards, but this is not why I was drawn to this film. Scorsese directed it but thats not why I wanted 2 see it. I went to see this film because I wanted to see the cast. Di Caprio, Damon, M. Sheen, Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin and of course Jack Nicholson made me think that even a shoddy script that has been rendered from a Chinese classic would make for a decent and worthy film.
The film surprised me as it was more than decent. 20 minutes in and i was on the edge my seat. i was completely immersed in the film. The film was fantastic to watch. The cast was fantastic, the direction was stunning and the script was top drawer quality.
The film successfully shows the effect of being a mole in some sort of organization on different people. Billy Costigan, the undercover cop, is constantly in a battle of wits with a criminal genius. He respects his foe, this is shown by his multiple acknowledgments of his abilities. An example of this is the scene at the bar in which Costello tries to figure out whether Billy is the rat. Billy shows a sign of fear which gives the audience a sense that he knows that Costello is on to him. Colin is different he isn't battling peoples wits he is simply manipulating peoples actions and ideas on criminals, often he is following Costello's orders. Where these two show their biggest difference is their goals. Billy is all about bringing Costello down despite the bonds which seem to grow between them. However Colin gets agitated with Costello and changes his goal from aiding Costello to bringing him down. This is one of the reasons I fell in love with this film.
Another reason is the direction Scorsese uses slow motion, shadows and steady-cam sequences for dramatic effect brilliantly. The shot of Capt. Queenen (M. Sheen) being thrown off the building is heart stopping, this effect is achieved bu the slow motion. I don't think anyone in the cinema didn't say "oh my God" at that moment. much kudos to his director of photography for composing the shots so well.
Overall this is one of the best films ever made. A worthy remake of Infernal, in my opinion, despite what has been said on these boards. The film is as good as Goodfellas and Taxi Driver, what I consider to be Scorsese's best films.