Martin Scorsese's film which won awards but divided critics

Rating: 7/10 (5 March 2007)

I came to this film, pleased that Martin had won awards at the recent Academy Awards night. For him, this was confirmation of what most of us already knew: that he is a brilliant and innovative director and should have got his awards years ago.
I have seen a number of Scorsese films, namely Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Gangs of New York, and now this. For me, this is not one of his best. It is a long, drawn out familiar territory type of film which takes a brilliant plot, that of divided loyalties in a police department and runs with it. DiCaprio, Damon, Wahlberg, Sheen and Farmiga are all brilliant whereas Nicholson plays himself with a performance similar to that in the Witches of Eastwick, ie unpleasant, full of expletives, especially towards women and his relationship with them and something akin to how you imagine the devil to be. For me, he was far too way over the top and a little more restraint from Scorsese could have reigned Nicholson in to give another brilliant performance.
What lets this film down is not the story or plot or players. It is the script. As seems to be the trend nowadays, there is a lot of swearing and sexual swearing in this film. Two films seemed to do this excessively, one being Inside Man and this one. I am aware that a streetwise police officer and cop in America and gangland hoodlums will indulge in a lot of swearing and general profanity but why can't films have something better to say? This film could have gotten away with far less profanity and a lot less of the references to female bodily parts and female specific bodily functions than it did. It would not have made the film any less watchable. For me, it speaks of lazy writing and implies that the women in this film are second class citizens and they are not. Even although there is a very good role for a woman in this film, the implication is that women are second fiddle. This seems to play out a lot in Scorsese's films. My advice to Scorsese is: employ a brilliant female actress of which there are numerous and give her something really good to say and do and don't make her a prostitute.
Finally, there is an outstanding performance from DiCaprio in this film. Talk about maturity! DiCaprio has well and truly buried his pretty boy image in this film by far. He delivers the tense, lonely performance of a man who doesn't really know who his friends are and anyone he can trust. Damon, too is excellent. As the duplicitious Sullivan, he delivers a performance not unlike that of another character - that of Mr Riley. One minute, you like Sullivan, the next, you realise you've backed the wrong horse.
One key thing about this film is the little details. This is a film you have to concentrate with, otherwise things are missed.