Solid crime thriller delights

Rating: 8/10 (2 June 2014)

I liked this film a lot - there's a lot to like about it - but I want to address the minor concerns I had with it first.
In honesty, they're the usual problems I have with the more recent Scorsese films. Much like Shutter Island, there's a twist at the end (although admittedly far less important to the narrative as a whole) that was actually fairly predictable. He seems to be obsessed with throwing something in there just to convince the audience (and maybe himself) that he's very clever and in truth the stuff he comes up with isn't as clever as he thinks it is. The other is the creeping sexism again - the female characters are cardboard cutout plot devices and again he thinks he can 'even it out' by throwing a penis in there (that shouldn't be a spoiler if you know Scorsese), but no, it doesn't work like that, and the penis is pointless.
But despite all that, it was not enough to ruin my thorough enjoyment of this movie. The story is very strong and actually gives you plenty of plot twists and turns (which just make it more frustrating as to why he thought he needed to put in that obvious end twist), and the lead performances are judged expertly by Leonardo Di Caprio and Matt Damon. I'm not a fan of either Jack Nicholson nor Mark Wahlberg, but they're convincing here in their respective roles as the sleazy crime boss and the bad cop.
The double agent setup plays out fantastically well and kept me entertained and curious throughout, and even when it is slightly predictable, it's just done so well that I didn't even mind. There's not actually much else to say without giving something away other than a recommendation to go and see it if you want a well paced, thoroughly entertaining crime thriller. 8/10.