A Pointless Police-Gangster Movie

Rating: 6/10 (20 March 2007)

I haven't watched Infernal Affairs. I watched The Departed and The Departed alone. And I watched it twice to see whats there in this movie. It has all the hardcore elements of any gangster movie which could have only come from the master of gangster movies - Martin Scorsese, and no one else. What I don't understand is, why even the idea of a gangster extends to the Police Department. I don't expect to see a clean police but they don't seem much different from the gangsters portrayed in this film. Extremely shameful dialogues. The wits were cool and enjoyable though, throughout the movie.
Jack Nicholson has done one of the most irritating roles I have ever seen. He didn't act. He has lived his role. Thats the mark of a great actor like him. He has done it excellent. Even though, the role given to him is too irritating for a movie-goer. It made me wanna look elsewhere when he came on-screen.
Matt Damon has done really well. I have high respects for him since Ripley and Bourne. His expressions are natural but sometimes he seems to be quite confused of his role, which I believe any actor would feel if they are given such a script and such a character.
DiCaprio is wonderful. His role absolutely suits him. I think he is the only one in the movie who must felt comfortable with what was given to him and enjoyed doing it. He shines throughout the movie from an after-school trooper to a beaten-up statie on the roof top.
Mark Wahlberg should have turned down this offer. Swearing and too much swearing. Any guy could have done his role. He is a great actor but he is wasted in this movie.
As far as the movie is concerned, its well made. Top notch direction and cinematography. The script and screenplay are too shaky. Some of the dialogues are tried to sound like Pulp Fiction or Goodfellas. But none of them carry any interesting message. Most of them are, in two words, boring and pointless. Its really difficult to believe that someone who made a masterpiece like Casino could make The Departed and that too after so many years of experience.
I consider Casino and Goodfellas as two of the greatest and purest gangster movies of all time. Scorsese has excelled in both of them. I really wonder why should he have done this movie after all. I am glad to see that it has gone to IMDb #71. I am also glad to see a lot of people liking this movie. I only wish I could share their affection for it.
Watch it once. You may like it for the multi-mega-starrer aspect, Scorsese's masterful direction and for the suspense in the end. But you may not like it for the movie on the whole. The only question which I had at the end of the second screening was why this movie got the Best Picture Oscar. Some of you might feel the same, some of you might not. I'll leave it up to you.
The Departed should have never been started.