Not Original!!

Rating: 7/10 (21 October 2006)

Did the whole web page forget to state that the only reason this film is so good is that it's based on the hit Hong Kong film that later expanded into a trilogy? That is, in many people's opinion, still the best of the two? This film borrows way too many scenes and ideas from the original movie to attempt to be original in itself. Granted, the acting is excellent, but so were Andy Lau, Tony Leung and Anthony Wong from the original, against which I would say everyone but Leo DiCaprio just pales against. Also, the mirrored scenes lack the same punch as the original precisely because this is a Scorsese film. Characters die without the same punch to our guts; the same emotional shock that the original film's slow and music-heavy moments deliver, and that is it's greatest flaw as a character-driven film. I mean, the last scene * SPOILER * where three characters died consecutively * END OF SPOILER * drew more laughs from the audience than gasps! This, with the rushed ending that stinks of 'Aviator' lowered my opinion of Martin Scorsese, but my opinion on Leo just rose :D