Excellent direction with a so-so script

Rating: 10/10 (14 March 2007)

While I think that The Departed is a tour-de-force of brilliant acting and direction, this movie is merely a good adaptation of another movie from Hong Kong, Mou gaan dou (2002).
It's a hard sell sometimes, I think that the cat-and-mouse does not quite pan out in many scenes, and I believe that there are many faults in the overall script. Without trying to give anything away, many of the relationships and resolutions become infuriating towards the end. As soon as the final act starts, many clichés happen that unfortunately hurt the movie.
I was almost bored at the end, and unfortunately Matt Damon overshadows much of this film with quite possibly the worst re-hash of his Bostonian accent possible. I felt like I was in Goodwill Hunting II - hunting season.
Mark Walhberg is completely underused and had some of the most genuine acting.
DiCaprio is excellent, although a bit ham-handed at times.
Jack Nicohlson was made for this movie - he really embodies everything mafia and more. Props to Jack - he could have entertained me with doing a load of laundry.
All in all The Departed is a great gangster movie - a little confusing, but being long on acting and direction and cinematography makes up for being a tad short in clarity and content.
This is a must see for anyone who really appreciates twists and turns and a lot of violence and depravity.