Bad acting, non-existent character development, confusing plot.

Rating: 1/10 (15 November 2006)

First of all, I must say this is THE worst Martin Scorsese movie I have ever seen. I usually like Scorsese's movie, but this one is the first one I have encounter that totally blow me away in its awfulness.
My first problem with The Departed is the casting. They got a bunch of baby-face fruitcakes like Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Anthony Anderson and Mark Wahlberg which totally throws the suspension of disbelief out of the window. It is like watching a bunch of boy scouts playing cops and robbers - None of them look like cops - more like boy scouts.
Secondly, the acting, is just wooden. There is no subtlety in the acting, and they try to cover that up by over-acting, and constant swearing. (Perhaps it is to make them look more "mature" for their part.) Now, about the plot, it is pretty thin, and confusing at times, lacks clarity or resolve. The several scenes made me cringe, particularly when Jack Nicholson tries to torture Leonardo DiCaprio, it just seems totally unbelievable after Jack Nicholson violently tortured DiCaprio and he trusted him AGAIN!!
Now, about Matt Damon's acting in this movie, it is pretty god damn bad. In fact, what acting!!?? Matt Damon just doesn't emote at all!! He is as souless and as wooden as a robot. It is extremely wooden as if he is the living proof that Pinocchio exist!
Leonardo's acting is more of his usual self, pretty boy in distress with endless whinings to anyone who would lend his ears to him - but in this movie, he seems particularly out of place. The character development lacks subtle internal conflicts presented in the original character so involving and multi-dimensional.
Jack Nicholson is just his usual sly scoundrel self. Totally uninspiring acting. Same goes with Martin Sheen's super stiff acting. Anthony Anderson is totally mis-casted in this movie as if he is a comic relief (and yet there is nothing comic about it)
The character development and inter-character dynamics are almost non-existent between the two rivaling characters (Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon) it is as if they are in two separate movies. The movie not only lacks any subtlety but blatantly plays up the caricatures of what we perceived as "mafia" - loud mouth constantly swearing goons - it is both extremely cliché and uninteresting.
The plot is also pretty confusing due to extremely bad direction, it lacks focus, and the camera work is also chaotic and uninteresting.