Average Scorsese - which means it's still a fine film, just not one of his best

Rating: 8/10 (9 October 2006)

Scorsese's long-awaited remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. Infernal Affairs was a good film, but it always seemed to me like a gimmick, and more like a skeleton of a film than a real film. Scorsese predictably fleshes it out so it doesn't seem as much like just a good concept. The actors add a lot to it, too (though the Hong Kong actors, including Andy Lau and Tony Leung, were very good, as well). I don't think it stands anywhere near Scorsese's best work myself. It doesn't carry near the weight of Goodfellas, for instance. It starts to get a little silly near the end, and the director makes a few really bad choices Â– especially including that awful image in the final shot. That's just plain embarrassing film-making. And that's not to mention the awful choice the filmmakers made to change a certain part of the ending of Infernal Affairs - the original is definitely stronger in that respect. Of the actors, my favorite was Mark Wahlberg. Matt Damon comes in second, and DiCaprio third. Nicholson has a lot of fun as the gangster. The best comparison with previous Jack performances is actually the Joker from Burton's first Batman movie. Alec Baldwin has probably the most memorable moment, where he expresses his love for the Patriot Act. Well worth seeing, but definitely not best-of-the-year material. I would rank it quite below Scorsese's previous two films from this decade, The Aviator and Gangs of New York.