Everyone near the top of their game

Rating: 7/10 (6 October 2006)

This is, well, everyone, from Scorsese to the terrific cast to the outstanding writing, near or at the top of their game. First off, the story works for me. Being a remake of Infernal Affairs, the intricate and tricky juxtaposition of good and bad cops has already had a shake out; Scorsese wisely stays out of the way of a clever ballet of characters.
As good as the story is, this movie is really about the characters. And, given actors of the caliber of Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio, those characters are fleshed out to the point of bursting. This is Nicholson in his prime, the Leonardo of the serious acting chops and Matt Damon filling out what could be a thankless role beyond the brim. Vera Farminga who is ideally cast as the person who anchors this cops and robbers world to the larger universe the rest of us inhabit. Mark Wahlberg and Martin Sheen are terrific, creating multidimensional people from what might otherwise have been one-dimensional stock characters. And if nothing else, Alec Baldwin has a great time with his part.
In a quick two and a half hours this movie moves briskly, and the finish is a sprint that will leave you breathless.
Personally this movie compares favorably to the best films I've seen in the past two or three years. Go see it -- you won't be sorry.
(NOTE: this movie has been described in other reviews as pretty gory, and while there aren't many blood splatters left on the cutting room floor, its not as bad as you might think.)