Martin Scorsese meets Guy Ritchie and Boondock Saints ... spectacular!

Rating: 10/10 (12 November 2006)

Wow ... first off ... wow. I just got home from seeing this film not an hour ago and still I'm struggling to describe this movie with words more descriptive than ... wow. I'd first like to point out that I'm not a Scorsese fanatic who will instantly love anything he puts on the screen (as I am with some directors) I've seen only two of his films the Aviator which I liked and Gangs of New York which I did not. I'm also not a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio however I don't mind him when hes working under a good director.
My first thoughts after seeing this film were "its the great film-making of Martin Scorsese with a complicated twist laden plot line of Guy Ritchie (Snatch and Lock stock and two Smoking Barrels) set in the backdrop of Boondock Saints and Goodwill Hunting (Boston)". This movie although very unapologetically violent is, funny (something I was not at all expecting) the dialog as well as the situations are so funny that many times in the theatre I was hysteric with laughter, very loudly and in the theatre I might add and I was not the only one its not very often that an audience in a theatre is so captured by a film that you can hear its collective uninhibited reactions to every funny line or plot twist but that was the case with this film.
The story itself is brilliant very very interesting. The Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mob both have moles deep in the other organization and let the mole hunts begin! The two sides are a negative and positive for one another and the mirroring and reflection that goes on between them is phenomenal.
The acting was superb everyone was excellent the great cast of this film performed to its full potential. My favorites Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Martin Sheen were all at their best Matt Damon in particular was outstanding. Even Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin who I'm usually relatively indifferent to gave wonderful performances and yes even Leonardo DiCaprio was extremely good.
The music (something I notice very much in films) was exceptional there was music playing nearly the entire film and created the perfect atmosphere for every moment of the film. The piece that was most notable for me was "I'm shipping up to Boston" by the Dropkick Murphies. Ever since I've listened to them I've thought I would love to see them used in a film and with the exception of Boondock Saints this is the perfect film for them.
A warning to some as I mentioned before this film is unapologetically very violent and certainly requires one to have a stomach for that sort of thing.
All in all this is an extraordinary film I haven't been this excited about a film since I saw Munich several weeks ago. Enjoy!