Very smart, well made movie

Rating: 8/10 (14 February 2007)

My roommate recently purchased this movie the day it came out on DVD. I had regretted not seeing it in theaters and I jumped at the chance to finally witness the film that many people call the best of the year. This film is great! I get really mad at movies that resort to tired plots and twists that you can see a mile away and this didn't fall into those traps. Scorcese has made an intense, riveting crime drama with some superb acting. Nicholson was his usual manic self and Walberg and Damon did well indeed but I was blown away by DiCaprio's tortured performance. He really seemed like a man on the brink who was under way too much stress for one person to handle. The screenplay of this movie was really well written and Scorcese didn't rush any of the events, keeping me guessing as to what might happen until the very end. The scene where Leo's character chases Damon in the alleyways of South Boston stood out as very intense and you never feel like any character is safe. I highly recommend people who haven't seen this movie at least rent it. I did not give the full 10 stars because I want to see if the movie stands up to repeated viewings, then I will feel safe calling it a classic. Scorcese is one of the very best directors out there today!