In the future, I tell ya to do a thing, you f*cking do it, you got that?

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2014)

I started my day with 2046. I won't recommend that film to any but fans of Tony Leung, Li Gong, and Ziyi Zhang. The music was excellent and Tony Leung's performance was spellbinding, but the movie was hard to follow. I only mention Tony Leung because his performance in Mou gaan dou was on my mind as I watched The Departed, which is a remake of that film.
I wish I had a copy with me to watch again and remind me of why it is such a favorite, but I have seen it enough times to know that it still stand above the new version.
I just couldn't wait any longer, so I bought my copy yesterday and sat down with some chips to watch. Leonardo DiCaprio was magnificent. I have never been a big fan of Leonardo. I really liked him in Gangs of New York and Catch Me If You Can, but this performance was over the top.
Having said that, I can't really think of another character's performance in The Departed that is worth mentioning. It ran 50 minutes longer than Mou gaan dou and the extra time was really a waste as it did not add anything to the film.
The setup in the beginning was really a bore. Scorcese did so much better work in Gangs of New York and Goodfellas, one of my favorite films. I really don't see him winning an Oscar for this film, though they will probably give it to him for ignoring his earlier and better work.