The prodigal clone fails to impress

Rating: 2/10 (15 November 2006)

Why Martin Scorsese never gets an Oscar for such monumental efforts of his? Let's try to find the answer from his latest blockbuster, THE DEPARTED. People keep comparing this movie with Infernal Affairs. I say, it's pointless. If it was meant to be a 100% loyal adaptation of another movie of lower budget and higher fame, why do we need Mr. Scorsese at all? Simple game.
4 players. The police, the boss, the police's rat, the boss's rat. The star cast puts some of the most successful movies of all time to identity crisis. But, what do stars do really? They follow the rules set by the director. Some stars have such a charisma of their own that it shines above the director's rule. But, Oscar or no Oscar, Mr. Scorsese is damn good at that! Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen... what are they doing in the movie? Martin Sheen says "you mugs got a light?". Alec Baldwin is even better "He's usually a nice guy!" and the usual nice guy has no scope of acting apart from saying FU** so many times that the scriptwriter himself lost count. Leonardo DiCaprio is pretty good, and so is Matt Damon. But there is no charm in their roles. They're like machines. Acting and acting like there is no tomorrow. The people of good old days didn't do so good because they simply were better actors. But because they enjoyed the atmosphere, tasted the character, felt the charm. This "charm" is missing in here. But, Mr. Scorsese says, when a loaded gun is pointed at you, what's the difference?
I have seen innumerable love scenes, both suggestive and explicit, in movies made in a dozen languages. Some were good, some not so good. But comfortably numb was never a good choice for the scene in this movie. Moreover, the scene is baseless. First, a successful detective knocks you and hits on you and you end up with a "very serious relationship" with him. Before the relation sees the completion of its 4th month, a police academy dropout asks you for coffee and eventually you end up with an apparently equally serious relationship with him too! Was the lady a psychiatrist? How could she come this far in her profession like that? Later, in the same movie, she finds out one of the dirtiest truths in town and gets furious in anger why? Because she realizes she's not that good with fooling people! In a family/psychological drama, this might have gone without consequence. But here? Are you kidding me?!
There are, however, good moments in the movie. Most of the scenes involving Jack Nicholson are very enjoyable always. He was kind of obvious choice for the role because after such a career, and such acting excellence, he is capable of playing this role even without taking a look at the script! But then again, just like gorgeous heroes, gorgeous villains should also be offered an end worthy of remembrance. The only deterministic character in the movie was denied that even.
Apart from the fact that murder of such a high ranking police official who controls all the undercover agents in town could not go uninquired, the movie is full of situations that fail to convince. Still such movies make a load of fortune quite often. But, there is nothing in this movie worthy of an award for the director's charisma.