It's an OK film

Rating: 5/10 (20 October 2006)

I see that I am one of the few who didn't think this film was the best thing since sliced bread. Having seen the original I knew that the ending wasn't going to be a surprise but I was a little shocked by what I did see. Obviously some form of retribution was needed, why I don't know as it kinda ruined it for me.
Maybe I'm getting old but I found that there was just a bit too much swearing for me. I don't usually care about that sort of thing, but I found it just a bit too much and off putting. It made me think that the script writer was a 12 year old who thought that saying "f*ck" after every other word is "cool man!" The whole film left me wanting...wanting for what? Sympathy. What made the original so good was it's sadness and how you felt for the main characters. You did for Leo of course and at least they kept that. But Mat Damon character was a t*ss-pot, a homophopic numbskull and that ruined it for me. What about gritty realism I hear you say? Well yes this version is set in Boston as instead of Hong Kong so there are a lot of differences but I thought the point of the film was that both Leo and Mat wanted normal live. Mr Damons character seemed to enjoy his role a little too much.
Mark Walburg was great even with that really bad hair, I enjoyed his character to a point. Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin were great too I really liked them. Jack Nicholson? Dare I say this aloud? I didn't like him at all, he was his usual type cast over sexed over dosed self and it was boring. He added nothing to the film and it concentrated too much on him too, he should have been a side character giving the orders. The though of him getting "c*nt" was just as sickening as hearing your parents do it at night. It's wrong and sick and we shouldn't have to put up with such nonsense! If it wasn't based on Infernal Affairs it would have been better. But it was and I think that it was rather bizarre that the script writer didn't watch the film just read the transcript....
Anyway my advise is make up your own mind, but do see the original it's charming and funny. But see this version too it's not bad if a little OTT at times.