Scorsese's best since "Casino" is a masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2006)

This is Martin Scorsese's best film since "Casino" and another classic to add to the director's incredible oeuvre. It signifies the return of the brilliant director to the streets he knows so well. A remake of "Infernal Affairs", a great Hong Kong film, it sticks closely to the plot of its source, but it pumps greater depth into all the characters and is a harsher, grittier piece. Every sequence is stamped with Scorsese's sizzling hot, take-no-prisoners style, and every music cue is inspired. The performances, from Ray Winstone's Mr. French to Leonardo de Caprio's Billy Costigan to Matt Damon's Colin Sullivan to Mark Wahlberg's Dignam are superb. This is Caprio's break-out movie and I loved him in this. He carries a large burden on his shoulders, but he carries it with total conviction and finally busts out of his Pretty Boy bubble. Also worth noting is Alec Baldwin's killer turn as the gruff, no-nonsense Ellerby and Vera Farmiga's pitch perfect performance as the police psychologist who takes her work very personally. Michael Baullhaus, who also shot "Goodfellas", creates stunning, organic visuals. Thelma Schoonmaker, who cuts every one of Scorsese's films, delivers a masterpiece of clarity and visual kinetics. Everything works here. Everything resonates. Everything means something. Everything pays off. The film is a textbook example of how to make a film with substance. And how refreshing it was to see a film not filled to the gills with flashy cutting and ostentatious camera-work. This is dynamite film-making that feels like a return to the dirt, grime and psychological insanity of "Mean Streets".