Pathetic Plagiarism

Rating: 5/10 (18 January 2007)

This movie simply doesn't compare with its original Hong Kong version "Infernal Affairs" (IA).
The plot line of this movie always reminds me of a Chinese proverb which goes:"Hua she tian zu." literally meaning "to add some feet to the drawing of a snake". That's the way the script goes and it creates a MONSTER. In the original trilogy, the Buddhist philosophy of suffering is well-depicted through the story of the mole and informant. The cop's informant didn't die in the end, but he definitely suffers more than the departed mole. He lives a life in a deep state of remorse. However, the newly adapted ending of this movie doesn't seem to be any clever to me. In fact, it looks more like the feet added to a snake, which ruin the whole picture.
The cinematography of IA far surpasses that of The Departed. The tone of the picture is in grey and blue which arouses the feeling of depression and helplessness. While in this "plagiarized" version, the scene is much less impressive, less organized and difficult to relate to.
One more thing I'd like to point out is that I value the pacing and suspense more than anything else in a thriller. However, The Departed fail to inherit the flawless and breathtaking style of IA and what I've seen is a bunch of whiny and ill-tempered guys throwing swear words to each other all the time. What a shame! In a thriller, the editing and music generally speak louder than words. and Scorses obviously has failed to understand that.
My rating: 5/10