Fantastic tense, complicated, well-acted, dark mob movie

Rating: 10/10 (11 January 2007)

Great movie. Scorsese back on familiar footing. We are definitely seeing him from his good side here. He even uses "Gimme Shelter" in the soundtrack as he did in "Goodfellas". If it ain't broke right? And he elicits Leo DiCaprio's best performance since.....well, from what I've heard though I haven't seen it, The Basketball Diaries ('95). Anyway, the movie is a re-make of a Hong Kong flick named Wu jian dao (2002), English title "Infernal Affairs" and one of the screenwriters in the original, Siu Fai Mak, gets a writing credit in this one too.
The story is about two moles, both undercover, one in the mob (DiCaprio), and one in the police force (Damon). They come to learn about one another, not their specific identities, but at least of the existence of one another, and they become gradually more intent on exposing the identity of the other knowing that their identity might soon be revealed. It is a fantastic movie, nicely nuanced and appropriately complex without losing the thrill of the chase. Scorsese paces the movie energetically and with enough regard for fleshing out his characters as well. Jack Nicholson is fantastic, revealing all of the characteristics that have made him so vulnerable to parody in recent years but simultaneously offering those very features which have made him a legend. This is a fine performance and he deserves an Oscar nomination, as does DiCaprio, who, playing the young man from the wrong side of the tracks, ultimately shows himself to be more upright than Damon (excellent as usual)'s widely respected, but ultimately treacherous cop. Fantastic supporting turns from Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, and Vera Farmiga as the woman caught between the two moles.
This film was deservedly placed on many Top Ten lists of the best of the year pictures. It is a fantastic movie and stands up to repeated viewings which you will most likely desire in order, possibly, to trace the machinations of the movie. The movie is not that complicated though, so you may just want to go to recognize some of the best movie-making around.