Not as bad or as good as advertised

Rating: 4/10 (8 March 2007)

I have not seen Infernal Affairs, so can make no comparisons. The Departed is far from Scorsese's best work. The actors are uniformly good, including the minor characters. Ultimately, I could really see no point to the movie. It is much too long, padded by scenes which are unnecessary to the story-line and are just distracting. I was attracted to the plot. A cop undercover in the mob is old news and a cop who is on the take is also, but both in the same story is good stuff. Unfortunately, there is no character who is sufficiently in focus. The scene where Costigan is trailing Sullivan does not show anyone else dressed the way they are and so when Sullivan kills the wrong guy (dressed in ball cap and hooded sweat) it is not only a cliché but no surprise. The only criticism I have of the acting is the constant and annoying way the actors' accents vary, frequently within the same scene. I have never been in Boston (but really like Dennis Lehane's books) but do fancy high-rise apartments really have rats running across the balconies? Saying this movie is great because it won the Oscar is not meaningful: in my opinion this is not the best movie of 2006, or any other year.