Scorsese in his element.

Rating: 8/10 (31 January 2020)

Screenwriter William Monahan and filmmaker Martin Scorsese do *very* well here, adapting the 2002 Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs" for a North American audience. The nifty premise is that gangland boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson, in one of his last great roles and performances) has spent his time nurturing Colin Sullivan (played as an adult by Matt Damon), who's now his mole inside the State Department. At the same time, a newcomer to Franks' gang, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), is actually a detective so deep undercover that only his handlers (Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg) know that he's a cop. So we have both the cops and the crooks shaken by these obvious "plants" in their units.
This truly was ideal material for Scorsese, who understandably won an Academy Award for his fine direction. Although it seems awfully unwieldy at just over two and a half hours long, this viewer never lost interest in it. This is due to genuinely excellent storytelling, a great Boston, Mass. flavour, many colourful characters (and performances), and Scorsese's typically potent, visceral style. Granted, some viewers may not care for seeing some of this violence rendered digitally, but the script does take some interesting turns, and may even have a surprise or two in store for some viewers. The often profane dialogue is highly amusing, with Wahlberg having some of the choicest quips.
Scorsese works with a first-rate cast here (other luminaries include Alec Baldwin, Vera Farmiga, and Ray Winstone, and top character players like David O'Hara, Mark Rolston, and James Badge Dale). Nicholson electrifies in his charismatic latter-day performance. And DiCaprio is solid in the role of a man determined to overcome his sordid family history.
Overall, this is well worth a viewing to see a master filmmaker at work. It drops you right into the action (with a bit of back story); the title doesn't show up until almost 20 minutes in, and the vast majority of the credits are saved for the end.
Eight out of 10.