Remakes are seldom as good as the original

Rating: 8/10 (18 February 2007)

I started my day with 2046. I won't recommend that film to any but fans of Tony Leung (Mou gaan dou, Ying xiong), Li Gong (Miami Vice, Memoirs of a Geisha) and Ziyi Zhang Memoirs of a Geisha, Ying xiong). The music was excellent and Tony Leung's performance was spellbinding, but the movie was hard to follow.
I only mention Tony Leung because his performance in Mou gaan dou was on my mind as I watched The Departed, which is a remake of that film. I wish I had a copy with me to watch again and remind me of why it is such a favorite, but I have seen it enough times to know that it still stand above the new version.
I just couldn't wait any longer, so I bought my copy yesterday and sat down with some chips to watch. Leonardo DiCaprio was magnificent. I have never been a big fan of Leonardo. I really liked him in Gangs of New York and Catch Me If You Can, but this performance was over the top. Having said that, I can't really think of another character's performance in The Departed that is worth mentioning. It ran 50 minutes longer than Mou gaan dou and the extra time was really a waste as it did not add anything to the film. The setup in the beginning was really a bore. Scorcese did so much better work in Gangs of New York and Goodfellas, one of my favorite films. I really don't see him winning an Oscar for this film, though they will probably give it to him for ignoring his earlier and better work.