Sizzling acting ensemble overkills in the bone-crunching-hard department of cop movies.

Rating: 6/10 (17 January 2007)

Now, this looked a sumptuous feast on the menu indeed, considering the people involved! And it's certainly a sizzling acting ensemble piece in the bone-crunching-hard department of cop & mob movies. No cinematic delight, though, as director Scorsese focuses entirely on the characters: plenty of dialog, the huge cast seems to crowd every frame, and the dead bodies keep adding up... watch out, sensitive folks, violent it is!
The cat & mouse- game crime story itself, of undercover moles on both sides of the law, is kept on edgy, high-octane energy in spite of lengthy running time, but eventually exhausts me in its turns, swirls AND gunshots in the head! There's just no time to breathe, and that gives the film a lack of personality and the threat of overkill- especially the finale... but I could easily see this work great as a mini-series! Overall, definitely worth your time, and Di Caprio and Nicholson are phenomenal. And, no- I haven't seen the original "Infernal affairs". I just might, after this!
6 out of 10 from Ozjeppe