Wonderful cast, but bloated, overblown, & never-ending

Rating: 6/10 (5 December 2012)

Nicholson is always worth the admission price, and other cast members do a creditable job. But in the end this is a movie that's wayyyyyyyyyy too long, weighed down by endless clichés of the genre (top Mafia boss is endlessly clever, a real sex machine, and full of philosophical one-liners in street patois; police management is too gullible to remain alive; when educated women meet tough guys they can't wait to leap into bed with them; etc. etc. etc.) As always with Scorsese the film is technically brilliant, but never comes alive (no play on words there) except now and then in Nicholson scenes, and quite often when Dicaprio is on camera--he does very well. Did I mention that it's formulaic and way too long?
The Sopranos handled similar plotting and material ever so much better. Another proof--if needed--that "Oscars" mean little except for their enticement value for the gullible.
(I don't know what a "spoiler" is--does that mean giving away key plot details?)