It's tough to live up to the name

Rating: 8/10 (20 November 2006)

The movie takes off a bit slow and leaves certain question marks regarding the "face-off"(by John Woo) kind of premise, which doesn't only appear far-fetched but also a bit childish, and even if it were true somehow has a comic-book feel about it. When one comes to terms with this there still remain some other plot-points insufficiently explained, like how come both of them are so successfully quick in infiltrating the structure. We are barely shown an interview both undergo which subsequently sets the premise for the cat & mouse game, but therein would have been the chance to transcend the action-genre. Comparison to, let's say Donnie Brasco, for example, would be unfair to the latter. In stead we suddenly find out that 30 minutes into the movie Di Caprio's character has already been one year undercover, and vice-versa. Character development is insufficient by Scorsese standards, and dialog is a bit wooden, proving that the Irish mafia is not quite up Scorsese's alley.This is not a usual Scorsese movie. It's an action movie with some scars moments reminding of Scorsese trade-marks, like music, violence and camera movement. Attention to detail, and that is what sets Scorsese apart from others, is shallow, in stead numerous close-ups are being used to distract.
This movie is NOT Scorsese's masterpiece, and I'm sure time will bury it somewhere underneath the likes of Goofellas, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York, Casino, The King of Comedy or Mean Streets, and this for a simple reason, the standard is set extremely high for S., and honestly this one is a bit self-indulgent and shallow.
However, taken by action-movie standards, it's above average, and there are some small treats for the fans of all the great cast involved, especially Di Caprio, who has studied De Niro's facial expressions lately, Alec Baldwin, and Mark Wahlberg. Also I was pleased to see that S. didn't sell out on the ending, which scores some big points with me. It's not a must see for Scorsese fans, but it doesn't disappoint either.