Is the The Departed any good?

[paki]

im a big fan of MS and have Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Casino all on DVD and i just wanted to know if the departed was worth watching?

is it about the italians vs the irish in boston or someplace in the east coast?

holla back!

[Agent Helix]

Yes, it's very good. It's about Irish criminals and police in Boston.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Very good movie. Good performances by Damon, Leo, and Whalberg.

[Thorlief]

yes, but the Chinese original movie is far better. And its got the monumental Anthony Wong

[Kaiju]

yes, but the Chinese original movie is far better. And its got the monumental Anthony Wong

Agreed. If I had never seen Infernal Affairs I would have liked The Departed much more. As it was I watched the movie and kept comparing it to the original. The addition and expanded role for Mark Wahlberg's character was a nice touch and Jack being Jack was cool. DiCaprio was surprisingly good in his role as well.

To me the biggest disappointment was how Matt Damon's version of the Andy Lau character. In the original the character's motivations were very different and it made the audience feel conflicted. He was a bad guy trying to actually become what he was pretending to be. Damon just came off as an ambitious sleaze.

[Thorlief]

yeah, same here. I was comparing the both all the time while watching The departed, not good expecially when you think Wong, Leung and Lau did a supreme job. The fall from the roof to the car hit me like a sack of bricks...tragic, unexpected and so sad. Incredible movie.

[HomerJay]

Since you are asking about THE DEPARTED and not INTERNAL AFFAIRS...

Yes, it's a VERY good film. Scorsese's best and most entertaining since CASINO and on par with GOODFELLAS.

[ImpulseUCF]

Ehh.. the acting was superb. Superb. It was intense and entertaining, but the <courtesy spoiler tags> random-ass plot twist at the end was so absurd that it just took me out of the movie and knocked it down a few pegs. I don't mind so much what happened as to how it happened. Completely random and out of nowhere. Really jarring compared to the rest of the movie, which was fantastic. It really took it from a solid A to a C+/B- for me.

BTw..HomerJay...are you the same HomerJay as on Consumerist??

[HomerJay]

BTw..HomerJay...are you the same HomerJay as on Consumerist??
Nope. I've never heard of the Consumerist.
There are actually quite few HomerJays around on other boards that I've come across.

[GRANT!]

I liked it. Not one of Scorsese's best but it's definately an entertaining movie.

[Slam_Bradley]

Ehh.. the acting was superb. Superb. It was intense and entertaining, but the <courtesy spoiler tags> random-ass plot twist at the end was so absurd that it just took me out of the movie and knocked it down a few pegs. I don't mind so much what happened as to how it happened. Completely random and out of nowhere. Really jarring compared to the rest of the movie, which was fantastic. It really took it from a solid A to a C+/B- for me.

BTw..HomerJay...are you the same HomerJay as on Consumerist??


It wasn't that random-ass. My wife and I both had it pegged well before it happened.

That said, it's a good movie, but far from Scorsese's best.

[The Zapper]

It just wasn't for me I guess. I didn't care for it, but a lot of people really like it, so sense you're a fan of MS, I'd say it's a safe rental.

[acagle7]

It's very good. It's one of my favorite Scoresese films.

[Tobias March]

yeah, same here. I was comparing the both all the time while watching The departed, not good expecially when you think Wong, Leung and Lau did a supreme job. The fall from the roof to the car hit me like a sack of bricks...tragic, unexpected and so sad. Incredible movie.

I think it's a problem a lot of folk who saw the original had.

I love the Departed, but would strongly advise you to watch the original movie afterwards. Hell man - it has two sequel/prequel whatsits so you get more bang for your buck :D

[CaptainAwesome]

The Depahded was very good, probably the single best movie that came out last year. I have not seen Casino but I can tell you that it is just as good as Goodfellas. I also have not seen the original Chinese movie, but you can bet I have been looking for it since I saw The Depahded.

[Eliseu Gouveia]

Ehh.. the acting was superb. Superb. It was intense and entertaining, but the <courtesy spoiler tags> random-ass plot twist at the end was so absurd that it just took me out of the movie and knocked it down a few pegs. I don't mind so much what happened as to how it happened. Completely random and out of nowhere. Really jarring compared to the rest of the movie, which was fantastic. It really took it from a solid A to a C+/B- for me.

Actually, I saw that ending coming from a mile away.

The moment the character vanished, I started wondering every 2 minutes when he´d make his "tryumphant/surprise return".

[ImpulseUCF]

I certainly had it pegged that <Courtesy Tags> he was going to bite it, but some random bit background character? Weak. No offense to you or your wife, but I think that's more to do with experienced movie-goers' abilities to predict random shock-value plot twists than it was the merit of the work.

Ohhh, I think I'm not clearly saying what I mean. I'm not referring to the last scene. The VERY end was crystal clear, and I loved it. I'm talking about the preceding scene that set that all in play. <Courtesy Tags> Marky Mark is the man for that. Yeah yeah, saw that from 10 miles away. My distaste is with some random-ass two-bit barely-more-than-anonymous player randomly killed the "hero" of the film in what was supposed to be a 'shocking' death. I don't remember the character's names, but Leo's character getting capped by that extra pissed me off to no end. I found it very dissatisfying to have all of that buildup and tension just to be robbed of our payoff right at the climax. I expected Leo to die, but not like some two-bit punk. Marky Mark shooting Damon in the head was spectacularly satisfying.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Just as good as Goodfellas? Let's not reach here.

[Tambourineblues]

I'd say it was almost as good as Goodfellas. Definately better than Casino. Also, the soundtrack rules.

[Thorlief]

hm..Definitely better than Casino? Nonethless. I guess someone didnt get how big of a movie Casino was

[Brian "Vash" Ashby]

I have yet to watch it because i know ill compare it to Infernal affairs and be disappointed.

[CaptainAwesome]

Just as good as Goodfellas? Let's not reach here.
Youre right. My bad. Better than goodfellas.













j/k

[Tambourineblues]

hm..Definitely better than Casino? Nonethless. I guess someone didnt get how big of a movie Casino was
Seriously, dude, what is "didn't get how big of a movie Casino was" even supposed to mean? Try to be coherent when you're being condescending. It's more effective that way.

[Thorlief]

Seriously, dude, what is "didn't get how big of a movie Casino was" even supposed to mean? Try to be coherent when you're being condescending. It's more effective that way.


I wasnt being condescending. The fact is that I've heard a lot of people-not just you, mind it- saying "this X movie is far better than Casino, Scorsese at his best" as if the movie were something bad or ugly, or both. Casino is a big movie, never got what people have against it

[berk]

I thought it was a big disappointment, coming from someone of Scorcese's stature, but then he hasn't been on top of his game for quite a few years now. It was about as good as your average American police tv series, which is to say not very.

[Tambourineblues]

I wasnt being condescending. The fact is that I've heard a lot of people-not just you, mind it- saying "this X movie is far better than Casino, Scorsese at his best" as if the movie were something bad or ugly, or both. Casino is a big movie, never got what people have against it
Casino is basically a visual depiction of the law of diminishing effects. It's the exact same film as Goodfellas, only it's a genuinly worse movie. The characters aren't as interesting, same as the cinematography, set design, soundtrack, etc. It isn't a bad film, it does what it has to, but compared to Scorcese's body of work, it's completely unneccessary. That's why people don't respect it in the same way as Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, or Goodfellas. It doesn't need to exist, especially made by a director who usually diversifies himself.

Meanwhile, the Departed tackles character development, writing, and acting in a differant way. It's a crime/mob film where the crime doesn't take precedent, and the mob doesn't work as a plot device like it did in other scorcese films. It's smart, badass, and character driven without being completely derivative of Scorcese's other work. It's a crime film, which is admittedly the genre that Scorcese works best in, that works in a differant way and isn't some toolshop redo. That's why it's better. Casino was a film that was, while big (mainly because people really REALLY want to give him an oscar) totally a hackneyed shot at past glory.

Also, every statement that begins "I guess somebody DOESNT GET" will always sound condescending. Implying that I don't GET a film will always be insulting to any thinking person with their own opinions. Deal with it, or work around it, but don't use it in reference to me again, because I won't put up with it.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

"Listen to me, you yokel. I've been carrying your ass since I got here. Take your shit, take your things, and get out of here. You're DONE!"- Sam Rothstein

Greatness knows no limits...

[Adam West]

I certainly had it pegged that <Courtesy Tags> he was going to bite it, but some random bit background character? Weak. No offense to you or your wife, but I think that's more to do with experienced movie-goers' abilities to predict random shock-value plot twists than it was the merit of the work.

Ohhh, I think I'm not clearly saying what I mean. I'm not referring to the last scene. The VERY end was crystal clear, and I loved it. I'm talking about the preceding scene that set that all in play. <Courtesy Tags> I don't remember the character's names, but Leo's character getting capped by that extra pissed me off to no end. I found it very dissatisfying to have all of that buildup and tension just to be robbed of our payoff right at the climax. I expected Leo to die, but not like some two-bit punk. Marky Mark shooting Damon in the head was spectacularly satisfying.

Actually that's my favorite part of the movie.

It's highly ironic that he went to such lengths to protect his identity only to get capped by a side character.
I never really like long dramatic death scene, so this part really slapped me in the face, and I like it very much.

[Fish Sauce]

Actually that's my favorite part of the movie.

It's highly ironic that he went to such lengths to protect his identity only to get capped by a side character.
I never really like long dramatic death scene, so this part really slapped me in the face, and I like it very much.


Same for me. Love the ending.

[Your Imaginary Pal]

it's a movie worth watching and owning.
Great performances all around, great dialogue, excellent conflict.

as for Casino, it's the only movie I can take Sharon Stone seriously in.
That has to mean something.

[HomerJay]

It was about as good as your average American police tv series, which is to say not very.
What's the weather like on your planet?

[Tambourineblues]

as for Casino, it's the only movie I can take Sharon Stone seriously in.
That has to mean something.
Good point.