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| T H E D E P A R T E D |
| 1 3 O C T 2 0 0 6 |
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| The Good
The Departed is much, much funnier than Infernal Affairs, almost to the point of parody. A rat actually turns up at the end of the movie, like literally. There are other pretty funny stuffs like the tragic elevator scene turning into a morbid slapstick sequence, or that look on Sullivan’s face at Costigan’s funeral, wondering why his girlfriend is weeping for a complete stranger. My favourite is definitely the movie's audacious use of Mark Wahlberg as the ultra foul-mouthed Detective Dignam. You just can’t WAIT to hear the next thing that comes right out of his filthy mouth. In my opinion, he’s the scene-stealer of the show, not Jack. The Bad With the element(s) of surprise missing, a lot of the edge is gone. It tries to freshen up the plot twists by adding one or two red herrings (e.g. adding a third person to the elevator scene), but that’s it. Wished that they would at least explore alternate scenarios, like what if Costigan did not walk away after noticing the envelope on Sullivan’s desk? If he gets his identity and money back, would he still pursue Sullivan? Would Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) have gone after Costigan too? It could have been so much more interesting exploring these “alternate realities” than just doing a plot rehash. Speaking of rehashes, it’s also sad to see Scorsese double-dipping on his Goodfellas concept yet again (Casino was the previous dip). It’s not a bad idea, except the fact that Goodfellas has been ripped off a millions times already since the Nineties, from Donnie Brasco to The Sopranos. I guess they must be planning some DVD promo package in the future – The Scorsese Wiseguys Trilogy Super Box Set Collector’s Mega Edition, featuring Goodfellas, Casino and The Departed. Warner Bros probably told Marty, “We need another Goodfellas-type movie quick, so go rip off some award-winning Taiwanese movie or something.” |
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| R E V I E W S |
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| E M A I L : bmf@bigmoviefreak.com Creative property of W.L. Kwa. A completely personal and non-profit endeavor. |
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| W A R N I N G ! S P O I L E R S A H E A D ! P L O T P O I N T S R E V E A L E D ! |
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| A game of cat and rat
Synopsis: A police cadet with familial ties to the Irish mob, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) becomes the perfect candidate for undercover work to nab notorious mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Unbeknownst to Costigan and his superiors, Costello had already planted his own mole in the police department, up-and-rising State Trooper Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon). Soon, both men become aware of the other’s existence, and start a dangerous game of exposing the rat in their respective organizations, while trying to protect their own covers. Predictably, Infernal Affairs + Goodfellas really = The Departed! The Departed is not made for people who have already seen Infernal Affairs. The plot, many of the characters, certain sequences, lines of dialogue, even the twists and surprises are directly taken from the original. So what else is new? Let’s start with… |
| The Ugly
The biggest peeve though, has nothing to do with the filmmakers, but that the censors’ itchy hands were all over this film – snipping away particularly at the beginning where Ellerby (Alec Baldwin) was showing off some photographs of murdered mob goons. Say what? Characters are constantly getting shot in the head throughout the movie, and the censors are worried about some photos? Why didn’t they just give it an R(A)? Who could possibly benefit from an M-18 rating that caters to a larger number of audiences? (cough, distributors, cough, cinemas, ack!) Somebody should send a mole to find out. ...and the Pretties A word of appreciation for the nice efforts put in by the actors, namely Leo, Matt, Jack, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, David O’Hara, the Sister guy from Shawshank, dude from Hustle and Flow, Kim Bauer’s boyfriend, and last but not least, Mr Badass Scene Stealer Marky Mark Wahlberg. Despite the humour, it still manages to bore at quite a few parts, especially if you're familiar with the first movie. If you haven’t seen the brilliant original, you should enjoy The Departed. I would recommend watching the Hong Kong version first, because that one is smarter and better paced, while The Departed takes all the best parts from that movie and crams it with violent, thrash-talking lowlifes and scumbags, adding little that are neither new nor as clever. - BMF |
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