Well, the first thing I want to say is I that I’ve seen „Infernal Affairs” before this movie, so I will draw comparisons.
American remakes of international cinema hits are often a disaster, so I have to credit to Scorsese. The cast is very strong (Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin,..), the acting is definitely one of the movies strong points.
The story is more or less the same as in „Infernal Affairs”. You still have your undercover cop and your undercover gangster and the game of cat-and-mouse. It just takes place in Boston instead of Hong Kong.
My biggest issue with “The Departed” is its length. “Infernal Affairs” is a tighter movie, you’ll see the credits after 101 minutes. “The Departed” needs 151 minutes, nearly an hour longer.
What does the additional 50 minutes get you? An irrelevant love triangle (Damon’s GF and DiCaprio’s therapist are two different characters in IA), an inferior ending (the bad must be punished..) and unnecessary new characters (Alec Baldwin e.g.).
In IA Chan (the equivalent to DiCaprio character) is undercover for 3 years, in TD only for one. The whole concept with his therapist is a lot more believable. The two main characters meet very early, without knowing about each other. They’re both present in the same location more often, which helps to get the view more involved.
TD wastes too much time for little things. The gangsters are just evil, they’re brutal and harass women, so everyone understands who the bad guys are. And I don’t remember seeing so much blood in the original movie. IA concentrated on the matter and is not distracted by such things.
You’ve probably guessed by now that I like IA quite a lot more. It’s more compact, the characters are better and the visuals are better.
I gave IA 9/10 and will give TD a 6/10. It’s an enjoyable movie (probably even more if you haven’t seen the original), but if you’re not afraid of Asian cinema, do yourself the favour and what IA instead or at least before TD.
By the way, IA is a trilogy. Infernal Affairs II is a prequel and develops the characters back story even further. The third one is half prequel, half sequel and gives closure to the whole story.
Is it just me or they really didnt show what happened to the brown envelope Billy gave to Madolyn??
I think I may be too old for über macho hard-boiled cops and gangsters bam blam bullshit that takes itself way too seriously. It can be charming when it is the 1950s with a patina of naivitet and innocence in the storytelling despite the gruesome murders, but dead on serious in the 00s with the en vogue Tarantino-esque full on shot in the face and blood splatters it becomes somewhat cringe. Baldwin and Sheen acting like a late night 1990s cop drama doesn't help and the Wahlberg character is funny because it is so ridiculously dead pan over the top but falls a bit short when he too is supposed to be taken seriously. I'd say nutso overacting Nicholson is the redeeming quality. Maybe it worked at the time but now not so much.
The Cranberry Scene is Incredible.
An excellent brain challenge keeping everybody straight; wonderfully tight editing (almost too tight, but the viewer just needs to think faster); a real feather in Scorsese's cap. Super good!
[spoiler]I kept waiting for a real surprise near the end, when Dr Madden was unveiled as some higher-up mole, else why would she be working both Billy and Colin? As it was, that love triangle served no purpose other than to generate a breath-holding moment in the glass box when Billy mentioned her to Colin. I feared Colin would realize Billy was his competition and kill him, pre-empting the real conflict between them. Fortunately, that realization didn't happen.[spoiler]
Test review , test review , test review.
good movie all the way until the end, where it got a little bit wtf lol.
I know the ending is a bit of a meme at this point, so this feels appropriate:
So y’all need to hide your cops, hide your rats, and hide your gangster, cause they’re killin’ everybody up on that building!"
ngl, i was expecting better. it's kind of a regular cop show weekly episode but in the form of a movie. entertaining, but that's it
Scorsese knows how to do a gangster movie, and when you add good acting, you have a hit. :)
This movie would survive on Jack Nicholson’s unhinged performance alone, but you got everybody bringing the scumbag heat, hanging out and kicking ass.
Very strong premise, it entertains all the way through despite being more interested in the surface than anything else. Scorsese doesn’t challenge the viewer intellectually here, this is more of a movie that relies on twists, tension and character. It moves very well, it might just be Scorsese’s fastest film and there’s not a single dull moment because of that. Damon and DiCaprio are excellent, but it’s really Wahlberg who surprisingly ends up stealing the whole movie. It’s unpredictable, the camerawork is purposeful, the writing’s great and it’s filled with memorable scenes. I only have some minor problems with some of the editing, e.g. some of the fast edits and repurposed exposition inserts aren’t that elegantly done. It’s almost negligible, but they’re odd choices, especially coming from the maestro.
8.5/10
The Departed is a cinematic masterpiece. The movie's complex plot, full of twists and turns, keeps you engaged and guessing until the very end. The portrayal of organized crime in Boston adds to the film's authenticity and realism, and the supporting cast, including Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, and Mark Wahlberg, all give excellent performances. Martin Scorsese's direction and attention to detail make The Departed one of the greatest movies of all time. Overall, if you're a fan of the crime genre, outstanding acting, and great storytelling, The Departed is a must-watch.
An action and mafia movie that was accompanied by a lot of creativity and had a great idea. A police spy in the mafia and a mafia spy in the police. With a strange and surprising ending, if you are a fan of mafia and crime movies, you will like this movie
I'm the only one who didn't die..It would have been better if Leonardo hadn't died :(
Was certainly not expecting that ending. Must say I would have liked to see Sullivans reaction to being caught/brought to trial
Quite entertaining and unpredictable, yet not entirely satisfactory. Just like the main characters having sex while listening to a Pink Floyd live album. Meh. It just lacks that spark that usually makes Marty’s films memorable. I really liked the cast, except for a way too cartoony Jack Nicholson.
Very poor ending and a confusing beginning. You need to read up on who’s who before watching this. I had to pause and google what was going on & who was playing who. Much better gangster films than this to watch.
One of the best mafia crime movie of all time IMO.
now i know why jimmy kimmel does not want to invite matt damon on to his show
I am the one who
This movie is pure gold
It is completely intense and engaging film to watch. Background music elevates the scenes to a higher level. The story is well-written which enables the audience to love "The Departed"
this is the best Scorcese movie ever i'm sorry guys... amazing plot twist
One of Jack’s best performances.
One of my favourite movie. just saw it again few days ago and it's as good as the first time I saw it. Leo is great here and so is Matt Damon.
Awesome movie, awesome we'll know actors. The ending could be better, it's a must watch movie.
This movie wasn't near would it could have been with this cast and an excellent script. I'm a fan of Mark Wahlberg but he was positively outclassed in this movie And what was up with the hair? Anyway, this is another example of a movie that lost its way in the second half after a strong first half. It is amazing that Scorsese won awards for this movie and not five or six others. Still, worth a look.
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The ending was brilliantly played out.
We liked it more than the original we saw on Tuesday, develop the characters better and understand better what they do
This came out when I was 15 years old and I remember just falling in love with it. It was my first favorite movie and made me aware of Martin Scorsese. Now watching it for the first time in a long time it still is absolutely amazing. One of my all time favorites. The entire star studded cast are all on their A game. Jack Nicholson is especially fantastic. Leonardo Dicaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson and Alec Baldwin are all really great too and it so crazy how many big names there are in this movie. The story is great and I absolutely love the ending. I still remember how shocked I was the first time I saw it. The soundtrack is amazing. I'm glad this finally got Martin Scorsese his Oscar, he has deserved it for a long time. I hope the Irishman can be as good as this and Goodfellas.
Too much deus ex machina in the last half hour of the movie. The rest is ok(ish).
Why didn´t Trooper Brown took Dignam to the roof with him, as Costigan requested? I know he was in licence, but because his boss died, not because he was the mole, right? So, the police send home the only man that have the contacts and the identitys of the undercover agents? Well done.
Great movie with strong cast
Get the original out instead. Please. You won't regret it.
American curse crap competition. Absolutely terrible. Can't understand the hype with all these over-the-top aggressive steroid bullcrap.
The movie was great, the ending should've been better.
Just rewatched this movie. An excellent film, one of Scorsese's best. Damn good ending.
Nice action flick with a great cast and some very nice plot twists! That's all I'm going to tell you, for the rest you have to watch the movie yourself!
Good thriller, the ending was a little bit WTF-ish.
Awesome movie!!
Great movie. Though I could have imagined a better ending. 8/10
Shout by PonceausBlockedParent2019-07-23T10:23:09Z
I really liked it. The actors are pretty amazing...