The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006)

[kevyip1]

I mentioned chop-socky films as an example of "bad" films in my earlier posts. It wasn't meant to describe "Infernal Affairs". I mentioned Woo films as a way to describe the type of fanbase that would be attracted to a film like "Infernal Affairs". It wasn't meant to compare "Infernal Affairs" directly to Woo films.

The fact that you think "Infernal Affairs" is of lesser quality only proves my point: The fans are sticking up for the *genre*, or this type of films, when they complain about Hollywood remaking them. The quality of the films is not really an issue for them (they are the fans, so of course they think the quality is good).

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Infernal Affairs has nothing to do with John Woo styled films or chop-socky (as people who have actually seen the film would know). What it is, is a very above average police procedural with a clever twist on an old formula. What it isn't, is a masterpiece that can't be touched or remade. From the account above, Scorses and Monahan have certainly added their own unique touch and transplanted the original story into new territory.

Not to mention, from what I've read Infernal Affairs owes a lot, stylistically at least, to Michael Mann's Heat.

The Telegraph ran a Making Of piece. Here's a memorable excerpt:

According to DiCaprio, they filmed the scene once and Nicholson said to Scorsese: "I don't think he's scared enough of me; I have to be scarier."

DiCaprio continues: "So I came in the next day and Jack's hair was all over the place. He was muttering to himself and the prop guy tipped me off that he had a fire extinguisher, a bottle of whisky, some matches and a handgun somewhere.

[Jeff]

Andrew Sarris is crazy about it.

Also, he hasn't written a review yet, but The Onion A.V. Club's Scott Tobias (who happens to be one of my favorite critics) has given it an 'A' and ranked it as the best film so far this year on his personal website.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Time magazine's roundtable discussion with DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson and Scorsese.

[Roger_Thornhill]

I'm really looking forward to this even though I wasn't very impressed with Infernal Affairs, partly because I'd heard so many good things about it that I was bound to be disappointed. I figured that Scorsese could only go up from here and hopefully make a film that transcends it's genre, unlike Infernal Affairs. And if these early reviews are any indication, it appears that Scorsese has achieved that.

[David Ehrenstein]

Saw it last night. Teriffic movie. No waste, no fat, no flights of stylistic fancy. The BIG SCENE isn't the confrontation you describe from the original but a much subtler one in which DeCaprio and Damon listen to one another breathing on a cell phone call.

This is among other thign sthe most creative use of cell phones in movies to date.

This is the film that Miami Vice's defenders claim for Mann. Nicholson is sublime. Damon and Di Caprio excellent, as are Alec Baldwin, Vera Farmiga and Marky Mark (his best to date.) But there isn't a bad performance in this movie.

[Andre Jurieu]

... but a much subtler one in which DeCaprio and Damon listen to one another breathing on a cell phone call.

This is among other thign sthe most creative use of cell phones in movies to date.

I keep hearing about this scene, and I'm starting the think it sounds very familiar. I haven't seen Infernal Affairs in some time, but wasn't there a similar scene in that film? Maybe I'm thinking of a different movie. Even so, I'm interested to see what Scorsese does with the scene.

[Dylan]

Almost by accident I caught Martin Scorsese on Conan O'Brien last night, which was a lot of fun, and the clip they showed from "The Departed" looked very good. I'm definitely going to see it this weekend.

For those who have seen it, I have to ask, is there an opening titles sequence? Not that it matters, but his films used to have some great ones (my favorite being "The Age of Innocence").

[David Ehrenstein]

Actually it's like a late Aldrich film in that it runs for about ten minutes before the title The Departed fills the screen. All the credits are at the end -- the first being "Directed by martin Scorsese." Is it ever!

[Grimfarrow]

I am more mixed on the film - especially the ending. It makes me realise that US and China really ARE more similar than I thought!

(note: In China Infernal Affairs was not passed because the ending was considered "immoral". So they re-shot a new ending just for China and, surprise surprise, the US version ends pretty much the same way. Congrats to copping out!)

[Jeff]

I am more mixed on the film - especially the ending. It makes me realise that US and China really ARE more similar than I thought!

(note: In China Infernal Affairs was not passed because the ending was considered "immoral". So they re-shot a new ending just for China and, surprise surprise, the US version ends pretty much the same way. Congrats to copping out!)

Without giving away too much, I would say that except for last thirty seconds, the ending is not typically American. And even with that little coda, I'm sure that many will find the entire third act "immoral." I found it to be deliciously, refreshingly so.

[Grimfarrow]

Yes, but all that is already in the original version. Problem is that the US version didn't carry it through like the HK version - and chickened out with a China cut at the last possible moment. So disappointing... And it sure doesn't set up possibility of a remake of Infernal Affairs III! Haha.

And I grew incredibly irritated with Jack Nicholson's actics as the film went on. He was overacting so much that after an hour I wanted to shoot him too.

Finally, what's with the horrible Cantonese? People in the audience was laughing hysterically at the "Chinese" spoken by the supposed Chinese gang. Can't they find actors who can *actually* speak the fookin' language? Especially since it's a remake of a *Cantonese* film?

Last, last bit. Matt Damon is not a good actor. I cannot believe I'd say this, but Andy Lau was much, much better in that role than him. But Leo was good.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Almost by accident I caught Martin Scorsese on Conan O'Brien last night, which was a lot of fun, and the clip they showed from "The Departed" looked very good. I'm definitely going to see it this weekend.

Yeah, that clip looked good. I thought that Scorsese was pretty funny on Conan and you could totally tell that he was a fan of the man's work. I mean, only he (out of all the major US late night talk show hosts) would have Scorsese on first. Gotta love that.

GreenCine has got an interview with editor Thelma Schoonmaker here

[Floyd]

I just got back from the 2pm show and that is certainly nothing like I expected. It seemed to be a theater full of 60-70 year olds in there with me, I don't know how they didn't pass out since I thought I was with the way my heart was racing through most of it.

The Departed felt afterwards when I thought about it that it was Martin Scorsese's answer to the I am wanting an Oscar comment people tossed out. He let out his frustrations out on the screen in a trail of bloodshed. This is the most brutally violent film I have seen in some time. Not that it was a bad thing but I can't say I expected to see it at the volume. Jack Nicholson was as charismatic as you'd expect. He was Jack at his charismatic and manic best.

[Highway 61]

Saw it this evening in a surprisingly packed house, and unlike Floyd's experience, there were people of all ages, although barely any teenagers.

I absolutely loved it. Really, the only criticism I see The Departed getting is that it lacks the depth of Taxi Driver or Last Temptation, which is true, but damn if it isn't entertaining. It's a near-perfect thriller, just remarkably gripping, even if you've seen Infernal Affairs.

Actually, come to think of it, I can also see the movie being criticized for its flagrant masculinity. I, however, loved every bit of it.

[Grimfarrow]

The film is doing very well in Hong Kong, but as expected people seem to have mixed feelings about the remake, especially in regards to the ending as well as the characterizations.

Surprisingly, Twitch has a pretty good review of the film, and it highlights the concerns with the remake as compared to the original.

[HerrSchreck]

I must get my ass to see this movie... so many formerly dubious voices being blown away. Can't wait.

[Don Lope de Aguirre]

Don't expect too much! It's a slick film with solid all round performances but it does not compare with his finest work. I have heard some overexcited reviewers saying this is his best film since 'Goodfellas' but when they calm down they will realise that both 'The Age of Innocence' and 'Casino' (both sadly underrated) are very much superior to 'The Departed'.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the film, I found it entertaining but I couldn't get rid of the voice in the back of my head that kept on saying: 'Shouldn't a 60+ year old directing guru be making cinema a lot less adolescent than this?'

[Roger_Thornhill]

Don't expect too much! It's a slick film with solid all round performances but it does not compare with his finest work. I have heard some overexcited reviewers saying this is his best film since 'Goodfellas' but when they calm down they will realise that both 'The Age of Innocence' and 'Casino' (both sadly underrated) are very much superior to 'The Departed'.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the film, I found it entertaining but I couldn't get rid of the voice in the back of my head that kept on saying: 'Shouldn't a 60+ year old directing guru be making cinema a lot less adolescent than this?'

I agree, I really like The Departed but this is no where near the level of Casino or The Age of Innocence. It is, however, a much better film than the overrated Infernal Affairs. Scorsese and screenwriter William Monohan brought to The Departed the depth that was sorely missing in Infernal Affairs (although I heard Infernal Affairs II fleshes out it's characters more to rectify that). I also didn't find it as visually dazzingly as most Scorsese films are, perhaps because I prefer Robert Richardson to Michael Ballhaus, but in other Scorsese-Ballhaus collaborations such as Goodfellas the cinematography shines. Not that the cinematography is bad in The Departed, it just didn't seem as visually inventive as in previous Scorsese works like the aforementioned Casino.

I'm also not sure if I like the playfullness of The Departed that is thankfully absent in other Scorsese gangster epics like Goodfellas and Casino. But, from what I remember, Infernal Affairs also didn't take itself too seriously, so perhaps I should've expected that especially with Jack in the cast.

Did anyone else think that the use of Gimme Shelter in the beginning really felt like Scorsese-lite? It made me wish I was watching the stellar openings to Casino and Goodfellas. Scorsese's choice of music in those two earlier films worked perfectly, in The Departed it felt out of place, as if Scorsese was stealing from himself. What was with that awful Irish folk music mixed with heavy metal in a couple of sequences? What a terrible song to use. Yeah, yeah, I know the film's about Irish gangsters, but there's got to be better songs about "Irishness" than that piece of crap.

I'm being a bit too hard on Scorsese, but that's because I demand so much from him because of all the great films he's made. I do like this film, more so than some of his recent work, but it's just not the masterpiece that some critics are making it out to be.

[Andre Jurieu]

... 'Shouldn't a 60+ year old directing guru be making cinema a lot less adolescent than this?'

Sorry, but why exactly is this a requirement for a man his age? He's making a movie about young men and the actions required of them while attempting to survive through a life built around fantasy. It's a movie fuelled by adrenaline primarily because of the subject matter involved.

I'm also not sure if I like the playfullness of The Departed that is thankfully absent in other Scorsese gangster epics like Goodfellas and Casino.

There's a great deal of cinematic playfulness in both, especially in Goodfellas. Actually Goodfellas is almost entirely built around the playfulness of cinema - Scorsese is seducing us with cinema while Henry is being seduced by the mob, and then he turns every technique into an excruciating movement just as Henry's dream turns into a nightmare.

Did anyone else think that the use of Gimme Shelter in the beginning really felt like Scorsese-lite? It made me wish I was watching the stellar openings to Casino and Goodfellas. Scorsese's choice of music in those two earlier films worked perfectly, in The Departed it felt out of place, as if Scorsese was stealing from himself.

Probably because he was stealing from himself. "Gimmie Shelter" is played in Goodfellas while Henry looks over all his drug paraphernalia and Scorsese gives us an overhead view of all the equipment. Scorsese is almost signalling that the material he's covering might be his own. In fact, the two films are almost inseparable.

[exte]

Before I read any of the potential venom sometimes found in this forum, let me go ahead and post my thoughts. This is Scorsese's best picture since Goodfellas. This is the picture that finally proves the fruits of his collaboration with DiCaprio. This film will win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Alec Baldwin will also win for Best Supporting Actor. And if the Academy has any dignity left, it will award the Best Director Oscar to Martin Scorsese. I hope when they do, it's a total surprise - meaning no DeNiro presenting, or DiCaprio or Nicholson. No winks. And I hope the audience roars it's approval. I also hope the director doesn't pass, meaning I sincerely hope this isn't his last film.

Some random thoughts - I wonder what his peers must think - Spielberg, Lucas, Coppola... Or NYU graduates, Stone and Spike...

More thoughts to come...

[Jeff]

This film will win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Alec Baldwin will also win for Best Supporting Actor. And if the Academy has any dignity left, it will award the Best Director Oscar to Martin Scorsese.

I'm definitely with you in spirit, but I'm not as confident as you that the Academy will buy into this sort of film. I would be very happy to see the film get some love in the screenplay category. With all of the accolades being justifiably tossed at Marty, William Monahan's wickedly funny script is being unfairly overlooked. Yes it hits most of the same notes as Infernal Affairs, but with more depth and a lot more humor (though I understand that Mr. Nicholson deserves much of the credit for the latter).

Alec Bladwin getting recognized doesn't really seem plausible. Roles that tiny have to be really showy to get Academy attention. Glengarry-style histrionics aside, I just don't think that his role is pivotal enough to catch their eye. Mark Wahlberg, on the other hand, has an outside shot. Despite the fact that Jack's role is clearly a supporting one, he and DiCaprio both look to be campaigned in the lead category.

[Don Lope de Aguirre]

Did anyone else think that [it] really felt like Scorsese-lite?

I'll glady misquote you, Roger_Thornhill because these, ultimately are my exact feelings. Scorcese's 'gangster' films often show a quite fantastic sense of black humour (!) but what you call the playfulness of The Departed, I call the silliness. So much of the humour is more in line with Tarantino and his imitators not with the black humour of say a Taxi Driver or a Casino.

There was, put simply, far too much grandstanding in The Departed, the script strived for memorable one liners and his failure to tame/control Jack Nicholson was a little puzzling at times...

And yes, Andre Jurieu, this is adolescent. If you want to watch a

movie about young men and the actions required of them while attempting to survive through a life built around fantasy... a movie fuelled by adrenaline primarily because of the subject matter involved.

Try Taxi Driver...

[Joe Buck]

I freaking loved this film. Really knocked me out. I did not see the original, so I didn't see any of the twists and turns coming. Really shook me up. I'm still reeling from it all. Incredible piece of work. When you spend the whole year watching movies you think are good and then see a true master in action, you realize there is no comparison. This is movie making at its finest.

[essrog]

Probably because he was stealing from himself. "Gimmie Shelter" is played in Goodfellas while Henry looks over all his drug paraphernalia and Scorsese gives us an overhead view of all the equipment. Scorsese is almost signalling that the material he's covering might be his own. In fact, the two films are almost inseparable.

Agreed. If I remember right, he used it in Casino over the "It's-All-Falling-Apart-Because-Everyone's-Getting-Whacked" montage (kinda like "Layla" in Goodfellas). I haven't seen The Departed yet, but I can't imagine Scorsese's use of this song bothering me. For one, it's my favorite Stones song, and two, if John Ford can use "Shall We Gather at the River" in practically every Western he did, why can't Scorsese use "Gimme Shelter" in practically every gangster film he does?