The Departed- film comments?

[David Coscina 3]

Just saw the film tonight and was immersed into it from the opening. It's the first film this year that I have seen that was made by someone who actually knows a thing or two about 1/getting performances out of actors 2/editing 3/ cinematography (and knowing when to use slow motion as a narrative device rather than the knee-jerk MTV video stylings that so many hacks employ) 4/ music...well..... Actually, I thought this was the only weak part of the film. Not that Shore's score was bad but the amount of composed music and source music intermingled into the fabric of the film was a bit of stimulus overload. As the film progresses, the music becomes less obtrusive but I do question Shore's intentions of composing guitar music that sounds very Spaghetti Western like. Not that the style is bad but it's tracked over dense dialogie sections and fights with the dialogue. Where Goodfellas also had a lot of music in it yet worked well, The departed seems marred by the selections.

Regardless, it was a very good film. A bit more brutal than what Scorsese has come up with recently (The Aviator) but quiet compelling nonetheless. At least it was well paced. Wouldn't mind seeing again actually. and that's the first film I've seen this year that elicited that reaction. All of the others made me want my money back!

[Romão 1,931]

I really want to see it. But movie tickets are so expensive here in the UK, and I really wanted to see The prestige and Pan´s Labyrinth in the next few weeks...I´m kinda divided.

[David Coscina 3]

Well, it's a Scorsese film like Goodfellas, Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull rather than The Aviator, Last Temptation etc. It's very edgy and there's a LOT of expletives. But it is engrossing, more because of the world it emmerses the viewer in rather than coming out with some overt morality tale. The lines are blurred in this film between good and bad. Good guys pretending to be bad guys, bad guys pretending to be good guys; very '70s in its anti-hero theme.

[Vaderbait1 1]

This is the first movie I've ever seen that I actually can only complain about Alec Baldwin. The guy seems like he's acting in everything he's in, seems like a fraud.

But since his role was small it didn't affect my opinion of th emovie. It's amazing. Immediately became one of my top 5 favorites.

[robthehand 3]

Scorsese's best since GoodFellas, just like everyone else has been saying. Only Mean Streets, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull really stand out as better, to me, at least after one viewing.

I found the music very effective, though I'm not sure if I'd want to sit down and listen to it away from the film.

The Last Valley (John Barry)

[Vaderbait1 1]

I don't even remember music that wasn't that Dropkick Murphie's song.

[QMM 4]

Scorsese said they went with guitar because he liked them for one reason and almost the whole score is in a tango mode because it's a "Tango to the death."

I loved the film and I found out yesterday that my film professor (who has been annoying me more and more) didn't like it at all.

[robthehand 3]

I loved the film and I found out yesterday that my film professor (who has been annoying me more and more) didn't like it at all.

Did he say why?

Saint Sinner (Christopher Lennertz)

[Morlock 9]

I'm going to see it in a bout 5 minutes....can't wait.

Morlock- who is farely confident that this will be Scorsese's best film since The Aviator

[Vaderbait1 1]

It's much better than The Aviator. Much.

[Red 73]

What about Gangs of New York? Scorsese's most underrated of post-2000.

[QMM 4]

I loved the film and I found out yesterday that my film professor (who has been annoying me more and more) didn't like it at all.

Did he say why?

Saint Sinner (Christopher Lennertz)

SPOILERS

He said he kept looking at his watch because of how long it got at the end and all the shooting near the end

He said all of this in abstract terms so that nobody could really understand why he didn't like it

END SPOILERS

[Ollie 859]

I've heard quite a few people say the ending ruined the film.

[Mr. Breathmask 480]

I will be seeing this soon, hopefully in the first week it comes out here (in a week or two, I believe). I enjoyed the original, and all the praise this has been getting really, really makes me want to see it.

Coincidentally, I just bought Casino on a whim yesterday. I've never seen it, and I've yet to watch the DVD. Looking forward to that one.

[David Coscina 3]

I've heard quite a few people say the ending ruined the film.

Without giving anything away, I think the visceral wallop of the ending is a testamony to how good the acting and writing and direction of the film is. You become so acquainted with these characters that you actually care what happens to (some of) them.

Hopefully that was cryptic enough.

I think the ending is perfect the way it is.

[Morlock 9]

It's much better than The Aviator.  Much.

Having seen it, I can't compare the two. The Aviator was my favorite film of 2004, a very refined and polished Hollywood film. The Departed is so far one of my favorite films of 2006, a much grittier film. Both are among the best of their genres.

I think it's ridicules to call this Scorsese's best since Goodfellas, I think it is the third consecutive really terrific film he's made.

It is rather breathtaking to watch a real film, made by a real director, with a real plot, a real screenplay and really good performances. I haven't seen one of those done really well in a while, possibly since The Aviator.

The plot is just fascinating, I was on the edge of my seat to see what happens with these two moles, how they discover more and more about each other's existence, how one almost catches the other, how one fools the other...loved it.

The acting is top-notch, DiCaprio giving a great performance, Matt Damon giving hte first good performance I've seen out of him in a while, and it's really good at that. Nicholson was good, except for a couple of moments I didn't think he was too over the top. I was msot pleasantly surprised with Vera Faminga. I thought she would be just 'the girl', but she was engaging, and didn't feel like just a cardboard 'the girl'.

Of the more supporting roles, Martin Sheen was very solid, Ray Winstone is always fun to watch. I thought that Costello's crew was very well-cast. Alec Baldwin was fine, but it's strange role- too small and insignificant to be a real supporting role, too big to be a cameo. Mark Wahlberg was annoying, but I guess he was supposed to be. And I did like the payoff his character gets. I think that Anthony Anderson, though he has a small part, was a major miscat. He is way too associated with comedy in order to be in a film like this. The second his voice breaks, it just took me out of that moment.

Sets are good, Kristi Zea has a gift for modern urban sets. Good gritty cinematography by Michael Ballaus. I personally liked the score, and thought it worked well in the film. While I don't think Shore added nearly as much as with The Aviator (the Flying and madness scenes, specifically) or even Gangs of New York (As short as it was, 'Brooklyn Heights' 1 was used to great effect in the film). The score is fun, I loved every time that theme appeared in the film. I like the dark humor of putting a tango to this kind of film. I don't think it achieved the status of 'tango of death' that Shore mentioned Scorsese was looking for, but still, I actually did like the spaghetti western element to it. It prevented the film from becoming to over-bearing, which, sacreligious as it may sound, I thought was a problem with Casino and Goodfellas.

I felt the end was a bit too heavy-handed, and not as well-paced as the rest of the film was, but still, it fit perfectly with the rest of the film. I did like the final shot, humouresly underlining the point of the point of the climax (it's like- 'in case you missed it, this is a film about rats').

All-in-all- a terrific film, one of the two best I've seen this year (the other being United 93), great ensemble acting, excellent script, well-directed (to say the least), effectively scored. I'll give it a tentative ***1/2 out of ****, because I know I'm gonna see it again, and I'd rather add half a star after the second viewing than remove half a star.

[Mr. Breathmask 480]

You guys are really getting me amped for this film.

- Marc, who still hasn't seen The Aviator, because the Dutch DVD is in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio (open matte, I believe, but still).

[QMM 4]

- Marc, who still hasn't seen The Aviator

[Mr. Breathmask 480]

Well, I want to. But I refuse to even rent an improperly framed DVD.

[Vaderbait1 1]

I've heard quite a few people say the ending ruined the film.

Must've been from people who demand comformity and cliches in their films. I loved the ending. Never saw it coming, and what a poster said before me: Yes, even though I hate Damon and DiCaprio, the movie was so good you even get attached to them and care about what happens to them, as well as the other characters.

[robthehand 3]

Well, I want to. But I refuse to even rent an improperly framed DVD.

And yet you're happy with the PAL speed-up?

Sometimes it's worth it - I am a proud owner of the Anatomy of a Murder DVD, even though it is unmatted.

[Mr. Breathmask 480]

Well, I want to. But I refuse to even rent an improperly framed DVD.

And yet you're happy with the PAL speed-up?

Well, call me inconsequent then, but that's actually something I don't really mind.

The Aviator might not be that bad, as it's a Super 35 film, so you'll probably get more image on the 16:9 DVD than on the one that maintains the original aspect ratio.

But I just hate this current trend of making transfers that fill a widescreen TV screen by altering the film's aspect ratio. It's foolscreen all over again.

[robthehand 3]

But I just hate this current trend of making transfers that fill a widescreen TV screen by altering the film's aspect ratio. It's foolscreen all over again.

It's especially annoying when they do that with a brand new transfer - like Apocalypse Now - you can either go for the (IMO rather poor) transfer on the old DVD that has the correct aspect ratio, or the "Complete Dossier", which has a far clearer, cleaner and sharper transfer, but has been cropped to 16:9. :roll:

[Ollie 859]

I've heard quite a few people say the ending ruined the film.

Must've been from people who demand comformity and cliches in their films. I loved the ending. Never saw it coming, and what a poster said before me: Yes, even though I hate Damon and DiCaprio, the movie was so good you even get attached to them and care about what happens to them, as well as the other characters.

Actually it was just the opposite.

[David Coscina 3]

I agree with Vaderbait on this matter. I think if there had been a different ending, it would have been inconsistent with the entire film. It's hard to discuss without ruining it but I do think anything else would have been a cop-out (pun intended!)

[Trumpeteer 243]

"The Departed" is the only Scorcese movie I know I want to watch again.

Outside of iconic, classic moments in many of his films, I find Scorcese's pictures to be tedious. I especially find "Raging Bull" overrated. Yes, De Niro is great in it, but it's still tedious.

There. I've said it.

[Genius_Gone_Insane 5]

This movie IS as good as everyone's saying. MUST see!