Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas is one of my favorite crime movies and nothing else he has done in the last decade or so has quite measured up to the raw energy and swagger of that film. The Departed is a return to form for Scorsese and it’s thrilling to watch. A remake of the Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs (which is brilliant in its own right), The Departed is a celluloid rush of testosterone. It has all the expected elements; cops, crooks, gritty urban settings, and scenes of sudden and shocking violence. All of the main players bring a sense of authenticity to their roles (even if Leonardo DiCapprio still looks like he just took up shaving last week). The only weak link, as you might expect, is the lead female role. I never completely bought her character and some of the decisions she made. It’s as if she’s there only to serve as a metaphorical tug-of-war rope between the two male leads. Nevertheless, I’ll likely add this film to my DVD library.
And have you seen the trailer for the film adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300? I almost squealed like a little kid when they played it in the theater. It looks crazy good.
