The Departed April 21st, 2010
Originally Written 10/14/06
I also saw Martin Scorsese’s movie, The Departed, last night. I’d been very curious about that, since I’d seen the Hong Kong film which is was based on, Infernal Affairs. I couldn’t remember all of the story, since the original film was convoluted, which is no surprise for HK cinema, but from what I remembered, it was very faithful to the story, and even made some improvements on it.
It was a great movie and very entertaining. I liked how unabashedly gritty it was, mixing black comedy with the action and violence. It was great to see it set and shot in Boston. There were a lot of landmarks I recognized, and they handled the Southie accents and local color quite well. There was lots of great acting here, from Jack Nicholson of course and Mark Walberg, who were wonderfully entertaining, as well as Matt Damon and even Leonardo DiCaprio, who’s grown beyond the pretty-boy roles he used to play. For those who like crime dramas, it was a real treat to watch.