The Departed

same boat, Jade.

Saw it with a big group, and we all thought it was terribly contrived and predictable.

The last Scorcese film that I dug was Bringing Out the Dead. His stories/characters are in pretty shallow waters these days. They don't come across as real people...just movie characters imho.
 
Well, I finally got to see this. Best thing Scorsese has done in YEARS!!! If he doesn't win an Oscar for this, there's absolutely no justice. I WILL NOT be a make up award, either. This is an incredible movie and Scorsese deserves an Oscar for it.
 
I agree, I watched this about a month ago (my daughter got this in her SAG screener package) and really enjoyed the film across the board. Great story, great acting, great directing, a great looking film.

I know that the SAG ballots have to be in by tomorrow, so I will be anxious to see how the acting community feels about this film when the votes are totaled.
 
I agree about the acting, too, Kevin. I'm normally not much of a Dicaprio or Damon fan but they were both great in this. Best performance Nicholson's had in a long time, too. The acting was solid across the board...a testiment to Scorsese.
 
I watched this last night. I thought the performances we're WAY too over-the-top and in need of some massive editing.

Especially Nicholson and Walhberg. I am mystified why he is up for best supporting actor(not that Oscar choices make sense anyway). His performance was 1 dimension of insults and way too many 1-liners to keep this movie at a a believable level for me. Am I missing something? He never had any conflilct during the whole film. Sure, his partner dies but then he disappears for the rest of the film until his final scene. But there is nothing special happening here, he just shoots a guy.

I thought the performances we're all over the place, and there was wau too much celebrity weight to keep this movie real for me. It is not surpising to know that ZERO rehearsal was done for any of the actors. It certainly explains the on again and off again chemistry of relationships. It also explains why it felt that many of the characters we're reciting monologues. (I did think that Dicaprio was excellent, however.)

To me this felt like an exposition fest. Sometimes it was smooth...sometimes it wasn't.(like showing us that damn envelope a million times. After awhile I feel like I am having exposition stuffed down my throat!)

Overall, it made for afun action movie with one-liners I suppose....or if you like super-slick violence. On the Scorcese bar, I feel like this is one of his worst, if not the worst, he has ever made.
 
That final shot with the rat on the balcony killed it for me in a big way. I'd enjoyed it throughout, but I felt like I was getting hit over the head with it in that final shot.

Just like Natural Born Killers. I'm not an idiot - please don't put a bow around it for me at the end. We've known who the rat was and have a sense for the ironic manner in which he lived for an hour and a half. Enough already.

Up to that point, it was a 3.5 out of 5 for me. It quickly (and somewhat shockingly) fell to a three when the "appearances don't always equate moral good" punchline lecture started during DiCaprio's funeral. Walberg's appearance at the very end was simply odd.

Come to think of it, the FBI story string, "... you didn't think you were the only one?" bugged me too. It was a strand that could've been left a little more to the imagination.

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Did I miss the pay-off? O.K. I just watched this on DVD. I get to the end where "Bill" gives her a envelope to be opened 2 weeks later and that she places in her desk. What happened to that envelope?? Did I miss something?
 
Elvis said:
Did I miss the pay-off? O.K. I just watched this on DVD. I get to the end where "Bill" gives her a envelope to be opened 2 weeks later and that she places in her desk. What happened to that envelope?? Did I miss something?
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SPOILERS

I think it had to do with how he felt about her or something along those lines, something personal. Just like she was going to tell him something. Which was she was pregnant with his child.
 
The movie overall was pretty well done. (Yes I waited for the dvd), Although, the CG blood spurts looked horrible, It made me think the movie was going to turn into a videogame, it was that bad. I had to laugh on the front cover reads A NEW AMERICAN CRIME CLASSIC FROM THE LEGENDARY MARTIN SCORSESE. Whare will their deception stop? Every word of that statement is a blatant lie. American directors cashing in on others ideas and selling them as their own, what a slap in the face. Is there no shame? Infernal Affairs while not so catchy of a title Still reigns supreme, With a delicasy and a grace unmatched. Hell, I loved the whole trilogy.
 
I just watched LA Confidential last night. ( I cannot believe I had never seen it!).
We we're into the first 5 minutes, and my wife says, "this is already better than that movie we watched last night).
Now that I have a qualilty, Hollywood crime thriller to compare The Departed to, it makes it look like an even uglier mess.
 
okay i rented Infernal Affairs. wow. i didnt realize The Departed had EVERY SINGLE ELEMENT from Infernal Affairs. guess i didnt realize it was actually a remake. i still liked The Departed but i now that i've seen both i like Infernal Affairs better i think.

the guy that wrote The Departed must've done it in a few days because it's a freakin carbon copy.
 
jpeck said:
SPOILERS

I think it had to do with how he felt about her or something along those lines, something personal. Just like she was going to tell him something. Which was she was pregnant with his child.
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It still bugs me. I hate loose endings. Not to mention she wrote something on the envelope!! That he gave her to open in 2 weeks.
 
FilmBoy77 said:
okay i rented Infernal Affairs. wow. i didnt realize The Departed had EVERY SINGLE ELEMENT from Infernal Affairs. guess i didnt realize it was actually a remake. i still liked The Departed but i now that i've seen both i like Infernal Affairs better i think.

the guy that wrote The Departed must've done it in a few days because it's a freakin carbon copy.
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yeah its a carbon copy with a few changes but infernal affairs is better in my opinion i like the departed but the other is better. watch 2 and 3 now film boy.
 
spidey said:
yeah its a carbon copy with a few changes but infernal affairs is better in my opinion i like the departed but the other is better. watch 2 and 3 now film boy.
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they have a part 2 and 3 for infernal affairs?????? i didn't see that in the video store??
 
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