The Departed
No, it just didn't rate alongside Infernal Affairs. If you go into it with the expectation of Infernal Affairs, which is what I did, you will be deeply disappointed.
Having said that, Leonardo DiCaprio did an excellent job of his take on Tony Leung. I wasn't convinced with Jack Nicholson's character, nor Matt Damon's. I thought Jack Nicholson couldn't escape being his 'crazy' self to properly generate the aura of being a crime boss. I thought that Matt Damon's character lacked depth.
I also thought that having the love interest in the story was an imposing of Hollywood theatrics. I honestly believed that it wasn't totally necessary, but it did help to act as gel bringing together the two sides in the story. Although I don't think that it was nearly as well done as Infernal Affairs.
There were some notable literal copies, and there were some tragic missing pieces. I thought that the movie was extremely long, it was 2hr 40mins. I grew bored. I thought it was somewhat fractured. They tried to force the plot when it need not have been forced.
Overall, as I continue to compare the movies, it lacked drama. It lacked the sheer background and power that made Infernal Affairs so good. Notwithstanding that, if I hadn't seen the Hong Kong version, I'd be pleasantly surprised at such a theme of movie. I would've liked it, and considering the western Boston setting, it would have made a lot of sense. However, to an Asian that is a die-hard Infernal Affairs fan, I was deeply disappointed.
Mags
jenfa
benny
Thao
benny
Post a Comment [7 comments]
i rmb the best/worst scene was when wong chau sung died.. just cuz it was so sudden, so shocking and so wtf why did they kill him off?!
so how many stars do you give it, ben? (the departed)
jenfa |
Wednesday, October 18, 2006 3:20:00 pm
Oh, you can't compare it to the Infernal Affairs. Look at it as an individual movie and you'll realise how good it actually is. Compare a movie with anything it's based on and you'll say the movie is shit. The reviews I've seen around the net have all been about 8. That's quite impressive. I might actually watch it again without thinking about the Infernal Affairs and see how everything's connected...damn long though...
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Thursday, October 19, 2006 12:24:00 am
Let me correct my comment...the reviews are ABOVE 8...NOT about...
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Thursday, October 19, 2006 12:26:00 am
I think that it would probably get a 5/10 from me. It gets 5 because I give it credit for its adaptation from IA.
But yeah, I would've liked to see a more coherent plot.
benny |
Saturday, October 21, 2006 4:08:00 pm
I haven't seen Infernal Affairs, but I thought the movie was absolutely great. The style was just sophisticated and awesome to be given such a low review like that Ben!
Thao |
Monday, October 23, 2006 10:17:00 am
I stand by my comments on The Departed. I reckon if you haven't seen it, you would think that the concept and portrayal was fantastic. However, I'm not part of that group- and I thought it was substandard because I can't but help compare them.
benny |
Wednesday, October 25, 2006 2:18:00 am
Spoken like a true Asian. Besides.. somehow I just don't think you can compare Andy Lau to Matt Damon.
I mean, Leonardo DiCarprio is actually a decent actor (I thought he was good in What's Eating Gilbert Grape).. so I'm glad that he did Tony's character justice.. but Matt Damon's acting skills have never really done it for me.
*shrugs* Maybe I'm just biased.