"The Departed" best since "Goodfellas"- Emanuel Levy

[Javier]

The Departed A

It’s a pleasure to report that "The Departed," the gritty crime-gangster drama, is Martin Scorsese’s best film since the 1990 “The GoodFellas,“ to which the new film bears loose resemblance in thematic rather than stylistic terms.

After two quasi-epics, “Gangs of New York” and “Aviator,” both of which Oscar-nominated, and both flawed for different reasons, Scorsese is back on terra firma with a movie that’s right up his alley, one that’s linked directly not only to “GoodFellas,” but also to “Mean Streets,” back in 1973.

Like Michael Mann (who, incidentally, produced Scorsese’s “Aviator”), Scorsese is one of American cinema’s strongest proponents of film noir, infusing most of his films with darkly humorous approach and quintessentially noirish themes, motifs, and visuals. Nonetheless, unlike Mann, particularly in his last, disappointing effort, “Miami Vice,” in which striking style triumphed over a routine narrative, Scorsese is trying to find new subjects, with varying degrees of success, to which he can apply his singular noirish paradigm.

The story of "The Departed" is vaguely based on the 2002 brilliant Hong Kong thriller, "Infernal Affairs," which achieved great success in Asia before being released (briefly) in the U.S. in 2004. The collaboration with writer William Monahan (“Kingdom of Heaven”), an Irish-American native of Boston, proves fruitful in ways that the teaming with Paul Schrader was a generation ago in movies like “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull.” Monahan and Scorsese treat their movie as one inspired by “Internal Affairs,” rather than a remake per se.

http://www.emanuellevy.com/article.php?articleID=3431  (Go here if you want to read the full review, which includes spoilers)


Check out other films this film critic have given A's to, pure classics. 

2001: A Space Oddysey: A
Amedeus: A
American Graffiti: A
Apocalypse Now: A
Pulp Fiction: A
Raging Bull: A
Memento: A

Just a few highlights. 

[Sikotic™]

If this movie is as good as everyone says and Scorsese still gets robbed at the Oscars, I say we recreate the LA riots.

[rik]

If this movie is as good as everyone says and Scorsese still gets robbed at the Oscars, I say we recreate the LA riots.

I'm with you doggie.

[westkoastanostra]

i hope this is the movie that scorsese finally cops that oscar for best director....

[westkoastanostra]

ain't anthony anderson in this film?

[Bomb-A®]

three six mafia 1, martin scorsese 1



peace

[Don Jacob]

watch, some one will make a movie about gay kangaroos in cinncinati and win best director....

[No Compute]

I still don't think it will be as good as Infernal Affairs.

[Soulful]

yea just that read its a remake of "Infernal Affairs", thats the best action movie since "Heat" imo.

[Javier]

Scorsese doesn't just make remakes though, like the critic said above it was mainly just influenced by it.  His only prior remake, Cape Fear, can be seen as a completely different film.  R

[jeromechickenbone]

watch, some one will make a movie about gay kangaroos in cinncinati and win best director....

LOL, word.

I can't wait to see this, and I'm def not a movie buff.  It looks dope.

[acgrundy]

yeah this movie looks dope as hell, glad to see it got such a great review

[Sikotic™]

watch, some one will make a movie about gay kangaroos in cinncinati and win best director....

LMAO

I'm psyched about this movie.

[Javier]

96% Fresh Rating!

[West Coast Veteran]

i wonder if its better than Infernal Affairs