The Departed

I spent a great deal of time today catching up on some movies that I have had but have yet to watch. One of those movies was The Departed.

I've heard nothing but great things about it, and I tried to watch it once only to have fallen asleep during it. The thing is though, I knew that this movie wasn't for those with short attention spans. Naw, you really needed to pay attention to this one in order to know what's going on, that and you really need to listen to the dialog to really appreciate it, because the dialog is what really shines in this one.

It will occasionally make you chuckle at how over the top, potty mouthed and ill tempered some of these characters are, but it is generally serious and very well thought out dialog.

From what I hear, this was actually a remake of a Chinese film, which I am in the process of getting my hands on because I'm really interested in how the newer version is compared to the original, because I really, really, reaaalllyy enjoyed this film.

It's action packed and very emotionally driven. I especially liked the direction and the acting of both Leonardo Decaprio and Jack Nicholson, they were easily my favorite characters. Alec Baldwin and Mark Whalbergh we pretty sweet too, because their quick and genius lines and the way they spoke them was great.

This one is full of twists and "HUH?" moments, especially since it jumps a lot without even telling you it jumped except for a few hints. That's something you need to pick up on. But you really gotta appreciate how ironic everything gets towards the end.

There is lots of action and thrilling moments to keep you interested, which is what I think holds the movie together. Although the dialog is what shines, it makes sure you don't get bored, which is nice. However I do have to admit that there are a few slow moments. That and probably my only other gripe is that although you really feel dicaprio's characters anguish... you really don't care that much about Matt Damon. At least I didn't. He's one of the main characters and I really didn't care if he lived or died, because he was just... undeveloped. he doesn't express the emotion dicaprio shows, and for that, this movie isn't perfect. It has a few slips here and there..

But besides that..

I really can't express how much I liked it. I really can't. Honestly, you need to watch the damn movie to appreciate it. This is one of those moments where the critics actually get it right. because it's good. Damn good.

All in all, if you want an exiting and smart movie to give you a breath of fresh air amidst all the same garbage that has been floating around, you really need to do yourself a favor and see it. Period.

9.9