The Faithful Departed
Though "The F***ing Departed" might be a somewhat more appropriate title. Seriously, watching any amount of that movie makes me feel like 1) I should have a Boston accent and 2) my life has a very sanitized script.
So yes, I have finally seen all of The Departed! Yes, this merits its own (several days belated) post! karakael, you will no longer have to listen to me bemoan the fact that I have only seen the first half! ...You will have to listen to me talk about how impressive it is instead.
And it is impressive. Very much so. First- the performances. Specifically DiCaprio, Damon, and Nicholson. Those three...my god. The sheer caliber of those performances knocks me over. I'm going to say that if a choice must be made, it's DiCaprio's movie. But I'm not entirely sure whether that's because he is slightly better than Damon, or if it's just because he's got the best part. They're both so very nuanced and believable (and somehow kind of sympathetic in spite of, well, everything). Also, props to Nicholson for the way his character sort of falls apart. Excellently done.
This is also one of those movies that I believe I will have to own just to stare at it. And no, I am not talking about the presence of Matt Damon in a suit (though that is quite stare-worthy), I am talking about the cinematography. Between the tracking and zoom shots, and the editing, I could watch scene after scene over and over just appreciating how they were constructed. I also love the overlapping scenes to depict people's lives (and how they overlap), with the threads of sound running through them and such.
I found the soundtrack to be used somewhat oddly, but the sudden stops, ect. actually worked, so I don't mind.
It is very much a guys' film. I believe the phrase my mom used was "testosterone city." But with that level of quality? I can't really bring myself to care (even if I should).
But man, talk about rocks falling and everyone dying, huh? Pretty damn brutal. ...Appropriate, but brutal. While I want to own it...I fully understand that there are people who find it too depressing for their permanent libraries.
I want to see Infernal Affairs, the Hong Kong movie on which it's based, now. Especially from the "who dies" standpoint. Because there's actually a kind of Confucian moral here- you betray someone who trusts you, whichever side of the law they are on, and you die. Wahlberg's character is genuinely loyal, and so gets to live after killing the last traitor. Though Martin Sheen's character's death does throw a kink into this theme (while being a very necessary part of the plot).
Of course, brilliant as it was, I did have three substantial issues.
First- the treatment of women, what there is of it. I know I said I don't really care that it's a guys' film, and that's true to the extent that I'm not letting that stand in the way of my appreciation and enjoyment of it. But still, it's kind of annoying. The only real female character wasn't nearly as well defined as the male ones, and seemed to suffer from a few odd lapses in judgement. This is not helped by the fact that her actress, or at least this performance by her, is not of the same caliber as the men she's playing off of. In another movie, she might have been good. In this, against DiCaprio and Damon, she comes off as false. What should be compelling parts of the movie are slightly annoying simply because they're not on the same level as the rest. There are also some pretty sexist jokes.
Second- the final shot. It was a good tracking shot! It looked great! The imagery made me groan! Really, Scorcese, we get the idea, you do not have to pound it in with an iron fist. Just a shot of the capital would have been fine. Just a shot of a rat would have been fine. Combining them? Leaves me feeling much more annoyed with the direction than I want to be at the end of a film that on the whole is so superbly done.
Third- a bit of fridge logic. Would Damon's character really have left the "Citizen's Trust" envelope on his desk? Wouldn't he have destroyed it or stashed it by that point?
THESE THING SAID- I need this on dvd. Sadly, I am running very low on money, so it must wait.
So, if you do not mind be depressed and disturbed for two hours by something of remarkable quality, and you have not seen The Departed, I highly recommend it!
As a side note, through our conversation about this movie I have discovered that my father is a fan of Matt Damon's performances. ...This amuses me.
So yes, I have finally seen all of The Departed! Yes, this merits its own (several days belated) post! karakael, you will no longer have to listen to me bemoan the fact that I have only seen the first half! ...You will have to listen to me talk about how impressive it is instead.
And it is impressive. Very much so. First- the performances. Specifically DiCaprio, Damon, and Nicholson. Those three...my god. The sheer caliber of those performances knocks me over. I'm going to say that if a choice must be made, it's DiCaprio's movie. But I'm not entirely sure whether that's because he is slightly better than Damon, or if it's just because he's got the best part. They're both so very nuanced and believable (and somehow kind of sympathetic in spite of, well, everything). Also, props to Nicholson for the way his character sort of falls apart. Excellently done.
This is also one of those movies that I believe I will have to own just to stare at it. And no, I am not talking about the presence of Matt Damon in a suit (though that is quite stare-worthy), I am talking about the cinematography. Between the tracking and zoom shots, and the editing, I could watch scene after scene over and over just appreciating how they were constructed. I also love the overlapping scenes to depict people's lives (and how they overlap), with the threads of sound running through them and such.
I found the soundtrack to be used somewhat oddly, but the sudden stops, ect. actually worked, so I don't mind.
It is very much a guys' film. I believe the phrase my mom used was "testosterone city." But with that level of quality? I can't really bring myself to care (even if I should).
But man, talk about rocks falling and everyone dying, huh? Pretty damn brutal. ...Appropriate, but brutal. While I want to own it...I fully understand that there are people who find it too depressing for their permanent libraries.
I want to see Infernal Affairs, the Hong Kong movie on which it's based, now. Especially from the "who dies" standpoint. Because there's actually a kind of Confucian moral here- you betray someone who trusts you, whichever side of the law they are on, and you die. Wahlberg's character is genuinely loyal, and so gets to live after killing the last traitor. Though Martin Sheen's character's death does throw a kink into this theme (while being a very necessary part of the plot).
Of course, brilliant as it was, I did have three substantial issues.
First- the treatment of women, what there is of it. I know I said I don't really care that it's a guys' film, and that's true to the extent that I'm not letting that stand in the way of my appreciation and enjoyment of it. But still, it's kind of annoying. The only real female character wasn't nearly as well defined as the male ones, and seemed to suffer from a few odd lapses in judgement. This is not helped by the fact that her actress, or at least this performance by her, is not of the same caliber as the men she's playing off of. In another movie, she might have been good. In this, against DiCaprio and Damon, she comes off as false. What should be compelling parts of the movie are slightly annoying simply because they're not on the same level as the rest. There are also some pretty sexist jokes.
Second- the final shot. It was a good tracking shot! It looked great! The imagery made me groan! Really, Scorcese, we get the idea, you do not have to pound it in with an iron fist. Just a shot of the capital would have been fine. Just a shot of a rat would have been fine. Combining them? Leaves me feeling much more annoyed with the direction than I want to be at the end of a film that on the whole is so superbly done.
Third- a bit of fridge logic. Would Damon's character really have left the "Citizen's Trust" envelope on his desk? Wouldn't he have destroyed it or stashed it by that point?
THESE THING SAID- I need this on dvd. Sadly, I am running very low on money, so it must wait.
So, if you do not mind be depressed and disturbed for two hours by something of remarkable quality, and you have not seen The Departed, I highly recommend it!
As a side note, through our conversation about this movie I have discovered that my father is a fan of Matt Damon's performances. ...This amuses me.