Jack is alive and well

'The Departed' was probably one of the worst movies I have seen in recent times. It was just corny. I know, you're probably wondering what does an Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy fan know. All I know is, that it had to be one of the most stereotypical portrayal of anything Irish I have ever seen. From when Jack asks the priest how is clam chowdah is to Jack dying at the end with a Celtics t-shirt on. Give me a break. It just had too many lame asses in it.....Martin Sheen? Screw that. I did think the woman who played Matt Damon's girlfriend was attractive, however.

I didn't like it - it was far too violent for my tastes, although i do think that Leo is a fantastic actor, anyone who disagrees should just watch 'what's eating gilbert grape.'

Awesome movie.  One of my favorites of the last few years.  Leo is great as the shady good guy, and Damon is equally good as the clean cut villain.  When you have Sheen and Nicholson as supporting actors, you're in pretty good shape.  Even Marky Mark played a convincing Boston asshole.

Pues si que me gustó... aunque tener que verla en dos trozos fue mala suerte

Love it!

good

i had to watch it a few times because it was hard to follow.

Fantastic mob movie - about the Irish mob this time! LOVE it!

Haven't seen it

really good!

  Not quite a success.  The acting was good overall, though Lenny DiCaprio was totally wrong for the lead (he's not a bad actor, he just wasn't right for the part) and Jack Nicholson was too lazy to bother acting (everyone still seems to thinks he's the greatest actor on the planet, but really, he's starting to look and act like Marlon Brando post-Godfather...). 

More seriously, the operatic style used by Scorcese looks great in NYC, but it simply does not work for Boston.  Likewise, the annoying, over-loud celtic music added nothing to the movie, and was very distracting.  The sub-plot with trading weapons to the Chinese didn't work either, it just seemed contrived; these evil mobsters, they are trading our secrets to the evil Chinee!  The Departed was overpraised due to its all-star cast, the fact that Scorcese is doing a crime movie once again (the others were great, so this one has to be as well...), and general interest in the Irish Mob (the Mafia has been done to death).  Really, this is one of Scorcese's weaker efforts; not bad, but far from great.

Saw this the other day for the first time. It was pretty good but to be honest I was disappointed. The movie had a killer cast of very talented actors and it was all about the shooting and cussing. There was a decent plot but I doubt I will need to see it again.

Decent mob movie with a twist about the criminal underclass of Boston.

give a four because of an excellent cast. and good directing. the plot is interesting. trying from the beginning trying to guess who the good and bad guys are. the plot keeps a person on their toes. one less star just because of extreme violence. the title says it all a lot of people "departed" in this movie.

Damn good yarn by Scorcese. . .great script. . .decent acting. . .the Academy finally decided to end the conspiracy-theories by giving him the Oscar. . .

My favorite scene is when Nicholson whips out a fake dildo in the porno theatre!

I can't add much to these fine reviews below. For the most part, it did capture the flavor of the city pretty accurately in my view, and, naturally, Wahlberg in particular, being a native, didn't have to stretch for the accent like some actors do. I thought Sheen did a fine job, and you managed to stay interested in the plot. I see what edt4 is getting at with DiCaprio- technically sound- yet, as in Gangs of N.Y., you still get the nagging impression that there's something rather false and unconvincing about him. Nicholson was entertaining, but I do think that sometimes he doesn't know how to play an aging guy and still goes for the wild grinning and what not. It's a good film, but Scorsese isn't what he once was. Edt's also correct in that Scorsese put his mandatory one or more Stones tunes into the film, though I'll give him props for including one of the great underrated ignored by classic hits radio masterpieces in it- the great 'Let It Loose," among my favorites by them. Very good, but not quite great, film.

As I've written in other comments, I'm a very big fan of the HBO drama series "The Wire", which is about law enforcement efforts to combat homicidal drug gangs in Baltimore. I can't say enough good things about the series; its superbly acted, written, and directed. The only bad thing, I think, is that its spoiled me for everything else. Maybe that's part of the problem I had with "The Departed". I know it's not supposed to be a documentary, or even a semi-documentary, but too much rang false for me too much of the time, particularly the romantic-triangle involving Damon, DeCaprio, and newcomer Vera Farmiga (who apparently grew up in my native Passaic County, NJ). As Minkeydude mentions, the story does zip rapidly along, which is a beneficial thing, considering the film clocks in at 2 and a half hours. Loosely based on the real-life exploits of Irish mob boss Whitey Bulger (Nicholson) and rogue FBI agent John "Zip" Connolly (Damon), as well as a Hong Kong movie I believe is entitled "WuJianDao", I want to like it but find myself, a day after seeing it, very ambivalent. Even at his worst, Martin Scorcese makes films worth seeing, and I enjoyed this more than "Gangs of New York". Still, it never had the same gritty sense of authenticity that "Goodfellas" or "Taxi Driver" had. Jack Nicholson is such a masterful actor that he's magnetic no matter sort of role he's portraying. His Frank Costello is a terrifying character (even more so when you consider that he's based on a real-life murderer still on the FBI's Most Wanted list), but it doesn't seem as if Nicholson is really trying too hard here or exerting himself artistically, in my opinion. Actually, the best actor in the ensemble is Matt Damon. I've come to the conclusion that Damon is one of the best American actors working today. He's very subtle, and nuanced, and exceedingly powerful in a very difficult part. Also very good is Mark Wahlberg. As for Leonardo DiCaprio...he always has the right tics and mannerisms down pat, but I never get the feeling that he embodies the roles he's trying to portray, certainly not in the same way that Damon can, or that Nicholson always has. It's as if he can give motion to the shell of whatever character he's playing, but never comes close to touching its heart and soul. A more minor complaint I have is about the soundtrack. Scorcese is an undeniable cinematic genius, and has good taste in music, but he can't seem to resist the urge to cram in rock songs, particularly those by the Rolling Stones, into every scene. I thought it was a failing in "Goodfellas" and it doesn't work any better here. He should have more faith in what's transpiring on screen between the actors without distracting the audience with "Gimme Shelter" or "Layla". Overall, it's a very good movie, but considering what Scorcese has created in the past, it's not a great movie.

Wow - this story is non-stop, edge of your seat stuff. It's about a crime family of sorts in Boston that is able to infiltrate the Boston PD, thereby escaping any charges. The police are able to sneak a rat into the crime family though and this makes things interesting. There is an all-star cast if I've ever seen one - with Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon being the two rats on opposing ends. Jack Nicholson is the main bad dude and he is as excellent as ever, and Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen each have significant roles. Pay close attention to the beginning and ending sequences as there is a lot to take in, and things happen very fast towards the end and you won't want to get lost.