The Departed

Another Eastern original (Infernal Affairs) remade - but this time, done well.

Martin Scorcese directing & plenty of money spent on the stars, meant it was no flop (unlike Michel Gellar in The Grudge - by the time that one got to the final reel you were glad it finaly got her as well)

Jack Nicholson took the film - as he always does but excellent stuff from all the main cast - I worried that the last 20-30 mins would suffer but it kept you hooked even tho the main premise had been done before: how will the hero bring the badden to book when every one who knows aint around anymore...?

The interaction of the different police groups was nicely played - Baldwin, Wahlberg, etc (What was with Markey's hair-style?!) Nice to see Sheen out of the White House but Superman he aint.

The Boston accent that everyone was going "far" (geddit?) was a bit trying to listen to but it was different from the usual New York/Bronx we normally see in Scorcese's films.
And what was Ray Winstone going for . . . ?

De Caprio is a becoming a great actor & will be good to watch his future work. Excellent portrayal of a desperate man, scared of being caught out, left out in the cold.
Matt Damon having it easy - loadsa money, flash pad & good-looking girl-friend - you just had to hate him. To do otherwise, provokes a few questions - he was no hero but his efforts were heroic...and callous

However, despite the pedigree and the class, the story felt a bit clinical - I couldnt get behind any of them - maybe because I knew the story (?).

It's a great film, superb entertainment but not a masterpiece, sadly
But it was great to see Jack's rat impression


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/

A History of Violence

David Cronenberg always surprises & this one did by it's normality.
At least, at first.

The initial impression is that maybe Cronenberg had apparently given up per- and sub-version & gone mainstream. The premise of small-town America being hit by evil outsiders, saved by a lone quiet hero has been done times before - High Noon for instance. But no - he's just got better, the subversion is there below the B-movie surface; it appears when you look closer. . .

The occasional glimpses of violence - sexual as well as murderous - are explicit and exciting and reveal the director. The physical effects of that violence (the "history" of it?), gave the impression of accuracy (the ruined nose, blood spatter, smashed jaw - the stair-bruised back) adding to the reality. Uncomfortable watching.

Despite that, it's a subtle film - nothing is spelt out - no flashbacks: a grown-up film. It sticks with you, making you think about the points it raises - can a personality change (not just Tom's)? deception (the shot of the wife coming out of the bathroom showing the lie of her hair colour - which I found, surprisingly[?], shocking); family protection (or not)? & love. One sentence by the William Hurt character (what was with that beard?) told you the brothers' story - it was as simple as that.

And finally, the final scene (what else?), although (I think) hopeful, it reminded me of the before & after relationship between husband & wife (and similar relationships I've been through): showing how lives can shatter so quickly & the sadness of knowing that it won't ever be the same again . . .

See it


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399146/