Checked out an early matinee of Martin Scorsese's "The Departed", a remake of 2002’s Hong Kong thriller "Infernal Affairs". The original spawned two sequels, an equally well-done prequel to the first film, "Infernal Affairs 2" (2003), and the weak "Infernal Affairs 3" (2004). Scorsese's "Departed", was adapted from the screenplay by Siu Fai Mak, which was used to make the Hong Kong original.
While not as good as the original, the movie does have its moments. DiCaprio is excellent, and matches Tony Leung's performance in the original. Unfortunately though sub par performances by Jack Nicholson (over the top, playing "Jack", and so opposite the charcter Eric Tsang created in the original), and Matt Damon (unconvincing, in a role that Andy Lau was perfect at), weaken the film. The film is being praised as Scorsese's at his best, but the level of violence almost becomes comical, especially towards the end of the film. I could also do without the love triangle, but that is typical of Hollywood films. There are some good performances, most notably Mark Walburg, Martin Sheen, and Alec Baldwin (although Sheen's character is not nearly as developed as Anthony Wong Chau-Sang SP-Wong character in the original, which is unfortunate).
On it's own it's hard to say how I would have reacted to "The Departed", if I had not seen the original. The ending is suprising, but that may because it's unexpected for a Hollywood film. "The Departed" is just another example of why North American audiences need to open their minds to the world outside of Hollywood. An "Oldboy" remake is also in the works, which is unfortunate, not only because the Chan-Wook Park original is exceptional , but because the film will be in much lesser hands the Scorsese's.
If you can, I would recommend you check out the HK original first, you can find it any Rogers Video, or in any DVD shop in Richmond or Chinatown for $7.00. Even with exceptionally weak translation, you'll still find more depth and character development than the remake.
Next up: The Last King of Scotland
While not as good as the original, the movie does have its moments. DiCaprio is excellent, and matches Tony Leung's performance in the original. Unfortunately though sub par performances by Jack Nicholson (over the top, playing "Jack", and so opposite the charcter Eric Tsang created in the original), and Matt Damon (unconvincing, in a role that Andy Lau was perfect at), weaken the film. The film is being praised as Scorsese's at his best, but the level of violence almost becomes comical, especially towards the end of the film. I could also do without the love triangle, but that is typical of Hollywood films. There are some good performances, most notably Mark Walburg, Martin Sheen, and Alec Baldwin (although Sheen's character is not nearly as developed as Anthony Wong Chau-Sang SP-Wong character in the original, which is unfortunate).
On it's own it's hard to say how I would have reacted to "The Departed", if I had not seen the original. The ending is suprising, but that may because it's unexpected for a Hollywood film. "The Departed" is just another example of why North American audiences need to open their minds to the world outside of Hollywood. An "Oldboy" remake is also in the works, which is unfortunate, not only because the Chan-Wook Park original is exceptional , but because the film will be in much lesser hands the Scorsese's.
If you can, I would recommend you check out the HK original first, you can find it any Rogers Video, or in any DVD shop in Richmond or Chinatown for $7.00. Even with exceptionally weak translation, you'll still find more depth and character development than the remake.
Next up: The Last King of Scotland
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