Viewed in
2006
Premise
Remake of 'Infernal Affairs', but taking place in Boston.
Who should watch
Fans of Jack, Leo, Matt, Marky Mark, the list goes on and on. Scorsese fans. Anyone who liked 'Infernal Affiars'.
Thoughts
Very exciting and entertaining film. Believe it or not, Jack Nicholson is upstaged by Mark Wahlberg's bad-ass, ball-busting character. Like most double-agent movies, it was confusing at times. But I think that was the point, because everyone has a breaking point before fact and fiction blur. While there was a lot of suspense, the film made room for lots of great character scenes without losing too much momentum.
The story for 'Infernal Affairs' was so good 'The Departed' knew not to mess with the premise, plot twists or the ending. Unfortunately, this means depending on the order you saw the films, the second one will never be as satisfying as the first you saw. The main difference, other than the setting, was that 'The Departed' made room for some very funny minor characters and dialogue, while 'Infernal Affairs' kept it lean and mean.
Personally, I slightly liked the original better. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun anticipating certain scenes them and watching how Martin Scorsese interpreted them.
What I would change
Nothing.
