Yeah, it was like a 90s buddy action flick. A bit rocky here and there but charming in its own way. It had some issues in the narrative department and got a bit too on the nose with its references sometimes. But I quite enjoyed it. Also: The de-aging effect on Samuel L. Jackson was phenomenal. Too bad they didn't quite extend this quality to Clark Gregg's character though. I thought they kind of botched him for some reason.

Obvious? I dunno. I felt there were more twists than a prostitutes knickers.

“obvious twists” xD

was not this about mutual infiltration or some such shit?
parallel figures and what not?
or am i confucius?

Yeah, can't say I saw them coming. I've watched it a few times now and still get surprised by little twists I'd forgotten about.

You’re Confucius, and I’m stealing that expression :D

Yah, Departed was literally a remake of another movie, so its twists were probably pretty predictable. Except for maybe the *very* end.

It was just really well done, not narratively groundbreaking or anything.

Scorsese won the Oscar because he’s fucking Scorsese and they realized they should probably give it to him 12 years late for GoodFellas.

Still a goddamn good movie. Didn’t know DiCaprio could actually act until I saw that thing.

AGREE.
Yes.

The very definition of “on the nose.”

Seriously, I used the expression “that was a little on the nose...” once and someone asked me what the fuck I meant, and I said, “It’s when something is just lazy and lacks any and all subtlety in referencing something else, or getting a point across.” And they still looked confused, so I said, “You know that movie The Departed? You know the very last scene? Yah, THAT.”

And they were like, “Ah, gotcha.”

I kind of liked The Departed the first time I watched it. Then found it terribly redundant when I saw Infernal Affairs (Mou Gagan Dou), the film it was based on. Like, the best parts of it were taken straight from the source without much alteration. And I thought the flow was more natural in the original. As far as Scorsese movies go, I consider this a sleepwalk on his part.

Yeah, I've not seen Internal Affair so I had no reference point. The Irish stuff was a little heavy-handed at times and, contrary to some, I thought Jack Nicholson was the wrong choice (it would've been an ideal role for Daniel Day-Lewis) and Mark Wahlberg's character was just silly. LDC really came into his own, though.

I'm curious to see what Scorsese does in his next film, The Irishman. Another Irish-themed gangster-film that apparently has DeNiro, Pacino and Pesci.

yes yes but i was NOT confucius, see.
that was the movie.
anyone can use that expression of course
i should fish out my old notes on it somewhere. hmmm...

—

so, yep, obvious stuff was obvious back then

it’s inFernal affairs. internal was another movie (titles get confused)
i think ive seen it, just cant remember, lol
was just looking at this thread and apparently i watched a docu about the pixies and recall none of it

but anyway no more departeds for me zzzzz

time that i depart

Evolution, now that was a weird and unsettling movie. Pretty arty cinematography and sound track, for those that like that (I do). Interesting way to spend some time....recco’d.

Yeah, I wondered why Jack Nicholson was cast as an Irishman, too. And I also thought Daniel Day Lewis, who can do anything, and is better than Nicholson objectively, would have been a great fit. BUT, remember he’d just played an Irish gangster in Gangs of New York (or an Irish-ish gangster... I forget. That’s one I have never seen all the way through), so Scorsece was probably looking to change things up.

I’m assuming the titular “Irishman” in The Irishman is going to be someone all the Italian guys have to kill or deal with somehow.

Or maybe Joe Pesci will play an Irish guy, and I’ll have a chuckle.

Anyhoo, I actually really liked the Irish mob element in Departed. A welcome break from the strictly Italian, mafia stuff of most gangster movies. There was a massive Irish population in organized crime, as well as a massive African American element. I appreciate moves that focus on something other than The Godfather-y tales of Sicily and so on.

Departed has an added flavor because of its Irishness (though the Dropkick Murphys got to be a bit much). Just like Miller’s Crossing (probably THE Irish mob movie, in my opinion).

Blah.

should have cast brendan gleeson instead



look at him go hahahaaaa

Brendan Gleeson would've been perfect. Liam Neeson, too.

If you are talking about the french movie that's on Netflix, I second this. I learned that the director Lucile Hadzihalilovic is married to Gaspar Noe, which I just find interesting. Yes, Evolution is certainly a movie worth checking out.

Also in Gangs of New York.

Best to just use Daniel Day Lewis, who can do anything.

But Nicholson did alright. Better than I thought he would.

watch THE GUARD

haaaahaaaahaaaaaaa

I just never believed him in that role. Can't put my finger on why. Just one of those not-buying-it feelings.

I agree. It’s because something about him feels distinctly non-Irish — though he probably is at least a little Irish — and because he’s too sloppy and mad to be an organized mob boss. Even an unruly one.

Again, I vote Lewis, but Nicholson’s weirdness as a gangster doesn’t hurt the movie for me.

Also I think it’s cool that we both hate the very last scene. GODDAMN that kissed me off in the theater! I was like “ah, yes well done well donewwwwhhaaaaatthefaaack?!”