Infernal Affairs
Alls I am saying is, that shit rocked!
Er. Yes, indeed that was a spectacular film whose display of gratuitous violence accentuated the glory of its protagonists rather than overshadowing it.
It has been ages, ages, I tell you, ages since I have been to the cinema, and even longer still since I have thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of a film for what it was.
Ok, here is where I bow my head in demure shame, yes, I know, I shouldn't, by all virtues of my outward appearance, love mystery/thriller/action flicks, but... I have always had a soft spot for the Mafia... and Scorsese... what can I say? (And I promised a certain somebody that I would cry, in his honor, while he got drunk in mine 10,000 miles away, because of our ultimate pointlessnes in the universe, but I failed miserably, sorry.)
The Departed was so worth the $8.50 ($8,50? I didn't pay, but I think that was what it cost). To mention only a few, Jack Nicholson was back inside his Redrum self, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheehan, Mark Walhberg, Matt Daemon... Big surprise of course, was Leonardo DiCaprio, who was not only great, but was GREAT (which is no small feat, for him, let's be honest). The weaving of music, especially Mick Jagger's voice (Mick... whose nominal significance was not lost in a sea of Micks and Guineas) worked to enhance the film's feel of its own era. And yet, it meant to be nothing more than it was. It didn't try to make detailed commentary about the race relations in the Boston of the late 60's, it didn't try to provide some transcendental message, it just was, inside itself, an encapsulated universe.
It was the perfect combination of engaging entertainment, and ephemeral art. That is, the spectator is rapt, not solely because of the graphic and active nature of the film but because of the intelligent unfolding of information, hidden, and then revealed in surprising ways, she is released, upon its closure from any responsibility to continue engagement. Boom. IT is over, and that my friends, is the end. We are departed. Beautiful.
Sure, it recalls Billy Bathgate, and Donny Brasco, Goodfellas, The Usual Suspects... (most especially, and to name only a few). There is no heist, no overarching goal, just the perpetuation of power, dominance, and the scrapping for survival... But its perfection lies not in its originality (it is a remake, of a Japanese film), but rather in its mastery of the form.
Er. Yes, indeed that was a spectacular film whose display of gratuitous violence accentuated the glory of its protagonists rather than overshadowing it.
It has been ages, ages, I tell you, ages since I have been to the cinema, and even longer still since I have thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of a film for what it was.
Ok, here is where I bow my head in demure shame, yes, I know, I shouldn't, by all virtues of my outward appearance, love mystery/thriller/action flicks, but... I have always had a soft spot for the Mafia... and Scorsese... what can I say? (And I promised a certain somebody that I would cry, in his honor, while he got drunk in mine 10,000 miles away, because of our ultimate pointlessnes in the universe, but I failed miserably, sorry.)
The Departed was so worth the $8.50 ($8,50? I didn't pay, but I think that was what it cost). To mention only a few, Jack Nicholson was back inside his Redrum self, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheehan, Mark Walhberg, Matt Daemon... Big surprise of course, was Leonardo DiCaprio, who was not only great, but was GREAT (which is no small feat, for him, let's be honest). The weaving of music, especially Mick Jagger's voice (Mick... whose nominal significance was not lost in a sea of Micks and Guineas) worked to enhance the film's feel of its own era. And yet, it meant to be nothing more than it was. It didn't try to make detailed commentary about the race relations in the Boston of the late 60's, it didn't try to provide some transcendental message, it just was, inside itself, an encapsulated universe.
It was the perfect combination of engaging entertainment, and ephemeral art. That is, the spectator is rapt, not solely because of the graphic and active nature of the film but because of the intelligent unfolding of information, hidden, and then revealed in surprising ways, she is released, upon its closure from any responsibility to continue engagement. Boom. IT is over, and that my friends, is the end. We are departed. Beautiful.
Sure, it recalls Billy Bathgate, and Donny Brasco, Goodfellas, The Usual Suspects... (most especially, and to name only a few). There is no heist, no overarching goal, just the perpetuation of power, dominance, and the scrapping for survival... But its perfection lies not in its originality (it is a remake, of a Japanese film), but rather in its mastery of the form.
posted by ilana at 9:03 a.m.
2 Comments:
So glad you liked it! I think you heard Rob and Stacey and I raving about it too, but yes, I agree with everything, especially DiCaprio, who I usually hate.
Anal: It's a remake of a Hong Kong film, not a Nihongo film.
Yeah, I knew I had to see it, and you were spot on about DiCaprio. Anal is good, it's all greek (or japanese, as it were) to me :)
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