Goodfellas 2 Mean streets 3

The Departed on DVD (2006)


Starring: Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio
Director: Martin Scorsese
Certificate:
I'd never even heard of it. Which is probably a good thing. I had no preconceptions. Scorcese's name does not appear at the beginning of this film, or on the disc.

Despite this it took all of 30 seconds for me to realise that this was a Scorcese movie. In fact I remember shouting at the screen - 'this is a Goodfellas remake!' Luckily it wasn't, though clearly it has quite a bit in common with other Scorcese mob films.

I'm keen to see the Japanese originals as I feel that the material doesn't quite work in an American setting: I couldn;t quite believe that the characters would behave in the way they did. Set in an Asian context though - I think it would make more sense.

Also this was a bit polished for my liking, and I have no idea what Scorcese sees in Leonardo DiCrapio as a leading man - he's not exactly DeNiro. Ray Winstone was another oddly cast actor. Very good as a cockney gangster, totally unconvincing in this.

But all in all, very entertaining, thrilling, gripping, all it says it does on the tin. I worry I might have rated it a little too highly, but time will tell. At the moment I've given it 4 stars. It may well end up with 3 1/2.