I would want to ensure, above everything else, that Martin Scorsese gets his Oscar. But of the actors, I think DiCaprio is the most deserving. This is the best performance of his career.

What was Damon's bullshit report after the elevator incident?

Would The Departed be:

a) a better movie with Robert DeNiro in the role of Captain Queenan instead of Martin Sheen

b) a better movie with Denis Leary in the role of Sgt. Dignam instead of Mark Wahlberg

These two actors (DeNiro/Leary) were originally slated for those roles. Do you think their inclusion would have made the film even better than it was, or worse?

a) Maybe, but it wasn't exactly a DeNiro kind of role... but it would have added a lot to one hell of an ensemble cast. It would've been cool, but the movie didn't need it.
b) No, Wahlberg was perfect... although I do love Leary.

Ok, plot questions that are driving me nuts...

Why did kill ?

Was a rat, too?

And

Was a

ARGH!

I read a couple of random pages on this thread, not all of them, so I'm sorry if it was already answered...

No.


I don't think he was either. Than again, it's been a few months since I've seen it. I'll definitely be getting the 2-disc DVD on the 13th.

Watched this for the first time tonight. What a fantastic movie!

Marty better finally get the Oscar he's been screwed out of so many times before.

Just got done watching and liked it a lot. My only problem is how much praise Scorsese is getting for the movie. While i really liked it i don't think it's fair to give Scorsese so much credit since the movie was so similar to the original. True, he did a great job, but he had a lot to work with.

To expand on zekeburger's response

Just saw it. It was ok. Don't understand the high praise. Decaprio was great and Nicholsons performance was amazing. Damon's was blah. Maybe because I had Boston accents. Can Scorsese ever make a movie that's under 3 hours?

One question I have is why didn't

Obviously he can since this one is 2 1/2 hours.

Usually, it's sloppy storytelling for something to come in from outside the story to affect the plot, but directors in their Scorsese seems to like the idea of the conflicts at the center of his films being swallowed up by larger narratives.

Kind of like, in "Gangs of New York," where he spent two hours building the conflict between the characters, and then rendered the climactic showdown totally moot and ridiculous against the backdrop of the draft riots.

"Casino" takes on a similar tone at its end; after all his struggles against the various antagonists he has to fend off during the course of the movie, the protagonist is ultimately undone by the corporatization of the casino business, a force external to the story and outside the narrative.

Maybe Scorsese is making some philosophical point about the futility of man's endeavors against the scope of history. Or maybe he figures that, despite the general attitude that a twist from outside the narrative is sloppy, it is appropriate for these stories, because, when these guys get it, they get it from somewhere they didn't see it coming from, and the audience shouldn't see it coming either..

Scandal,

I disagree that Dignam's action at the end came out of no where, see my post above (#188).

I loved this movie, but yeah, I sorta had the same problem here as you did. Throughout the movie, the characters are basically smart and don't do anything too stupid or illogical. So it really doesn't make sense that

No. I totally diagree.

in fact most in not all his movies are under 3 hours. and usually clock 2.5. "Casino" being the lengthiest at just shy of 3.

Just have to agree to disagree then. I think it was the envelope and that he wanted revenge rather than getting back in good graces that explain it.

why do you people not want badass headshots in the movie? you crazy!

Well it certainly felt like 3 hours.

Even still, just like he mailed the recordings to the Damon, he could've mailed them to the police, or at least found a way to get the evidence to someone that would help - which would've been way smarter than what he did. And that still doesn't explain why he still didn't know about Costello's other guy on the force after he had the recordings - because if he did, he should've handled things differently.

Just watched it for the first time. Pretty good, but the end left me a bit confused: