| Overall Grade: |
C+ |
|
| Story: |
C+ |
|
|
| Acting: |
B- |
|
|
| Direction: |
C |
|
|
| Visuals: |
B- |
|
|
Reviewing a remake
by Edward (movies profile)
Jul 4, 2008
698
of
1180 people found this review helpful
Many reviews mention that this film is a remake of the Hongkongese "Infernal Affairs," but apparently none of them actually saw the original movie (which is a 3-film episode) themselves.
From 100 yards, the two movies look very similar to each other. Exactly the same story, the same plot, the same people, even the same climax. When you look at them more closer, however, you discover the differences.
The Departed certainly has something more: American-style violence and language, some sex (which seems necessary in any Hollywood crime film), and more famous cast & crews. And that's about it.
What about the things The Departed lacks? Tension is not as much as the original one, though it seems good enough to earn praise from the critics. It did not build up the entangled bounds between different roles as complicatedly as Infernal Affairs. Also, the plot of Internal Affairs didn't work well for The Departed: the southeast-Asia police/crime "politics" simply does not fit that of the United States. (E.g., it doesn't seem right that something like this would happen without FBI in the central role.)
The Departed is not a bad film, though. If you have never seen the Hongkongese Infernal Affairs, then you might actually be pleased to see The Departed. But if you have seen the original one, like myself and some other reviewers here (excluding those all-A praising ones), then you might feel the same as we do, that Hollywood is not only running out of original ideas but also losing talents to make them better. |
My Public Profile 
