Is DiCaprio the new DeNiro? Before you laugh – Scorsese’s used Leo in The Aviator, Gangs of New York, and plans to have him star next year in his biopic about the young Theodore Roosevelt. Leo has matured as an actor in the last few years (I loved Catch Me If You Can), and is very good here in Marty’s latest crime drama, about the Irish mob in Boston. He’s a rookie cop from a criminal family, working his way into the inner circle of the town’s top gangster (Nicholson); Damon’s a special-investigations officer whom everyone trusts…only he’s Nicholson’s mole. And the Oscar-nominated Wahlberg’s cop is sort of the Joe Pesci of the piece…you’ll just have to experience him. I’d call this B+ Scorsese. Not quite on the level of his best with DeNiro, but very good. Heed the R rating. The second disc includes the Turner Classic Movies documentary Scorsese on Scorsese (no one likes to talk about Marty as much as Marty, but that’s OK as he is a walking encyclopedia of film history), 9 deleted scenes, plus a featurette on the real-life gangster who inspired Nicholson’s character.
Movie Reviews
DVD Review: “The Departed (2-Disc Special Edition)”
(Warner Home Video. Color. 2006. 2 discs. 2 hours, 31 minutes. Rated R. Widescreen. Directed by Martin Scorsese.) Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin. Music by Howard Shore. Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Director, Editing, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay.