The Departed

Best movie I've seen all year, by far. I don't normally like Martin Scorsese movies, the notable exceptions being Goodfellas and The Aviator (and I thought King of Comedy was pretty good), but this one is outstanding. If you ask me, Leonardo DiCaprio shines above all others in The Departed, and that's saying something seeing as though everyone in this film gave incredible performances. That being said, Alec Baldwin's portrayal of the quirky yet tough Statie was my favorite part of the movie.

One of the most intriguing things about this movie is that, if you see it in the theater, it's a great demonstration of nervous laughter. So many times in the packed theater I was in did people just bust out laughing, not because the scene was comic or lacking emotional power, but because they were so uncomfortable with what just happened. The violence in this movie hits hard, and doesn't let up. None of it is glamourized... it's all just matter-of-fact. That in itself is disturbing.

Five stars. Go see it.