I thought it was just ok. Nicholson played the part a bit like the Joker and came off as silly instead of menacing. I just never for one second believed Nicholson as a 'hard' mobster.
DiCaprio gave a pretty good performance overall but again I just never bought him as a tough guy.
I didnt think the script helped much either the characters for the most part were wooden and a bit silly.
There were some twists but personally I find an average episode of CSI more tense and menacing than this film.

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The question goes back to "Why have your deepest inside guy risk his entire cover on a tailing operation?"

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like i said in the post, it's because he had the best shot at finding him.

here, i'll even quote it again for you

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he was their best shot at figuring out that damon was the mole.

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i would think that figuring out who was leaking info to the guy you're trying to arrest is a pretty high priority.

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like i said in the post, it's because he had the best shot at finding him.

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he was their best shot at figuring out that damon was the mole.

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Why was he any better suited for following the envelope than Sheen or Wahlberg?

If anything, he was a worse candidate because, as I said, he risked his entire cover for that little stunt.

Sheen and Marky Mark couldn't have done it as Nicholson knew them.

But they could have used just about any patrol officer they wanted.

Ultimately, that wouldn't have been as interesting to watch.

Well, Nicholson knew Leo, too, and probably would have wondered what in the hell he was doing in the theater.

I agree that it made for good cinema and storytelling, but was poor police work

I think a guy waving a hand in a ziplock gives him a little street cred.

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I may have missed a scene that explains this, and therefore it is a stupid question, but when did, if ever, did Leo become aware that the shrink was dating Matt Damon?

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I don't believe he ever knew. He knew she was dating someone, but he never knew it was Damon.

i need to watch it again, but why then did he send her the cd?



A sea of waiters, and no one will take a drink order.

He didn't send her the CD.

who did?



A sea of waiters, and no one will take a drink order.

He didn't send HER the CD.

The package was addressed to him. He was letting Damon know that he had proof and was on to him. She just saw who it was from and thought it was some evidence of their affair or something and opened it.

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the characters for the most part were wooden

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Wow. Did we watch the same film?


Wooden???????????

This movie was greatness. Honestly I thought The Departed had some of the best character development that I've seen in a while.

Great, great movie.

Anyone know what the significance of the scene where Damon was playing football/ rugby against the fire fighters and his hostility? Was it just showing his aggression?

Good question Bam,

I wondered about that scene myself. IMO his lines seemed forced and contrived pointing out that he was putting on an act for his colleagues on the police force. Trying to do things they do and talk like they do just to fit in and be part of the police crew. IMO he could give a rats ass about homos on the firefighting squad. I feel he was trying to act macho/throw out slurs to fit in.

Damon continuously shows he is a giant pu..y through the movie (can't get it up with the hot chick, acts like a hard ass with DiCaprio at the end then backs down and starts whimpering when Leo has a gun to his head, etc.). His act of looking like a hardass with Wahlberg, DiCaprio, on the football field, etc. is all just an ploy b/c deep down he is a pansy ass.

Just my opinion of course.

I'd love to hear some other thoughts.

I thought Damon's character was a closet homosexual who was afraid to tell anyone because of the money and respect he got from acting tough around Costello and the fellow cops.

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Well, Nicholson knew Leo, too, and probably would have wondered what in the hell he was doing in the theater.

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Leo could have explained - I just like porn

why did dicaprio refuse to stick around when the names and ssn's where being gathered?? Seems like an incredibly stupid thing to do, and clearly puts the bullseye on him.



A sea of waiters, and no one will take a drink order.

SPOILERS...








I liked the movie as a whole. The group I was with didn't care for it too much. None of us cared for the ending. I didn't mind Leo dying OR Matt Damon "getting away with it" but when Matt killed the other mole and then Marky Mark killed Matt, that got disturbing.

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Matt Damon "getting away with it"

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You do realize he was shot point blank...with a GUN, for what he did.

I hope I never "get away with it".

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why did dicaprio refuse to stick around when the names and ssn's where being gathered?? Seems like an incredibly stupid thing to do, and clearly puts the bullseye on him.

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Damon could run his info and possibly find out who he is, i.e. a cop.

Don't forget, while he wasn't known as a mob mole by virtually the entire police force, he WAS in their computer system still. Damon would have easily put 2 and 2 together with his vital information.

[This message has been edited by HOLDEN, M. D. (edited 10/30/2006 7:34p).]

DiCaprio was not in the computer system. When Damon typed in his info, nothing came up.


Also, he left when Jack was collecting SS# becuase DiCaprio had the air of "i don't take sheet from no one, no matter who they are" it completely fit his assumed personality to leave.

as he later explained to Jack, you accused me once, accuse me again & i won't take it anymore.

I think Damon removed him from the computer system so that DiCaprio wouldn't have any evidence that he was a mole for the cops rather than just a mobster.

i'm talking about before he knew it was him. When Damon typed in "Costigan", nothing showed up.

[This message has been edited by BMX Bandit (edited 11/1/2006 9:31a).]

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DiCaprio was not in the computer system. When Damon typed in his info, nothing came up.

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WRONG!

He was in the system, Damon couldn't find him b/c he didn't know his real info.

Remember Damon deleting him once he finds out his Password towards the end of the movie. You have to be in the system to be deleted.

Damon couldn't find him in the system early on b/c he didn't know Costigan's info that the system had him listed under. Remember how hard Sheen and Wahlberg were working to keep Costigan's identity a secret? Think about how fruitless their efforts would have been if someone could just type in "Costigan" and a screen comes up showing he is an undercover cop in Costello's outfit.

He was in the system, Damon couldn't find him.

when i say "in the system" I mean his name and information accessible to anyone.

When Damon first types his name in, nothing popped up. That is why I said that Damon could not have put 2 & 2 together.

TTT

I just finished watching the movie. Good movie, solid cast. I would have liked to know more about Wahlberg's character, but I can only assume that he found out about Damon, and just decided to kill him in an "I'm the law around here" kind of way.

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I would have liked to know more about Wahlberg's character, but I can only assume that he found out about Damon, and just decided to kill him in an "I'm the law around here" kind of way.

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The audience is left to assume that the envelope given to the shrink contains instructions to find and contact Wahlberg's character.

This movie hit a little too close to home for me. I've had some very similar things happen to me in the past year. Lots of dead bodies, lots of lies, betrayal and deception.

But I guess we all have years like that every now and then.

Saw it last night! It's no Goodfellas, but it ranked up there with LA Conf. in my crime/drama favs!!!

I didn't think the movie was great. People are too easily taken back by such a star studded cast that they fail to really analyze a movie. I think the cast actually stiffled the movie becasue the emphasis will naturally be on a cast of very well known actors. Don't get me wrong I thought the movie was pretty good, but for me, it wasn't great.

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This movie hit a little too close to home for me. I've had some very similar things happen to me in the past year. Lots of dead bodies, lots of lies, betrayal and deception.

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This movie could have only paralleled your life if you live in Compton.

Anyone else pissed off at the fat black guy for not calling marky mark like he was told too. (his name is anthony something in real life I think, funny guy)

I think that the other guy (the one that shot Dicaprio) probably convinced the black guy not to call Wahlberg, since any kind of interference may lead to his being outed as an employee for Costello.