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Deadly Can Be Dreary

There is a school of thought that violence, and violent people, are thrilling. I didn't go there. Which means that I found The Departed flat and flagging instead of, I guess, terribly tough and titillating.

Set in Boston, The Departed opens with a Jack Nicholson monologue establishing that the Irish rose from ghetto to White House by TAKING -- being rough, tough, favour-hungry and lawless.

While that may sound like a recipe for a sensation-ful story, in these hands it isn't. The notable actors play down their performances, walking (or sitting) through them. They play people who don't suck the marrow from life, they just move through it harming as many others as possible as they claw along.

Movie poster, The Departed

Lies. Betrayal. Sacrifice. How far will you take it?