The Departed (2006)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg
149 mins; MA15+; Cinema (DVD released 14th March 2007)
The best film of 2006 and one of the best to grace cinemas this
decade, The Departed marks a remarkable return to form for Scorsese, who was on a bit of creative lull since the spectacular Goodfellas in 1990.
William Monahan’s script fully Americanizes Infernal Affairs, the Hong Kong film it remakes. This time, the setting is the seedy underbelly of Boston with Nicholson playsing Frank Costello, an Irish Mafia boss. Costello's poignant narration in the opening scenes to the Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter firmly entrenches this in Scorsese’s mob territory and the graphic violence nad outrageous profanity makes this firmly a genre movie. Costello oversees two recruits in his mob – Colin Sullivan (Damon), a young up-and-coming gangster; and Billy Costigan (DiCaprio), a cop working deep undercover. After a botched operation, it appears to Costello that he has a rat in his ranks and sends Sullivan into police training to uncover the identity of the traitor.
When it comes to the nitty-gritty of criminal life, Scorsese is second to none. With classics like Mean Streets, Goodfellas and Casino under his belt, he seems like the best man for the job and Scorsese delivers the goods on a platter. The acting is also amazing – Nicholson is wonderfully unhinged as Costello and his eccentricities make for some moments of caustic humour. The Departed sports an all-star supporting cast – Scorsese regular DiCaprio sheds the ladies-man image he created in Titanic and Romeo + Juliet and Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen very ably fill out the remaining scenery. But it is Monahan’s script that is really great and leaves the original in a cocked hat. It is also worth noting that The Departed simply raked it in during awards season - IMDb lists its current tally at 33 wins and 33 nominations, with Scorsese the favourite to take out a long-overdue Best Directing Oscar. Superb and holds its own against other classics of the genre. 10/10
The Departed Academy Award Nominations (Results on 28th February):
Best Picture (Graham King)
Best Director (Martin Scorsese)
Best Supporting Actor (Mark Wahlberg)
Best Adapted Screenplay (William Monahan)
Best Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker)
Updates coming soon.
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Directed by Ruggero Deodato
Starring Robert Kerman & Gabriel York
96 mins; R18+; DVD
Ruggero Deodato is, behind Argento and Fulci, one of my favouri
te Italian horror directors although he is not known for his subtlety; the man behind such classics as Last Cannibal World, Cut and Run and the cheap Last House on the Left rip off House on the Edge of the Park showcases his best work with the evocatively titled Cannibal Holocaust.
Firstly, there are a number of things one must need to know before they slip in a DVD with a name like Cannibal Holocaust. First, don’t expect a film without violence; this is one of the most sickening movies ever committed to celluloid. However, when viewed against films like Saw and its sequels, we have to wonder where all the controversy came from and why, on its initial release, Deodato was arrested for murdering his actors. This is attributable through the pervasive violence against animals, for which the film was banned internationally en masse. Turtles, muskrats, snakes and spiders are killed for the purpose of entertainment (or creating a social comment depending on how you look at it) and that is not right. However Cannibal Holocaust remains a very important horror film that set a benchmark for inferior copycats.
Cannibal Holocaust is a film of two acts – the first sees New York University anthropologist Dr Harold Monroe go to the Amazon basin with a search party to discover the fate of a group of documentarians Faye, Jack, Mark and the ringleader Alan Yates. When arriving at the aptly named Green Inferno, Monroe stumbles upon a tribal war between two groups of cannibals – the Yacumo and the Yamamomo. Monroe and his team win the Yamamomo’s trust and are given the remaining reels of Yates’ group’s documentary. The second act begins when Monroe returns to New York with the footage and it is viewed. The footage is horrific; Yates’ team are clearly psychos as they exploit the cannibal tribes by raping, pillaging and slaughtering for entertainment. Finally, the cannibals get their grisly revenge…
How can you give a star rating to something like Cannibal Holocaust? Only the deeply disturbed would watch this for giggles because its not a film for entertainment– Cannibal Holocaust is, despite what images the title may evoke, a potent social commentary on how we view violence in the media and our enjoyment of it. Holocaust became one of Italy's highest-grossing films of the 80s, earning an estimated $20 million. One of the best things about the film is perennial exploitation muso Riz Ortolani’s melancholic score – the CD has now become very rare and the music is virtually unattainable. Though the question remains: why does Cannibal Holocaust have such a bad reputation? Surely the fact that cretinous death metal bands have done outlandish homages to it is likely, as is the fact that it contains real portrayal of animal death (though the animals didn’t suffer; it only appeared so because of the voyeuristic post-mortem examination of them). But it's Cannibal Holocaust’s title that leads it to its demise – those in search for an intelligent film will judge it negatively and gorehounds will be disappointed as the bulk of the film’s violence only happens in the closing fifteen minutes. It's also worth noting that films such as The Blair Witch Project tried to emulate Holocaust's success by creating a mockumentary horror film. and disturbing; it ain’t pretty, but it certainly does the job. 8/10
Gangster No. 1 (2001)
Directed by Paul McGuigan
Starring Malcolm McDowell, Paul Bettany, David Thewlis
96 mins; MA15+; DVD
The vicious snarl of the ‘c’ word is one that is rarely heard in conte
mporary cinema – its use in Scorsese’s The Departed and Saw III had cinemagoers drop their jaws further than during the scenes of explicit bloody violence in each film. So the fact that Gangster No 1 uses the dreaded cussword in excess of one hundred times should probably make even the most profane moviegoer blush. Welcome to the world of the British gangster.
McGuigan’s audacious debut introduces an unnamed Gangster (McDowell) as the Mob boss of London in the closing years of the twenty first century. The film itself is Gangster’s reminiscence of his rise of the criminal ladder. As a young man (young Gangster played by Bettany), he is the protégé of the notorious Freddie Mays, a violent killer who runs a very tight ship. When Freddie’s rival Lennie Taylor hatches a plan to oust the legendary Butcher of Mayfair, Gangster can’t help but be in on the plan – why emulate your hero when you can literally become him? It is this double-crossing Gangster performs that shoots him straight to the top and thus begins his meteoric downfall.
Gangster No 1 is one of the best British crime films ever made – the acting and direction is excellent and McGuigan doesn’t ever seem to strain. The performances are superb, with McDowell in his best role since 1972’s A Clockwork Orange. Unlike many gangster films, the glitz, girls and glamour of a gangster is far outweighed by the horribleness of the profession – Gangster is a psychotic prick of the highest order and will not hesitate to kill if it will further his career prospects. Blackly comic and very gritty, Gangster No 1 is an instant classic. 10/10
Peeping Tom (1960)
Directed by Michael Powell
Starring Carl Boehm & Moira Shearer
97 mins, M; DVD
One of Britain’s best horror efforts, Peeping Tom was greeted with an
amazing amount of critical venom on its initial release, destroying the blossoming career of Michael Powell and lending controversy and notoriety to the film itself. Peeping Tom developed a cult following on DVD nearly forty years after its release and is undoubtedly Powell’s best work.
The titular character is Mark Lewis, a shy young man who works as a cameraman in a film studio. He is also a porn photographer for a local newsagent, who sells nudie pictures under the guise of ‘educational books’. However, by night, Lewis is a deranged murderer who kills his unsuspecting female victims with an implement attached to his beloved video camera. His reason – to search for a look of pure fear, stemming from cruel experiments conducted on him by his psychologist father.
Arguably better than Psycho (also 1960), it’s easy to see why this was so controversial when it was initially released. Watched today, this 1959 production does seem tame but there are still some scenes here that reflect that Peeping Tom was years ahead of its time – the nervous man asking for pornography at a newsagents and Lewis getting off while killing his female victims contain some pretty heavy going themes even today. And, while the camera shies away from actual violence, this film will stick with you as being one of the most tense and mind-numbing psychological thrillers around. Leo Marks’ script is also excellent because, unlike many other films of this genre, a sympathetic side of the villain is shown and no film has managed to emulate this aspect as well as Peeping Tom (though it was overall-successfully attempted with the Hannibal Lecter films). Like Polanski’s Repulsion and Scorsese’s Taxi Driver after it, Peeping Tom throws us into the mind of a sociopath and there is no easy way out. 10/10
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg
149 mins; MA15+; Cinema (DVD released 14th March 2007)
The best film of 2006 and one of the best to grace cinemas this
decade, The Departed marks a remarkable return to form for Scorsese, who was on a bit of creative lull since the spectacular Goodfellas in 1990.William Monahan’s script fully Americanizes Infernal Affairs, the Hong Kong film it remakes. This time, the setting is the seedy underbelly of Boston with Nicholson playsing Frank Costello, an Irish Mafia boss. Costello's poignant narration in the opening scenes to the Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter firmly entrenches this in Scorsese’s mob territory and the graphic violence nad outrageous profanity makes this firmly a genre movie. Costello oversees two recruits in his mob – Colin Sullivan (Damon), a young up-and-coming gangster; and Billy Costigan (DiCaprio), a cop working deep undercover. After a botched operation, it appears to Costello that he has a rat in his ranks and sends Sullivan into police training to uncover the identity of the traitor.
When it comes to the nitty-gritty of criminal life, Scorsese is second to none. With classics like Mean Streets, Goodfellas and Casino under his belt, he seems like the best man for the job and Scorsese delivers the goods on a platter. The acting is also amazing – Nicholson is wonderfully unhinged as Costello and his eccentricities make for some moments of caustic humour. The Departed sports an all-star supporting cast – Scorsese regular DiCaprio sheds the ladies-man image he created in Titanic and Romeo + Juliet and Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen very ably fill out the remaining scenery. But it is Monahan’s script that is really great and leaves the original in a cocked hat. It is also worth noting that The Departed simply raked it in during awards season - IMDb lists its current tally at 33 wins and 33 nominations, with Scorsese the favourite to take out a long-overdue Best Directing Oscar. Superb and holds its own against other classics of the genre. 10/10
The Departed Academy Award Nominations (Results on 28th February):
Best Picture (Graham King)
Best Director (Martin Scorsese)
Best Supporting Actor (Mark Wahlberg)
Best Adapted Screenplay (William Monahan)
Best Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker)
Updates coming soon.
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Directed by Ruggero Deodato
Starring Robert Kerman & Gabriel York
96 mins; R18+; DVD
Ruggero Deodato is, behind Argento and Fulci, one of my favouri
te Italian horror directors although he is not known for his subtlety; the man behind such classics as Last Cannibal World, Cut and Run and the cheap Last House on the Left rip off House on the Edge of the Park showcases his best work with the evocatively titled Cannibal Holocaust.Firstly, there are a number of things one must need to know before they slip in a DVD with a name like Cannibal Holocaust. First, don’t expect a film without violence; this is one of the most sickening movies ever committed to celluloid. However, when viewed against films like Saw and its sequels, we have to wonder where all the controversy came from and why, on its initial release, Deodato was arrested for murdering his actors. This is attributable through the pervasive violence against animals, for which the film was banned internationally en masse. Turtles, muskrats, snakes and spiders are killed for the purpose of entertainment (or creating a social comment depending on how you look at it) and that is not right. However Cannibal Holocaust remains a very important horror film that set a benchmark for inferior copycats.
Cannibal Holocaust is a film of two acts – the first sees New York University anthropologist Dr Harold Monroe go to the Amazon basin with a search party to discover the fate of a group of documentarians Faye, Jack, Mark and the ringleader Alan Yates. When arriving at the aptly named Green Inferno, Monroe stumbles upon a tribal war between two groups of cannibals – the Yacumo and the Yamamomo. Monroe and his team win the Yamamomo’s trust and are given the remaining reels of Yates’ group’s documentary. The second act begins when Monroe returns to New York with the footage and it is viewed. The footage is horrific; Yates’ team are clearly psychos as they exploit the cannibal tribes by raping, pillaging and slaughtering for entertainment. Finally, the cannibals get their grisly revenge…
How can you give a star rating to something like Cannibal Holocaust? Only the deeply disturbed would watch this for giggles because its not a film for entertainment– Cannibal Holocaust is, despite what images the title may evoke, a potent social commentary on how we view violence in the media and our enjoyment of it. Holocaust became one of Italy's highest-grossing films of the 80s, earning an estimated $20 million. One of the best things about the film is perennial exploitation muso Riz Ortolani’s melancholic score – the CD has now become very rare and the music is virtually unattainable. Though the question remains: why does Cannibal Holocaust have such a bad reputation? Surely the fact that cretinous death metal bands have done outlandish homages to it is likely, as is the fact that it contains real portrayal of animal death (though the animals didn’t suffer; it only appeared so because of the voyeuristic post-mortem examination of them). But it's Cannibal Holocaust’s title that leads it to its demise – those in search for an intelligent film will judge it negatively and gorehounds will be disappointed as the bulk of the film’s violence only happens in the closing fifteen minutes. It's also worth noting that films such as The Blair Witch Project tried to emulate Holocaust's success by creating a mockumentary horror film. and disturbing; it ain’t pretty, but it certainly does the job. 8/10
Gangster No. 1 (2001)
Directed by Paul McGuigan
Starring Malcolm McDowell, Paul Bettany, David Thewlis
96 mins; MA15+; DVD
The vicious snarl of the ‘c’ word is one that is rarely heard in conte
mporary cinema – its use in Scorsese’s The Departed and Saw III had cinemagoers drop their jaws further than during the scenes of explicit bloody violence in each film. So the fact that Gangster No 1 uses the dreaded cussword in excess of one hundred times should probably make even the most profane moviegoer blush. Welcome to the world of the British gangster.McGuigan’s audacious debut introduces an unnamed Gangster (McDowell) as the Mob boss of London in the closing years of the twenty first century. The film itself is Gangster’s reminiscence of his rise of the criminal ladder. As a young man (young Gangster played by Bettany), he is the protégé of the notorious Freddie Mays, a violent killer who runs a very tight ship. When Freddie’s rival Lennie Taylor hatches a plan to oust the legendary Butcher of Mayfair, Gangster can’t help but be in on the plan – why emulate your hero when you can literally become him? It is this double-crossing Gangster performs that shoots him straight to the top and thus begins his meteoric downfall.
Gangster No 1 is one of the best British crime films ever made – the acting and direction is excellent and McGuigan doesn’t ever seem to strain. The performances are superb, with McDowell in his best role since 1972’s A Clockwork Orange. Unlike many gangster films, the glitz, girls and glamour of a gangster is far outweighed by the horribleness of the profession – Gangster is a psychotic prick of the highest order and will not hesitate to kill if it will further his career prospects. Blackly comic and very gritty, Gangster No 1 is an instant classic. 10/10
Peeping Tom (1960)
Directed by Michael Powell
Starring Carl Boehm & Moira Shearer
97 mins, M; DVD
One of Britain’s best horror efforts, Peeping Tom was greeted with an
amazing amount of critical venom on its initial release, destroying the blossoming career of Michael Powell and lending controversy and notoriety to the film itself. Peeping Tom developed a cult following on DVD nearly forty years after its release and is undoubtedly Powell’s best work.The titular character is Mark Lewis, a shy young man who works as a cameraman in a film studio. He is also a porn photographer for a local newsagent, who sells nudie pictures under the guise of ‘educational books’. However, by night, Lewis is a deranged murderer who kills his unsuspecting female victims with an implement attached to his beloved video camera. His reason – to search for a look of pure fear, stemming from cruel experiments conducted on him by his psychologist father.
Arguably better than Psycho (also 1960), it’s easy to see why this was so controversial when it was initially released. Watched today, this 1959 production does seem tame but there are still some scenes here that reflect that Peeping Tom was years ahead of its time – the nervous man asking for pornography at a newsagents and Lewis getting off while killing his female victims contain some pretty heavy going themes even today. And, while the camera shies away from actual violence, this film will stick with you as being one of the most tense and mind-numbing psychological thrillers around. Leo Marks’ script is also excellent because, unlike many other films of this genre, a sympathetic side of the villain is shown and no film has managed to emulate this aspect as well as Peeping Tom (though it was overall-successfully attempted with the Hannibal Lecter films). Like Polanski’s Repulsion and Scorsese’s Taxi Driver after it, Peeping Tom throws us into the mind of a sociopath and there is no easy way out. 10/10
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