Tag: Law

“The Departed” (2006) & “Infernal Affairs” (2002)

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The Departed (2006)

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

The state police in Boston is waging war on the (Irish-American) mob. A recent police academy grad, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), is assigned to infiltrate the syndicate run by crime boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). DiCaprio gained 15 lbs. of muscle for his role. Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is an informer for this syndicate; he is quickly rising in the Special Investigation Unit (SIU). Each man becomes deeply consumed by their double lives, gathering info about the plans and counter-plans of the operations they’ve penetrated. In time, it becomes clear to both the mob and the police that there is a mole in their midst! Martin Scorsese said that didn’t realize this was a remake of a 2002 Hong Kong film (Infernal Affairs) until after he had agreed to direct it. In 2003, Warner Brothers bought the remake rights to Infernal Affairs for $1.75M.

Originally, Nicholson turned down his role, but after a meeting w/ Scorsese, William Monahan (screenwriter), and DiCaprio, he was finally convinced. Nicholson had previously done a few comedies, and wanted to play a villain again; he considered Costello to be the ultimate incarnation of evil. As research for his role, Damon worked w/ a Massachusetts State Police unit (Boston). He accompanied them on routine patrols, participated in a drug raid, and was taught proper police procedures (EX: how to pat down a suspect). As a kid, Sullivan is mentored into crime business by Costello, who becomes the father figure he never had. Costigan, coming from a crime-ridden family, decides to become a police officer. Capt. Queenen (Martin Sheen) and Sgt. Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) send Costigan undercover to find out more about the criminal underworld (incl. Costello). With his family’s past, Costigan fit’s perfectly into the situation!

I saw this movie (NOT long after it came out); however, I didn’t recall much about it! When I recently re-watched it, I realized why- it’s basic (few surprises and little flavor). I expected a LOT better from Scorsese! I heard that they shot on location in Boston, BUT you can tell a LOT was done in the studio. The dialogue is NOT impressive; also, if you hate cursing, then avoid this movie (filled w/ f-bombs). As for the (dumb) love triangle, it was unnecessary; there was no heat (chemistry) between the actors involved. Vera Farmiga met w/ a real LAPD psychiatrist to prep for her role. The psychiatrist read the script; she told Farmiga that Madolyn (her character) did pretty much everything wrong- LOL!

[1] I couldn’t feel for Leonardo. He was crying and breaking up after what? SIX MONTHS? Damn! Tony Leung was a undercover for nine years and he didn’t sign up because he chose to, he signed up because that was the only way he could be a cop! Martin Sheen got shafted in his role. There was no time for his character to develop a believable relationship with Leonardo. His screen time was wasted. […]

Mark Walhberg and Alec Baldwin got shafted, too. Mark Walhberg was reduced to a foul mouth asshole turned plot device. […] The only bright spot in this movie is Jack Nicholson. But even his talent is wasted because he had no one but “Mr. French” to play off his evilness. The classic scene of the original Infernal Affairs had Jack’s character to confront his counterpart in the police station with some of the most memorable moment of the film. Jack has no counter part in “The Departed” and his brilliance was wasted.

[2] Some scenes have a lot more impact in Infernal Affairs than in The Departed. I’m gonna cite 3 scenes which are some of the most important in the story in my opinion:

-The death of Wong/Queenan: In IA, Wong falls suddenly, lands on a taxi cab, taking Yan by surprise. When Yan realizes Wong is dead, you can feel the suffering Yan goes through by the loss of the only person who knows he’s a cop, but also (mainly) by the loss of his friend.

– In The Departed we see Sheen falls in slow-mo until he hits the ground in a splash of blood. There’s absolutely no connection, no friendship between DiCaprio and Sheen. We see DiCaprio almost on the verge of crying. But why? He’s not his friend and there’s still Wahlberg to prove he’s a cop.

-The death of Sam/Costello: In IA, Ming seems to show a desire to redeem himself and become a good man for his girlfriend. When he confronts Sam in the parking lot during the raid, he kills Sam to remove any evidence he’s a mole and restart on a blank slate.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

Infernal Affairs (2002)

Andy Lau (who US audiences may recall from House of Flying Daggers) and international star- Tony Leung (recently seen in Shang-Chi)- are the lead actors in this Hong Kong crime/police drama. Chan Wing Yan (Leung), an undercover cop, has spent the last 10 yrs. infiltrating various gangs and exposing their criminal dealings. Inspector Lau Kin Ming (Lau) is a police mole secretly working the Triad (the same gang w/ which Yan is currently affiliated). After an expensive drugs transaction goes wrong for both the gang and the police, each side suspects that they have a traitor in their midst. In an ironic turn, it falls to each of the two moles to find out who it is!

I saw this movie (streaming on HBOMAX) earlier this Spring. It’s tight (well-paced), exciting, and the acting was good- unlike The Departed. I was pleasantly surprised; I haven’t watched many Hong Kong-set action films yet. The world of the film is gritty, moody, and feels lived-in, unlike the cleanliness/blandness of the sets/locations used in The Departed. I connected more to Leung; unlike in his (Western) movies, he is youthful, sports longish hair/bangs, and is slouchy (reflecting his down mood/tiredness). The two women in the movie don’t get much to do; I wish they’d been more developed. However, this is mainly a world of men (displaying machismo and enacting violence), and women’s presence is a rarity.

[1] Both leads are perfect. Lau’s cold calculating intellect against Leung’s anguished and tormented heart, complimentary opposites. There aren’t enough words to commend this fresh, invigorating film…

[2] Both main actors do a good job of maintaining the intensity of the story. There are certainly countless parallels to be drawn between the characters, but what struck me most were the contrasts between the two: Ming is a cold, devoted and ruthlessly efficient; Yan has been reduced to a tired and neurotic wreck after a decade of living in fear.

[3] A seriously refreshing police thriller that cranks up the tension to the max. There’s no overblown gunplay or buddy cop crap here, this baby is tight as a drum and will have your nails down to the quick. Superb performances, a tight script and tense direction make this a winner in every department.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“To Live and Die in LA” (1985) starring William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, & John Pankow

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A federal agent is dead. A killer is loose. And the City of Angels is about to explode. -Tagline

A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner. -Synopsis

LA-based Secret Service agent, Richard Chance (William Petersen), becomes obsessed w/ finding counterfeiter, Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe), responsible for the killing of his former partner/friend, Jimmy Hart (Michael Greene). Chance loves the thrill of base jumping (similar to bunjee jumping); he is in a (complicated) relationship w/ a beautiful/blonde parolee, Ruth Lanier (Darlanne Fluegel). Chance gets a new partner, John Vukovich (John Pankow- best known for comedy)- who comes from a family of cops. Masters, a painter-turned-criminal, knows that the Secret Service is after him. Chance takes more… and more risks while conducting the investigation. Masters is NOT hesitant to use violence- even kill!

[1] I consider myself just another member of the crew, the highest paid member of the crew.

[2] If you’re going to make a film or an album of music or a painting, you cannot afford to stop and think what other people will think of it. You’ve got to take into consideration what your editor thinks, if, say, you’re a writer. But I don’t have anyone to answer to. I make a film because I want to. Sometimes they’re successful, sometimes they’re not, but the way I think about my films is always very personal. [2018]

-William Friedkin, filmmaker

The screenplay was written by Gerald Petievich (who worked mainly on police TV shows/movies) and William Friedkin (who also directed). Known as a filmmaker who stays on-budget and on-time, yet goes his own way, Friedkin (who passed away in 2024) grew up in a working-poor family in Chicago. His mother was a nurse; his father worked many different jobs (yet never made enough to support the family). After watching Citizen Kane (1941), he fell in love w/ movies. Friedkin went to work for local (WGN) TV after graduating HS; he started making docs (one of which won the Golden Gate Award at the 1962 San Francisco Film Festival). In 1965, he moved to Hollywood and started directing TV, incl. an ep of the The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962). Hitchcock (famously) chastised him for NOT wearing a tie- LOL!

Richard Chance [to Ruth]: Guess what? Uncle Sam don’t give a shit about your expenses. You want bread, f***k a baker.

This neo noir is called “very 80s”; it was influenced by TV’s Miami Vice. The clothes, music, and production design reflect that time period well. There are several tense stunts/action scenes; one fan commented watching Ronin (where you’ll see how this movie influenced a car chase). The dark tone of To Live and Die in LA is NOT a big surprise when I recall an interview where Friedkin commented policemen in his neighborhood were never friendly. The baddies are just as interesting as the (NOT so heroic) cops!

Here we see (hot/young) Petersen in his 1st film role; he is locked-in to the role (incl. w/ physicality of running, jumping, fighting, and… more). Some viewers/critics wondered: “Was he an athlete?” Yes, Petersen played football growing up, then became interested in acting in college. As Chance interacts w/ Ruth, you see just how much of a cold bastard he can be! Masters seems to have a much better relationship w/ his love interest/avant garde performer, Bianca Torres (Debra Feuer). Fans of (veteran character actor) Dafoe, will get a kick out of seeing how young he looks here. Though he stands at just 5’7″- he dominates (larger) scene partners w/ his intensity/screen presence. You see John Turturro (young) and Dean Stockwell (who passed away in 2021) in small/memorable roles.

[1] “To Live and Die in L.A” is an excellent non-stop action movie, having an excellent pacing and being a politically incorrect police story.

[2] The film works on many levels. Yes, it is about counterfeiting and superficial (re: counterfeit) relationships. It is about greed, survival, justice and morality. It is also about human beings using and laying to waste other human beings.

[3] The good guys are flawed. This isn’t really new, since the mid 1960s there were plenty of flawed heroes in Westerns or police thrillers. The difference is that not only their characters are flawed, they are vulnerable, destructible, they make mistakes. And they pay for their mistakes. Similarly the villains: yes, they are formidable and glamorous… They make mistakes too. And they pay too.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Juror #2” (2024) starring Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons, Kiefer Sutherland, & Zoey Deutch

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie Juror #2 (streaming on HBO MAX).

While serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial, a family man finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma, one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict or free the wrong killer. -Synopsis

In Savannah, GA, Justin Kemp (British up-and-coming actor Nicholas Hoult) is a writer at a lifestyle mag who is called in for jury duty. He tries to get out of it, explaining to the judge (Amy Aquino) that his wife- Allison (Zoey Deutch)- is in the 3rd trimester of her pregnancy. The judge isn’t moved, noting that this won’t take more time than his (9-5) job. The case is the murder of a young woman, Kendall Carter (Francesca Eastwood); the defendant is her on-again/off again bf- James Sythe (Gabriel Basso). The prosecutor, Faith Killebrew (Toni Colette), is running to be DA; she’s V confident that this will be an open and shut case. She has a (friendly) rivalry w/ the defense attorney, Eric Resnick (Chris Messina). In flashbacks, we see that Justin- on the (stormy) night that Kendall died- hit something w/ his car!

Are y’all feeling nostalgic for those 1990s (EX: John Grisham) legal dramas? Then, this is (new-ish) movie (from Clint Eastwood- still working) is for you. I have to admit, the premise looked interesting, so I checked it out over the recent holiday break (on HBO MAX). Also, many critics/viewers have commented that (mid-budget) dramas like this for a grown-up audience are lacking from theaters in recent yrs. Don’t look for any big thrills or even much tension. This is a case of missed opportunities (directing choices) and lackluster dialogue (basic screenwriting). Even the musical score is nothing memorable.

This movie is also a reunion btwn. Hoult and his (onscreen) About a Boy (2002) mom- Collette. The actors are doing the best they can w/ the material; however, Collette’s Southern accent is a BIT uneven. The jury is V diverse (reflecting a mid-sized city in the modern era), BUT there is V little character development. Small roles are played by Kiefer Sutherland and J. K. Simmons; I guess LOT of actors want to work w/ Eastwood. You may’ve heard that there is an unexpected ending, BUT that can’t save the film.

[1] For one, the case itself seemed pretty weak to begin with. It was mostly circumstantial and no direct evidence linking the defendant to the crime.

[2] This cast is doing their best, but the material is so incredibly dumb. The elevator pitch of the plot is intriguing, but it’s got the silly execution of a CBS crime procedural.

I watched it for the cast, and for the moral dilemma and mystery of the premise, but the trailer had more actual plot clarity than the movie itself.

[3] I was surprised how 2D some of the characters on the jury were, and pretty simplistic and dated stereotypes.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“The Verdict” (1982) starring Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, & James Mason

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Frank Galvin Has One Last Chance At A Big Case. -Tagline

An outcast, alcoholic Boston lawyer sees the chance to salvage his career and self-respect by taking a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settling. -Synopsis

The Verdict was ranked #4 on the AFI’s list of the 10 greatest films in the genre of “Courtroom Drama.” The movie was nominated for 5 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay); it didn’t win any Oscars. One of Paul Newman’s closest friends, Robert Redford, was originally involved w/ this film. David Mamet delivered his draft of the screenplay; Redford felt uncomfortable w/ how Frank Galvin was characterized (alcoholic, opportunistic, and mostly unlikeable). He hired another writer to work on a draft, and so on and on, until Redford decided NOT to tackle the role. Sidney Lumet was offered the project; he read all the drafts and identified the original Mamet version as the one he wanted to make. Newman agreed to star and received a Best Actor Oscar nom!

James Mason was eager to work w/ Lumet again; he was 1st offered the part of Mickey Morrissey (eventually played by Jack Warden). The director didn’t think that Mason wanted the role; at the advice of his wife, Mason called Lumet. Burt Lancaster (originally set to play Ed Concannon) dropped out, so the role was available. Edward Binns (who plays Bishop Brophy) and Warden played jurors in 12 Angry Men (1957), the 1st feature film directed by Lumet. Although the film was set in Boston (and looks like it), most of it was shot on sound stages in NYC. The actors rehearsed for 3 wks prior to filming (as was part of Lumet’s process); the studio also allowed the director to have final cut (which is rare).

I recall a LOT of ppl commenting that they 1st watched this movie in their HS (Social Studies/History) class. I suggest taking a 2nd look, esp. if you’re a fan of courtroom dramas and/or Newman. Wow, even at age 57, the iconic actor (purposefully de-glamorized) shows that he can still stretch himself! In one interview, Lumet comments that Newman “put a lot of himself into that role.” I think it’s his most impressive role, aside from Hud.

[1] Newman is a wonder with his loser posture and hyperventilation and his desperateness. It’s in his voice, it’s on his face, it’s in his smile, it’s in his shaking hands.

[2] And I found the direction by Sidney Lumet to be, once again, outstanding. Lumet has such a long list of great movies that you wonder why he has never won an Oscar or been given an AFI Lifetime Achievement award.

This is a riveting movie — about the law, but mainly about the flawed nature of the human beings who are entrusted with it.

[3] Production design: as good as it gets. Everything looks old, as if it has been used and lived in for years, not shabby but burnished with age, all mahogany wood and scarlet carpets. Lighting and photography: up there with the best. Most scenes are dark — it’s midwinter in Boston — but not too dark, cleverly lighted. The snow in the streets is literally blue, as if it had just leaped out of an impressionist landscape. Tree branches glisten with moisture on slick night-time streets. Tinsel draped along a bar ceiling twinkles with fraudulent joy.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Last Train from Gun Hill” (1959) starring Kirk Douglas & Anthony Quinn

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The (Native American) wife of marshal Matt Morgan (Kirk Douglas) is raped/murdered by two young/white men while on a ride w/ their 7 y.o. son. The killers leave behind a saddle w/ the initials “CR” on it; Matt recognizes this as property of Craig Belden (Anthony Quinn), his old friend. Craig (now a cattle baron in the town of Gun Hill) is sympathetic to Morgan’s situation, until he realizes that one of the murderers is his own son, Rick (Earl Holliman). Craig refuses to hand over his son to Matt, but the lawman is determined to capture Rick and his friend (Lee) by the 9PM train. Soon, Matt learns that the townspeople (incl. the sheriff) won’t cooperate; Craig’s henchmen are looking to kill him! He finds ally in Linda (Carolyn Jones), a single woman he met on the train.

Sheriff Bartlett: Far as I’m concerned, you can go out on the street and get yourself killed anytime you want to, but, you know something, 40 years from now the weeds’ll grow just as pretty on my grave as they will on yours. Nobody’ll even remember that I was yellow and you died like a fool. That’s your long view, son. Always take the long view.
Marshal Matt Morgan: I’ve got two warrants, and I’m gonna serve them. I’m leavin’ town with two men, and the long view is this: don’t try to stop me!

This drama (directed by John Sturges- best remembered for his Westerns) has dark/realistic elements; as this was made in the late ’50s, Hollywood was opening up more. The movie (which is available to stream for free) starts w/ a (tense/harrowing) chase which results in a wife/mother being attached; her young son is able to ride away. Later on, Linda breaks up w/ Craig, revealing that it was his (physical) abuse which resulted in her hospitalization. It’s rare to see such a woman character in the Western genre!

[1] …something of a coup having two heavyweight stars of the period like Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn playing the central roles. […]

With more than a nod to Delmer Daves’ “3.10 To Yuma” (1957), LAST TRAIN FROM GUN HILL is a splendid well structured dramatic western with equally splendid performances from Douglas and Quinn. The supporting cast are good too! […] Adding greatly to this taut western drama is Dimitri Tiomkin’s outstanding music.

[2] Earl Holliman showed great promise in an early role as the spoiled rotten son of Mr. Belden. I’m surprised that he did not become a bigger star as a character actor throughout his career. And the late Carolyn Jones turned in a strong performance as Linda. Definitely up there in the same ranking of great classic westerns and one of the best efforts of John Sturges.

[3] …impressive in the script, and through John Sturges’ steadfast professionalism, is how there’s the tension between law and the personal, the immediate draw of a gun draw to solve anything, and the bitterness of real vengeance…

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews