THE DEPARTED
“
When I was your age they’d say we could become cops or criminals… when
you’re facing a loaded gun what’s the difference?” So says
gangland chief Costello (Jack Nicholson), and therein lies the story. Get excited
lads, get very excited… now, that’s enough. Better. This Martin
Scorcese film is his eagerly awaited remake of the 2002 Hong Kong crime drama
Internal Affairs in which a cop and a gangster infiltrate each other’s
organisations. Moving the tale to Boston, amongst the Massachusetts police
force and the Irish mafia, this is not just another low grade Hollywood remake.
It’s an action packed, gripping piece of cat-and-mouse cinema with an
astounding cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Martin Sheen.
Get your arses down that cinema pronto, or I’ll send the boys round!
Verdict: Gripping gangland guessing game
CASINO ROYALE
Britain’s favourite charmer is back, with Daniel Craig replacing Pierce
Brosnan as the new James Bond. Casino Royale is Ian Fleming’s original
Bond book, and thus it would be a much-anticipated addition to the Bond collection
if recent 007 outings hadn’t been so damn poor. But add the return of
Goldeneye director Martin Campbell, and some hard thriller action and they
seem to be heading back in the right direction. The question is, can we be
bothered to sit through another Bond movie with their recent track record?
This is no classic of the Sean Connery pedigree. There are plenty of the usual
girls, gambling, gadgets and guns - if none of the original gung-ho glamour
- but it’s yawn-inducing at times. And with the quality of action films
today, the bumbling Britishness of Q just doesn’t make the grade.
Verdict: Bond? Bored more like
Read all the latest film reviews in the current issue of RedHanded.
Susie Wild growls, ‘Shh, the film’s started!’
