Reviews

As an Englishman living in Hong Kong, i am in the unusual position of having seen the original "Infernal Affairs" in the cinema in 2002, and now "The Departed" in the self same cinema 4 years later. Both are first class movies. The remake is very loyal to the original, and only locations and a few minor changes have been made. It is one of the best movies of this genre i have seen in a long time. Probably the best since i saw the original one. I would say that Martin Sheen was slightly miscast, and Matt Damon, although good, does not get the same sympathy from me as did Andy Lau in the original version. The point about this is that you should like this character,which is at odds with the fact that he is a bad guy. I tended to like Andy Lau, whereas Matt Damon was not quite so likable. This is a rather "picky" point, and would probably only be picked up by somebody who has seen both versions. I was amazed that two and a half hours disappeared without trace in the cinema, and i truly wanted to see more. An excellent movie that deserves a number of accolades. I am sure we will be seeing those during next years round of awards.

This movie captured all my teenage years. I was,and still am, a total Bobby Darin fan, and never thought anyone could capture his unique style and nuances. I commend Kevin Spacey in achieving this, and for producing a very thought provoking movie which counterbalances the brilliant music with a very unique story. As a fan in England in the late fifties and early sixties, we did not get the information that we get on our stars today. I now live in Hong Kong, and had to wait for the DVD to be released before i could see this long awaited movie. I was not disappointed, and the days of listening to long playing records in my box bedroom in Wembley came straight back to me!!! I thank Kevin Spacey from the bottom of my heart for bringing my teenage hero back to life in such a stunning way, and i wish him every success in his future work. Rather like Bobby Darin himself, i don't think his work here has been fully recognised for its brilliance.

David INGRAM,HONG KONG JUNE 2005

I believe this to be one of Marlon Brando's most underrated performances. The film itself is a splendid period piece of Apartheid South Africa. I rarely see this movie mentioned in biographical comment with regard to Brando's career, and yet, it is a stunning performance. I assume the lack of comment is the fact that he only played a supporting role, and that the subject of apartheid probably denied it a higher profile. As somebody who has lived in South Africa, both before and after apartheid, i cannot tell you how accurate the performance of Brando is in this role. There is no doubt in my mind that he must have studied meticulously before playing this part. I do not know why, but there are a large percentage of professional people in South Africa who have an almost perfect "Queen's English" accent...but it is tinged with a slight South African edge which only the most perceptive can detect. Not only does Marlon Brando capture this perception, but he somehow manages to replicate it, which i have always found truly incredible. You would have to live South Africa to know how fantastic his voicing is in this part, but believe me, apart from the power of his acting, this role is a truly stunning illustration of his amazing ability. I hope this movie will obtain the higher profile it deserves in the future.

Manny Wah Hong Kong