Reviews

What started as a Hong Kong thriller has been elevated by the masterful touch of Scorcese. The Departed is most certainly a return to themes touched upon in older films such as Goodfellas, and even Taxi Driver, but more than his other recent projects, it seems Scorcese has "matured". Yes, this sounds strange - a director like him has always been an eloquent and masterful one - but here it seems as though he is looking back upon his career and making decisions based upon those that seemed correct in his past. The film? why worry - the plot is as similar as Heat, or any other crime thriller - the secret is in the delivery, and the way the director coaxes masterful performances from the cast. Magnificent.

A slick, intelligent thriller, which seems to be a mixture of both the Godfather and Heat - yet manages to be tighter, and more intense than the two. Both lead roles are suitably underplayed, allowing the stress and tension of the respective moles' jobs to show itself without resorting to Pacino-like over acting. Indeed, much of the film is told in dialogue, there are no ridiculous action sequences, and the final rooftop confrontation is both incredibly intense and masterful in keeping such a sprawling tale enclosed in such a small, yet fitting finale. It has been followed by two, equally wonderful films, but the original remains both a sophisticated piece of modern cinema, and a dizzyingly exciting thriller.

I have just seen Cherish at Sundance, and I am desperately waiting for a studio to pick it up for release. The movie delicately entwines the subtly disturbing music of the 80's with a clever comedy thriller that leaves you not knowing whether to laugh or gasp. Robin Tunney plays a woman accidentally involved in the murder of a policeman, an event that places her under the bracelet programme until her trial. While trying to get more than 57 feet from her surroundings, she encounters a new life, as she struggles to comprehend with lonliness and her obsession with an old 80's radio station. THe movie blends the freakiness of such songs as Tainted Love and I'm Not In Love with a car crash and stalking, respectively, adding a great shot of black humour to an excellent movie. Plus, the story is great, too. Possibly the best film so far of Sundance this year.