The disturbed Monday March 19, 2007, 5 comments

So, on the recommendation of many people who used to have artistic opinions I admired, I watched The Departed last night. I had a Windows Vista moment. As in “Wow”.

What a disturbing film. It was like the very worst violence of Scorsese combined with the very worst graphic violence of Tarantino. The Godfather with MORE blood and violence, if you can believe it.

I can honestly say that The Departed was the first movie I ever watched that left me feeling violated. I was shaky after watching it. I still feel weird about it, hours and hours later.

The night before we watched Babel, which was also a uniquely odd movie. It too had some minor scenes of violence, but compared to The Departed, it was a Disney flick.

And I’m not the kind of person to deride a film for being violent, even gratuitously so. I was just taken so off guard by The Departed.

I am not recommending this film to anyone. I didn’t really enjoy it, I didn’t see the point. Maybe I missed it. Maybe it was hiding behind the sprays of blood on the elevator wall. Or the sidewalk. Or the floor. Or the car door. Or the bucket of a front end loader.

Wow indeed.

Comments

Jorge Monday March 19, 2007


I’ll still probably see it, because I feel as if I need to.

In other news…
I bought “Seven Swords”, based on what I know of the director and the fact that Donnie Yen is the lead.

Let me just say that I’ve stopped watching at the 2/3 mark and am selling that DVD.

:(

Adrian Monday March 19, 2007


Another “wow” moment, huh.

I guess they’re running out of stories, and need the violence to keep people’s attention.

Jorge Monday March 19, 2007


Maybe.
that being said, I’m looking forward to “300”. I KNOW it’s going to be violent.

But then, for some reason, it’s okay.

I don’t know why that is.

Adrian Monday March 19, 2007


I’m totally looking forward to 300 too, actually…

sarah Monday March 19, 2007


I’m looking forward to 300 too :) Yet I felt very much the same about the departed. I’d explain my feelings about the violence in the departed vs. the violence in Tarantino, 300 and such movies with words like pointless, lack of morality, lack of poetic justice, gratuitous. It wasn’t tragic, I didn’t really identify with anyone (di caprio’s character most, but still not really), and it was trying to be down to earth gritty while in fact being excessively exaggerated. Tarantino is poetic, balletic storytelling, not reality. Scorcese even used to tell you why then shoot. Very much a miss.

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