I saw Scorsese’s Mean Streets years ago and forgot about it. It seems tame compared to crime movies that came after it, but it is a hugely influential film, and for that reason, it’s interesting. I’m not biting at the bit to watch it again any time soon, but I’m sure I’ll appreciate it more with each viewing.
The Departed is the most fun I had watching a movie in a theatre in 2006. I haven’t enjoyed a Martin Scorsese motion picture for well over a decade. Now, with The Departed, he’s hit a grand-slam home-run right out of the park. It’s great to see Scorsese return to form at what he does best: the crime drama. This isn’t a retread of old territory like Casino. He does a few things we’ve seen before, but it’s fresh and exciting and fantastic. It may not be seen as his best film, but certainly one of his most entertaining.