SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This is number five on my top ten films of all time, and for good reason. This enthralling cop movie with Matt Damon ,Mark Wahlberg ,Martin Sheen and Jack Nicholson is a thrill ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat for it's whole runtime

Don't waste your time on watching this illogical movie.

I love it. I think I enjoyed it more than Goodfellas.

Now now, before you go and comment, dislike and lambast my opinion, hear me out. This is by no means a bad film, in fact it's better than good. Yet, a ludicrous amount of film aficionados deem this as one the best films from the last decade. I'm afraid I strongly disagree. An amateur Boston cop infiltrates an American Irish gang by following the chief mobster. On the flipside, a criminal from the gang infiltrates the police department and reports the status of the investigation back to the head honcho. It's a vintage crime story that thematically conveys the power of trust. Scorsese is back to what he does best, crafting intricate mafia crime thrillers fuelled by rich character development. The arcs of the leading individuals are fully realised and are played out like a methodical game of chess. Motives are shrouded in mystery, minds are tainted by corrupted ideologies. Scorsese brings in an A-list cast comprising of Damon, DiCaprio and the ever reliable Nicholson who essentially chews up every scene like he is devouring a piece of tender chicken. Monahan's screenplay consistently brings out the gritty Boston upbringing of these characters. It's a harsh environment that lures you into this convoluted world filled with rats and tyranny. Wahlberg's sarcastic banter was a much required element to what is a tough exterior. My reasoning for not rating this excruciatingly high is the narrative structure. There are no surprises in this, it's a "thriller" that doesn't excite me. Purposefully indicating who the informants are in both parties at the beginning means a large duration of the film becomes predictably unexciting. It's only at its conclusion that it mistakingly tries to be enthralling by shooting people in the head (literally!). Lazily underwhelming, especially after 140 minutes of character development. The Boston accents also came across extremely heavily from certain actors, particularly Farmiga as she exclaims "harrrrrdest!". A well constructed crime drama that unfortunately is weighted down by a mechanical narrative.