Men Throwdown - Boston vs. London

The Departed

Martin Scorsese returns to his violent roots with this American version of the fabulous Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. Two boys are groomed as men to infiltrate the other side of the mob vs. cop world. At first they seem like pawns in the hands of the men they serve, Frank Costello (Nicholson) and Capt. Queenan (Martin Sheen). The cat-and mouse chase between the two adversaries (Damon and DiCaprio) soon becomes a central part in the tension and drama. Unfortunately traditional violence, thuggary, and brute force punches from the boss men trumps the identity crisis and psychological confusion story of the two young men and this was the innovative and interesting part of the story. The original Infernal Affairs was a pure adrenaline rush because it really went into the mental tightrope walking the double agents had to endure; it was a mix of modern gangster and Hitchcockian thriller. In Scorsese's hands it turns to gunslinging attitude, sadly showing how American audience can't handle the better film.

Children of Men

Dystopia is not far ahead of us. Continuing on the eroding civil liberties path of The Patriot Act and border fences, Alfonso Cuarón takes this story a few steps ahead to a world of infertility and instability. Theo Faron (Clive Owen) is an apathetic civil servant who takes the day off of work feigning emotional distress at the assassination of the youngest world citizen. He soon gets pulled into the underground movement lead by his ex-wife Julian (Julianne Moore). Darting and dodging border guards and ruffian thugs on motorbikes, he finds himself a bit lost and without friends at a rural homestead. Forced into a choice of self servitude or aid, he choses the later, a bit against his character, when faced with the miraculous presence of a pregnant girl. He first head to his parents home for a source of refuge but soon is on the run again, not knowing who to trust or if his destination will deliver his trio to freedom. Fabulously fast and tight direction along with war-torn cinematography serve the story well. The best film this year, you are forced to look at our political state and ask yourself, "When will I leave my comfy couch and start caring and acting for a better future, a more human world?"