"Departed" stirs anger over Boston Irish mob boss »
Posted by: Beeboppin71 1 year, 6 months agoBOSTON (Reuters) - While Martin Scorsese is feted by Hollywood for his Oscar-winning film "The Departed," relatives of people killed or tortured by the real-life Boston Irish mobster on which the movie is based are not applauding.
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SusanParrish1 year, 6 months ago
"The movie gives this hero worship to this creature," said Christopher McIntyre, 47, whose brother was murdered by Bulger's gang in 1984. He said he has not seen the film because it would be "very painful."
"For eight hours, they strapped him in a chair and cut pieces off him. He begged for a bullet in the brain," McIntyre said, adding that he personally still feels threatened by remnants of Bulger's gang and plans to leave Massachusetts.
Wow, that is so sad.
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DanmLiberals1 year, 6 months ago
What about the rappers who FuK hoes and kill ******, and then rap about it. Funny world we live in when you can be that disgusted about a movie. BTW, no one was glorified in the movie. The guy got shot in the end and died a horrible death. The movie was about the moles and that's what made it interesting.
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Aidenag1 year, 6 months ago
Wiki has a fair amount of info on The guy they based Jack Nicholson on. And a lot about the Gang:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_"Whitey"_Bulger
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IcCaRus1 year, 6 months ago
being part of what? its a movie! are you disappointed in emilio esteves for playing billy the kid? robert duval for playing stalin? brando for playing vito corleone? mark harmon for playing ted bundy? antonio banderas for playing mussolini (very badly, by the way)? shall i name another thousand movies made about bad guys?
these movies work both ways... to some, i guess you could say they glorify bad acts, but they ALSO expose criminal gangs for what they are. might be a good thing for a kid considering a "career" in organized crime to know that if you screw up in a regular job, you get fired, but if you screw up in a gang you get DEAD!
btw, ive seen it.. if i had an oscar vote, ida voted for it.
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Amazing11 year, 6 months ago
I haven't seen the movie myself, but I can understand how the families of the victims would be outraged by the glorification of someone who did so much to hurt so many. I don't watch the Sopranos, either. More glorification of bad guys.
It certainly sounds as if the FBI and other government agencies were turning a blind eye. I would not be surprised to discover that this guy was in witness protection somewhere.
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Beeboppin711 year, 6 months ago
I haven't seen the movie, but if the man this character is based on is still alive, than it's wrong to make a movie like this about him. I really feel sorry for the victims of his crimes.
What does everyone else think?
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SusanParrish1 year, 6 months ago
That's a tough call. I guess it depends on how he is depicted. There are still victims of the Holocaust alive today, and there are how many movies about what happened to them? If this guy is glorified in the movie, then that's just wrong, and since I haven't seen it, I don't know. The guy they interviewed hadn't seen it either, so I don't know if it's true that the movie is "hero worship" or not. Sometimes you have to make movies about bad people and sad events, to raise consciousness or help avoid a recurrence. I don't know if "The Departed" does that.
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IcCaRus1 year, 6 months ago
i have seen it, and it does not "glorify" the character. it simply tells a story ...
what is your definition of "glorify"? it shows mob bosses for what they are; liars, thieves, racketeers, murderers, people who will kill even their "friends" if its expediant. that sure isnt my definition of "glorify".
and while im pi$$ing people off, let me say this... all any of us have about this movie is opinion, and if you havent seen it, all you have is UNinformed opinion.
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Beau78901 year, 6 months ago
I think movies and books often glorify criminals--stories about mobsters are particularly popular, as are ones about serial killers. I'm not a big fan of them, and sometimes am also disappointed in the publicity they receive and the enthusiasm of writers, actors and the like who support them.
As they say, "one man's fish is another man's 'poisson.'" ;-)
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BronxBomber1 year, 6 months ago
James "Whitey" Bulger... it's still unbelievable that he's on the dodge from the law after all these years w/o so much as a peep!
If he's still alive, how did he manage to survive even after ALL these years????
I gotta wonder if he's still making deals with certain factions of the federal goverment who maybe hiding him under an assumed name.
He used to be an informant for the FBI, and had a childhood friend in the FBI supplying him with info on the agencies tracking of Bulger, and his co-horts, plus his brother is /was a politician in Massechussets who certainly was instrumental in helping his brother escape, and present status as well.
Well, that at least is my theory.
As for the movie I think I'll watch it with an open mind.
But if your gonna watch it, beware that Hollywood does have a long history of taking "dramatic" license with the so-called facts.
Example:
Remember Oliver Stone's: JFK?
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IcCaRus1 year, 6 months ago
"If he's still alive, how did he manage to survive even after ALL these years????"
this is exactly why i think hes dead... you cant be as high profile of a wanted criminal as this guy and stay free this long. i mean, how lomg did it take for olivia newton johns stupid bf to get spotted????
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ind061 year, 6 months ago
Most mob movies put some kind of positive humanistic spin on the heartless thugs they portray, "men of honor" and such. I remember reading that with movies so obscenely expensive to make the money often comes, not directly, but in a round about way from the criminal element and this has led to a positive portrayal. Of course, since Goodfellas Scorsese has made a literal career out of portraying the mob, he's practically his own genre by now.
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stellablue1 year, 6 months ago
I saw this movie, and for those who didn't it really is wrong to comment.. It did not in any way glorify the bad guys.. In fact they all were killed in the end.. Yes, Nicholson's character (sorry for anyone who has yet to see it) was shot by his buddy in law enforcement..One of the best movies I have seen in a very long time!! It was based on real incidents..I did not see any glorification of any characters other than Leo's character(who was killed) and Mark Wahlbergs character, who in the end killed the crooked cop!
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Beeboppin711 year, 6 months ago
Ahhh! Well then that's another story. The only way that I would be upset is if the characters were glorified. Before this article I was looking forward to seeing it. I think I still will after reading your comment. It's just hard for me to enjoy a movie if I know that it was made at a victims expense.
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aquarius4481 year, 6 months ago
Mobsters are people too...but I would not want to have them over for tea and crumpets. Hollywood and television glorifies and exaggerates the criminal persona beyond the realm of reality. The victims of crime must relive untold horrors that can only reinforce a psychologically damaged life.
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Beeboppin711 year, 6 months ago
I heard something about that. I can't remember the name of the film though. What is the title?
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eugenegerard1 year, 6 months ago
The movie uses Bulger as a stepping stone. In no way does it glorify Bulger. The story in the movie is horrible and almost unbelievable. The TRUE life story is much, much worse.
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queenb7271 year, 6 months ago
1. The movie is based on a Hong Kong thriller.
2. It doesn't glorify the bad guys because they all die at the end.
3. How can the families claim that it glorifies the mobsters if they haven't even seen it?
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IcCaRus1 year, 6 months ago
that is true to an extent... its also NOT true to an extent...
while i agree that most are, not ALL victims of mobsters are "associated" with those mobsters...
the person who witnesses a murder, and is then killed to prevent them from testifying most certainly wasnt "associated" with the mob.
neither is the shopkeeper who refuses to pay proctection, then dies when their business is torched.
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redLineRunner1 year, 6 months ago
Dying during the film doesnt negate "glorification". Look at Tony Montana in Scarface - he dies in the end of the film, but people still objectify and glorify the character.
I saw this film, and I didnt think it glorified anyone. The hero is almost out of his mind with paranoia by the end, the mob boss, in my opinion, wasnt portreyed as "cool" or a bad@$$ anything like that, the "henchmen" were not particularly bright, and neither were the cops.
It was a fantastic movie - well written, well acted, all around top notch. But I didnt really see it as "glorifying" anyone.
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netchicke41 year, 6 months ago
It is just a movie!!!!!!!!!!! and a really good one at that!!!!!!...
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not2needy1 year, 6 months ago
How in the world did his brother manage to become President of the Mass Senate and President of the Univ of Mass? I know we shouldn't judge one by the other, but i think i would be at least a little leery of him!!
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nu20071 year, 6 months ago
This movie is based on a Hong Kong movie called "The Infernal Affair" (translated title) I agree that "The Departed" may be seen as a great movie if you haven't watched the original HK movie. But I think you will change your mind if you have also picked up this movie. The Departed could not depict the vivid characters of the two main actors as well as the intertwined relationship between the gangster boss and the police boss in the original movie. The deep suspense atmosphere could not be recreated. The love story in the original one was not as messy as The Departed. Also, the "coolness" of the "gun standoff" scene at the top of the building and the final "elevator" scene are also the biggest twist in the whole story that The Departed did not recreate faithfully. You guys should take a chance to watch the HK movie.
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nu20071 year, 6 months ago
Just to pick up some original plots/lines of the HK movie here:
1) The police undercover spent 9 years in the gangster to collect intelligence. Famous line: when he complains to his boss about this hopeless task, the boss told him it will soon finish, he replies "Three years, another three years, then another three years. I won't believe you anymore...You just shut up!"
2) Remember in The Departed there was a scene making funny annotation about "how to identify the undercover"? That guy in the HK movie talked with a goofy sense of humor, but act serious.
3) There was also a "Moorse code" scene on the arrest setup of the gangster boss during a drug dealing. It was the 1st time when bosses of both sides realized they got an undercover in their respective teams, and are desperate to find out the traitors right on the spot without alarming anyone. This plot was the coolest part. The Departed has a similar scene but less the Moorse code and suspense.
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nu20071 year, 6 months ago
4) When the police undercover saw his police boss fell off the building dead, the hopelessness on his face (since he would have forever lost his identity after 9 yrs of thankless hard work) deeply touched the audience.
5) In the "gun standoff" scene, the gangster undercover asked for the police undercover's forgiveness of his crime in exchange back of his identity. The dialogues went, "Sorry, I am a police. I must arrest you." "Who knows (that you are a police)?" (with an indifferent tone) The police undercover then pointed a gun on his forehead and the scene zoomed out like in "The Matrix". Damn cool!
6) I won't give away the final "elevator" scene. You must watch it! Note: the HK version of this ending scene was censored by the Chinese government when trying to play it in mainland China because the message it carried might provoke "bad influence". So you see why I don't want to just give it away?
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nu20071 year, 6 months ago
The HK movie was not about blood and gore, but the character development of the two undercovers and the depiction of inescapable destiny. The chinese title (not the translated "The Infernal Affair") came from Buddhist philosophy of this idea of destiny. It has nothing to do with the New York gangster background or exploitation of real victims.
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Albion1 year, 6 months ago
I don't know why people like to romanticise about lousy low life scum like this guy, they are obviously attracted to them in a weird sort of way hence the popularity of this type of film. Perhaps we in our inner thoughts wish we could be a little like them and have a psychopathic disregard for other peoples feelings, completely free of the burden of responsibility towards our fellow man.
Then again perhaps we just like to see a bit of blood, gore and murder ;-) I know I do.
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lvrofwolves1 year, 6 months ago
There are all kinds of reasons people watch the types of movies there are. If I watch a movie for example,about a serial killer, doesn't mean I have some inner feelings about being one myself. I saw this movie and there are many well known actors in it, it's there job to act, I'd never put blame on any actor for playing a part(unless they did a crappy job ;-) ). Really don't any of you think that movies will depict someones life in some way. If you know you will be sensitive about some form of movie, don't watch it. And there was no way I got the impression that it was glorified. In the end, they all got what they deserved...well except 2..didn't deserve it.
If I lost a loved one to some form of violence, I just wouldn't watch that type of movie...I surely wouldn't expect that whole form to be eliminated for everyone else on the planet.
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aelviswannabe781 year, 6 months ago
I think society is going the wrong way here. We as a people are putting to much on the goverment on what our kids can and can't watch. The rating system is a good thing. The parents forgot how to sit with their kids and say this is bad and this is good. Noone was glorified in the movie good or bad. Seems like parents want the goverment to raise our kids instead of themselves and I'm tired of hearing them about too much of sex or any other thing on tv or the big screen.
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readmylips1 year, 6 months ago
For those who say "its just a movie" I would just like
to say that movies, television, influence people more significantly than any other form of media.
Movies and television carry direct and subtle messages.
People engross themselves in to this type of media where as they identify deeply with the characters, the characters ideology, ethics, mannerisms,etc.
Far far too many people cannot seperate actor from the character they play.
Why do you think the film industry is so lucrative?
The government has used movies to sway public opinion since the very early 1900s.
Think about people spend hour upon hours engrossed in soap operas, primetime soap operas and identify deeply with fictional characters.
Movies are highly influential and have moved people to both ends of the spectrum ..acts of good and heinous acts.
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mssofie1 year, 6 months ago
Soon we will forget all about this movie...on to the next hollywood showcase of over-rated films.
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AmpLee1 year, 6 months ago
I don't know why anyone would comment on the movie or its 'glorification' of violence if they haven't seen it.
WARNING: the following may contain 'spoilers' for those that haven't seen the film
I saw it, and the Nicholson character was portrayed as a nasty miserable paranoid sociopath who trusted no one and, unlike the real character, was brought 'to justice'. Glorification of the life of a murdering mobster? See the film and then say that. Not that the film is all that good, outside of the performances, especially of DeCaprio. It's too long and the plot is unecessarily cluttered and foggy. It did keep my interest.
As a previous poster said, 100's maybe 1,000's of movies have been done about real life villains like Bundy. I'm not even sure how closely this mirrors the real story, and I'll bet it doesn't come all that close, unlike what I've heard about the new Zodiac Killer movie, which is said to be detailed to match the real events to a 'T'
They never caught him either
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Beeboppin71
The Quangle Wangles Hat
On the top of the Crumpetty Tree
The Quangle Wangle sat,
But his face you could not see,
On account of ...
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