I can deal with the narcissism and self-absorption of a writer if a given work is brewed with 3-dimensional characters and a clever, interesting plot. But what we get with William Monohan's script is a juvenile, wet dream-inspired cliche of contrived cynicism and faux-pontification about material success and loneliness. The characters may as well have been lifted from a high-schooler's writing course. I wanted them ALL to die. Horribly. Oscar Isaac's character could have provided some touch of wisdom to this derived narrative, but Monohan was too preoccupied with appearing cool, aloof, and autodidactically intellectual. Every 19 year old boy (and some girls, I'm sure) have written characters like this. We can't help it, even though we know it's bad.
The problem is that Hollywood keeps indulging that urge. I could say that Monohan knows how to do better than this, but given how Hollywood tends to work, It's hard to divine whether it was actually HIS contributions to 'The Departed' that made it good, or some uncredited writer.
Movies as bad as this do serve a function--they're good examples of what NOT to do.
The problem is that Hollywood keeps indulging that urge. I could say that Monohan knows how to do better than this, but given how Hollywood tends to work, It's hard to divine whether it was actually HIS contributions to 'The Departed' that made it good, or some uncredited writer.
Movies as bad as this do serve a function--they're good examples of what NOT to do.