Self-explanatory. I just finished the (wildly disappointing) Godfather series, having not seen it in many years, and this topic came to mind.
1. The Departed
2. The Godfather: Part II
3. Fight Club
Frankly, the original Godfather may be slightly overrated on its own, but Godfather II is markedly less impressive because, whereas the original hung its hat on stellar performances by Brando, Pacino, and Duvall, in the sequel, Brando's character is dead, Pacino's portrayal becomes a caricature of itself, and Duvall gets fuck all for screen time.
The Departed is just all-around a shitty film with shitty performances. It's like if The Godfather were directed by a music video director. DiCaprio and Wahlberg always blow because they're not dynamic talents, but Damon and Nicholson are genuinely talented actors. Yet Damon's performance is as boring and cookie cutter as the film itself and Nicholson's is cartoonish, perhaps to make up for everyone else.
For Scorsese, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Cape Fear, Raging Bull, and The Last Temptation of Christ are all markedly better than The Departed, and probably all are better than Goodfellas.
For Fincher, Se7en and Gone Girl are certainly better than Fight Club.
Go.
