The Departed Review

"The Departed" reviews

Movie

The Departed

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2009-08-31 20:13:02

Rating

3.5/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

So this is why we go to the movies--every single, solitary reason why, to be exact. Leave it to the great Martin Scorsese to remind us, in one of the year's very best and most exciting films.

Story

It isn't until later on in The Departed that you realize how important and well-crafted its beginning is: Two Bostonians, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), nearly cross paths when they're interviewed in succession by Sgt. Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) and Capt. Queenan (Martin Sheen). Costigan is chosen to infiltrate the mob in order to get to Boston's most feared boss, Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), and he'll have to put in some time in the slammer and on the streets before gaining a shred of cred; meanwhile, Sullivan, clean-cut and articulate, is pulling the ultimate job for Costello by infiltrating the state police department and alerting the mob boss of their every move. As the two moles become more involved in their undercover operations, the groups they're infiltrating begin to smell something fishy. And so commences the chess match between Costigan and Sullivan to reveal each other before their respective pseudo-colleagues do.

Acting

For any actor who truly enjoys the art of his job, more so than the sexy periphery of it all, something as collaborative as The Departed must seem like the proverbial "candy store." Maybe that explains why DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson and Wahlberg all signed up instead of carrying their own separate blockbusters for likely a much bigger payday. DiCaprio and Damon do what they do in every movie: give their best performances to date. Each plays completely against type, flaunting the fact that genuine movie superstardom isn't born out of good looks alone. For Nicholson, his career nearing the half-century mark, it's no longer easy to qualify and rank his performances, but Costello is one of his high points in a career pretty much devoid of anything but. As likely the lone Oscar contender (amongst the cast), Nicholson is equal parts monstrous and wry--or, better yet, equal parts Jack Torrance and The Joker. Wahlberg steals the funniest lines, especially with his inborn Boston accent, but Sheen often catches them before they're allowed too much laughter. It doesn't end there, though: Alec Baldwin (as a fellow officer), soon-to-be breakout star Vera Farmiga (as a police shrink who ends up playing a central role), Ray Winstone (as Costello's right-hand man) and Anthony Anderson (as a young cop familiar with both Costigan and Sullivan) all shine. Unprecedented chemistry amongst an unprecedented cast is as much a theme here as revenge!

Direction

It is a privilege to watch a legend who is still so relevant: Martin Scorsese. The iconic director is responsible for some of film's all-time masterpieces (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas), but perhaps never has he seemed so vigorous. The Departed is a return to form for him in its vulgarity and casual-as-waking-up violence--the man makes exploding brain bits look like masterful spin art, but somehow never gratuitous; however, the film is not a return to straight-ahead mob flicks, which would be a copout. His mere aura commands actors' best-ever performances, and does he ever get them here. But it's Scorsese's party, thanks to his trademark grit and urban storytelling, for no one makes the bad look so damn good! His prowess is indubitable, but it's hard to imagine him doing it without a superb script rewrite of Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs from Boston's own William Monahan (Kingdom of Heaven). His story is not flawless all the time--for one thing, Farmiga's character is the story's thinly veiled crutch--and it could be argued that the gunshots are exploitatively deafening, but this is no time to nitpick. It's time to sit back, feel tense, and enjoy the show!

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 3 1/2 stars.

Movie

The Departed

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-10-05 00:00:00

Provider

MyMovies

Review

Given his imagination and previous work, it's perhaps a rather strange decision by Martin Scorsese to remake a cult Hong Kong gangster thriller. But fortunately the master filmmaker has relocated and expanded "Infernal Affairs" expertly, creating another Scorsese gem. The premise sees two young men from crime-ridden South Boston (Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon) joining the Police Department - but both has very different intentions. DiCaprio's Billy is persuaded to go deep undercover and infiltrate the gang of ruthless crime boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). However Damon's character has known Costello for years and uses his new position to keep the mobster one step ahead of the law. But when he learns there's a rat in Frank's gang, both men face a race against time to expose each other before the other can.

Given that the movie on which "The Departed" is based only ran for around 100 mins, some may baulk at the fact that Scorsese has squeezed two and a half hours worth of material out of it. But while "Infernal Affairs" was fast paced and thrill a minute, Scorsese has slowed things down and focuses on the psychological effect upon being an undercover agent for such a long period of time. As such things get a bit slow at times, but the film's tense and taught atmosphere more than makes up for it.

The performances are universally good - Nicholson chews the scenery like the old pro he is - while Scorsese is still a master behind the camera - and even if "The Departed" doesn't feel quite as innovative or raw as some of his previous classics, it is still miles ahead of what Hollywood churns out week in week out these days.

Movie

The Departed

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-09-29 15:00:29

Provider

Review

Martin Scorsese's recent films have never been less than entertaining, but for long term fans there was something lacking in Gangs Of New York and Aviator (and it wasn't just the substitution of Leonardo Di Caprio for Robert De Niro). Scorsese is one of few American directors with the kudos and courage to impose their own visions of grandeur on a movie. With The Departed he's back in his own fold.

Based on the brilliant Korean trilogy Infernal Affairs, The Departed is set in Boston, follows the career trajectories of two undercover agents. One is a policeman, Billy Costigan (Di Caprio) sent to infiltrate the inner circle of crimelord Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), the other, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) a plant of Costello's slowly working his way up the police ranks, all the time serving his real masters.

The film is meticulously constructed, played out over two-and-a-half hours of brutal violence and intense performances, particularly that of Di Caprio, who gives his best showing yet in his trio of Scorsese movies. Nicholson adds the almost-comic relief, a turn as the sociopathic Mafia boss (named after the real life New York Mafiosa who threatened to shut down The Godfather set for its unflinching depiction of the mob) as bloodthirstily over the top as anything he's done since Batman. Credit should also go the unknown Vera Farmiga as the woman who comes between the two spooks.

The Departed is fabulously shot, making great use of the Boston settings and capturing the return to something like Goodfellas form of an American cinematic icon. Now, about that Oscar...