The Departed (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
One good quote to sum up 'The Departed' (a brutal crime thriller directed by legendary Martin Scorsese) would be "honest men & liars share the same graveyards". This film tells the tale of 2 cops who are working for the Massachusetts State Police AND for the mob, at the same time; each one trying to cancel each other out. Most of the film is riveting and this is, overall, a powerful movie. One could hear a pin drop & the audience would jolt. As soon as the credits rolled, I wanted to see it again. I mean that in a positive way, but also to catch some things I may have missed. While the story is decent, & the acting is superb, the directing choices & editing goes a bit off, at times (which have plagued some of Scorsese's other films).
South Boston: the police force is up in arms with organized crime led by Irish-American mobster, Frank Costello (an always engaging Jack Nicholson). The FBI & the Massachusetts police are hoping to catch him in the act with the aid of undercover man, Billy Costigan (Leo DiCaprio). Meanwhile, Costello has his own inside man who he has groomed to become an ace detective in the very task force that is trying to bring him down. This is Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon). Surely, Costello can trust this informant of his to remain anonymous within the department. Surely, Sullivan wouldn't turn-in his mentor to the feds. But when Costello decides to take on Costigan as one of his 'new guys', we now have 2 undercover men who are working for both sides. And neither one wants to be found out.
Costigan & Sullivan become consumed with their alternate lives. Every nuance, every cell phone call, every misstep, is looked upon as potentially life threatening/career ending to these guys. And when the cops & Costello find out that these moles are in their midst, things really start getting crazy ... and they were crazy to begin with. How will these fakers dodge the bullets? Will Costigan be able to leave his seedy past behind & perform this dangerous task for the Mass. police? Can Sullivan protect his identity from Special Investigations Unit Chiefs, Queenan & Dignam (Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg)? Will Costigan smoke out Detective Sullivan, who is 'working' for Costello? Or will Sullivan figure out this mole (Costigan) and rat 'him' out to Costello? Who's good & who's bad? What are the deadly consequences? Who wins? All of these questions are answered (albeit frantically & confusingly, at times) in bloody fashion.
Matt Damon is great as that cocky type of Bostonian (fantastic accent) who feels the need to quip 'fagg*ts' at any guy who questions his masculinity or purpose. DiCaprio is superb as the neurotic undercover cop who is petrified at the prospect of being found out, yet keeps his cool under immense pressure. Here's a role where Leo isn't trying too hard; therefore, his natural talent speaks for itself. These actors play their roles with so much intensity, it is astounding. And I was highly impressed with Mark Wahlberg as Chief Dignam. His portrayal as the incredibly loyal, ever-suspicious, all-knowing Boston bred police chief who spits his scathing, but truthful dialogue with enough venom to make any man shiver is fantastic!
And then we come back to Jack Nicholson. At this point of his career, his roles have become a caricature of himself. Am I complaining? No. It's great fun to see. Throw a bloated, melodramatic Alec Baldwin into the mix & you've got quite the team here. Vera Farmiga acquits herself well in the only female role as psychiatrist to both Costigan & Sullivan. She's a fine actress, but the love story btwn. her & these 2 guys is drab & repetitive. Why pause the thrilling cadence of the film with this boring love triangle? The narrative comes to full halts (not only here, but in following bar/warehouse/police department scenes). Periods of lengthy dialogue & non-action makes us eager for meaningful plot again.
See, the 1st part of 'The Departed' is genius: lightning-fast, full of momentum, full of fun, cursing, guns, blood & witty screenwriting. And the ending, while confusing, brings all things together & you are satisfied. But when the film loses steam in the middle & begins to overuse the vile language, guns & blood, you feel like asking: Martin, why? Couldn't you have held back on your ostentatious style & excesses just a bit? An Oscar-worthy film fell a notch because you are never satisfied with curbing your appetite for TOO MUCH of everything. Gangs of New York & The Aviator were hampered (a bit) by said excesses, as well. Like them, 'The Departed' is a very good movie. But I felt like asking, 'when is enough enough?'
I enjoyed most of 'The Departed' on a superficial level. It's a film right up my alley. But I have seen better of its kind. And like so many movies before this one ... excess cursing, excess all-star cast, & excess shock factor does not hide the fact that the film, itself, could have been better. Instead of being authentic/genuine, it felt like the script & Scorsese were trying too hard to be cool. I appreciate the individual performances, & I was on the edge of my seat throughout most of the film. Yet, I'm very curious to view the original movie from which this is based, Hong Kong's Infernal Affairs, and see if it's cast full of 'no names' and budget of only $6 million produced a better film with a smoother script & a more effective plot. I betcha it did.
South Boston: the police force is up in arms with organized crime led by Irish-American mobster, Frank Costello (an always engaging Jack Nicholson). The FBI & the Massachusetts police are hoping to catch him in the act with the aid of undercover man, Billy Costigan (Leo DiCaprio). Meanwhile, Costello has his own inside man who he has groomed to become an ace detective in the very task force that is trying to bring him down. This is Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon). Surely, Costello can trust this informant of his to remain anonymous within the department. Surely, Sullivan wouldn't turn-in his mentor to the feds. But when Costello decides to take on Costigan as one of his 'new guys', we now have 2 undercover men who are working for both sides. And neither one wants to be found out.
Costigan & Sullivan become consumed with their alternate lives. Every nuance, every cell phone call, every misstep, is looked upon as potentially life threatening/career ending to these guys. And when the cops & Costello find out that these moles are in their midst, things really start getting crazy ... and they were crazy to begin with. How will these fakers dodge the bullets? Will Costigan be able to leave his seedy past behind & perform this dangerous task for the Mass. police? Can Sullivan protect his identity from Special Investigations Unit Chiefs, Queenan & Dignam (Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg)? Will Costigan smoke out Detective Sullivan, who is 'working' for Costello? Or will Sullivan figure out this mole (Costigan) and rat 'him' out to Costello? Who's good & who's bad? What are the deadly consequences? Who wins? All of these questions are answered (albeit frantically & confusingly, at times) in bloody fashion.
Matt Damon is great as that cocky type of Bostonian (fantastic accent) who feels the need to quip 'fagg*ts' at any guy who questions his masculinity or purpose. DiCaprio is superb as the neurotic undercover cop who is petrified at the prospect of being found out, yet keeps his cool under immense pressure. Here's a role where Leo isn't trying too hard; therefore, his natural talent speaks for itself. These actors play their roles with so much intensity, it is astounding. And I was highly impressed with Mark Wahlberg as Chief Dignam. His portrayal as the incredibly loyal, ever-suspicious, all-knowing Boston bred police chief who spits his scathing, but truthful dialogue with enough venom to make any man shiver is fantastic!
And then we come back to Jack Nicholson. At this point of his career, his roles have become a caricature of himself. Am I complaining? No. It's great fun to see. Throw a bloated, melodramatic Alec Baldwin into the mix & you've got quite the team here. Vera Farmiga acquits herself well in the only female role as psychiatrist to both Costigan & Sullivan. She's a fine actress, but the love story btwn. her & these 2 guys is drab & repetitive. Why pause the thrilling cadence of the film with this boring love triangle? The narrative comes to full halts (not only here, but in following bar/warehouse/police department scenes). Periods of lengthy dialogue & non-action makes us eager for meaningful plot again.
See, the 1st part of 'The Departed' is genius: lightning-fast, full of momentum, full of fun, cursing, guns, blood & witty screenwriting. And the ending, while confusing, brings all things together & you are satisfied. But when the film loses steam in the middle & begins to overuse the vile language, guns & blood, you feel like asking: Martin, why? Couldn't you have held back on your ostentatious style & excesses just a bit? An Oscar-worthy film fell a notch because you are never satisfied with curbing your appetite for TOO MUCH of everything. Gangs of New York & The Aviator were hampered (a bit) by said excesses, as well. Like them, 'The Departed' is a very good movie. But I felt like asking, 'when is enough enough?'
I enjoyed most of 'The Departed' on a superficial level. It's a film right up my alley. But I have seen better of its kind. And like so many movies before this one ... excess cursing, excess all-star cast, & excess shock factor does not hide the fact that the film, itself, could have been better. Instead of being authentic/genuine, it felt like the script & Scorsese were trying too hard to be cool. I appreciate the individual performances, & I was on the edge of my seat throughout most of the film. Yet, I'm very curious to view the original movie from which this is based, Hong Kong's Infernal Affairs, and see if it's cast full of 'no names' and budget of only $6 million produced a better film with a smoother script & a more effective plot. I betcha it did.