Four Stars

Rating: 10/10 (18 November 2006)

Jack Nicholson is widely known for playing characters like himself. The question for the audience of his latest film, The Departed, is, will you be watching his character or the grinning Nicholson we know and love? Veteran Director Martin Scorsese opens the film in a way that any speculation of whether Nicholson can pull off his nastiest role to date (his turn as The Joker in Batman comes close) vanishes on the spot. Scorsese shows Nicholson in shadows during the opening sequence, aided by The Rolling Stone's Gimme Shelter. Not until the audience has been truly sold that this is the brutal, malevolent, and immoral Frank Costello, does Nicholson's face reveal itself from under the shadows.
The Departed, based on the Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, carries some large star power. The director, Scorsese, is arguably one of the best working directors to date. The cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan, Matt Damon as Colin Sullivan, the aforementioned Nicholson as Frank Costello, with supporting roles by Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, and Ray Winstone. Catch any wind of that list of names and any expectations of this film go sky high. Yet despite gargantuan expectations for a film that was rumored to have so much tension on its set, the movie succeeds on almost every level.
First off, the screenplay by William Monohan is brilliant. The fast, often surprisingly hilarious dialogue is coupled with the gripping story of two informers, one infiltrating the Boston State Police (Damon) and the other the Irish Mafia (DiCaprio). Scorsese's stylistic direction and old film school techniques assisted by Michael Ballhaus's slick cinematography make the story flow smoothly yet surprisingly fast-paced for a two and a half hour movie.
The acting is phenomenal all around. DiCaprio proves his skill to everyone who denied his talent, even after his award worthy role as Howard Hughes in The Aviator (his second pairing with Scorsese, the first being Gangs of New York). He truly gives a layered, emotional performance, and arguably his best. Matt Damon reminds us that he is still an extremely capable actor, yet his role feels overshadowed by DiCaprio's. Nicholson gives one of his best performances with his wild turn as Frank Costello. However, the very underrated Mark Wahlberg gives a scene stealing performance as Dignam, giving his best work to date. Just about every single word that comes out of his mouth is absolutely hilarious. Sheen also gives a surprisingly great supporting performance, as do Farmiga and Baldwin.
The film is nearly perfect until a scene during its climax, where the action might appear over the top to some. But not to worry, the film's ultimate ending provides all the satisfaction one could hope for. The Departed is a remarkable film, proving that Martin Scorsese still has it after all these years, churning out what is possibly the best movie of the year.