The Departed-Ida Allen

Rating: 10/10 (31 October 2010)

Ida Allen HUMN246 F2WW Assignment 5-5 Film Review The Departed
The Departed is an American film based on the 2002 film called Internal Affairs. The Departed takes place in Boston, Massachusetts. The film is centered on crime and deceit. One of the main characters Frank Costello played by the legendary Jack Nicholson is quite the crime leader. He trains and plants Matt Damon's character Colin as an informant at the Massachusetts State police Department. At the same time, the police get wind of some wrong doing and plant their own undercover assignee Leo DiCaprio's character Billy. The Departed is quite the layered film. It is deep and serious through out. It takes more than one viewing in my opinion to fully understand and appreciate the wonderful actors and the stories they tell.
Legendary director Martin Scorsese has been mentioned as one of the most legendary directors of the decade. He really met his match on this film. It is so intricate and detailed that even he said on an entertainment show that he had more to tell than he could truly fit into a respectable time allowance. The theme of The Departed gets down to basics about cops and robbers. It shows the audience about the good guys and the bad guys and shows that sometimes they even pretend to be on the other side when they need to. The central concern in the film is based upon crime and catching the bad guy. The theme mainly focuses on plot and character.
Thematic ideas are truly important when reviewing a film. The plot points of The Departed have so many thematic elements intertwined into it that one has to pull each string of information from it to understand the full picture. For example, the plot involves two trained cadets who are both trying to uncover crime in the same work place of the police department. Both Billy and Colin are working as double agents with the overall goal of catching Costello. The thematic element of character comes into play strongly in this portion of the plot. The characters in the film have very detailed roles and truly make the movie. The Departed is clever, cunning, and meticulous.
There are many undercover scenes where Billy and Colin give incredible performances. The scenes are tense and nerve racking and place you at the edge of your seat. The viewer feels nervous about either Colin or Billy getting caught by Costello. Both sides worry about getting their cover blown, but yet suspect that they are being watched by someone else.
In all reality, they are. Both Colin and Billy are watching the same criminal and one another. The plot thickens when Vera Farmiga's character psychiatrist Dr. Madolyn Madden is involved with both undercover agents. She is the stations psychiatrist and Colin begins seeing her and then Billy also begins a romance with her after meting with her for his probation. This woman could blow both men's cover at the drop of a hat. They refer to the other as a rat. Colin and Billy give stunning performances in this film and left me hoping for a sequel. They provide such a believing performance of their characters and really convince the audience that the good guy, bad guy story line is real.
Techniques used during The Departed really added relevance to the film overall. For example, the lighting in the film was right on the money. A scene where Costello was discussing his crime activities with Colin was often captured in low lighting. This gave me the feel of hidden danger and secrecy. In addition, a scene where Billy was investigating Costello and Colin was often portrayed in natural or low light. This felt surreal and authentic. This provided me with the belief that these characters were real and the film was not just a film, but a real occurrence.
Another example of a technique in the film is camera angle. In a scene where Mark Walhberg who plays Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam who is second in command of the undercover unit and is on a mission to figure out exactly what Colin and Billy is up to makes the audience feel as though they are on the street as well. The angle he is captured when yelling at Colin made me nervous and feels on edge for him. The angle was shot close up and was bona fide.
The theme of The Departed is not a singled out one. There is one other film that comes to mind with the character and plot portrayal of crime and undercover moles in the police department which is Goodfellas. This film is also based upon crime and robbery. The film places direct reference on the theme of character and plot. The main characters Henry Hill and Jimmy Conway take part in a robbery that was in completion of two other gangsters who also have their bids on the crime. The film was quite complex and involved around the characters and the plot.
In conclusion, The Departed has a theme related to character that many can relate to. Costello acted as a father figure to both undercover agents. The main point of theme is identity of the good guy and bad guy. The identity of both agents keep the audience intrigued and the thought of Costello realizing who they are are just captivating. Throughout the movie, Scorsese proved that remakes of earlier films can be as good as the first version and that suspense and thrill are his main ingredients to this film.
References Scorsese, M. (2006). The Departed. Warner Bros. Retrieved October 28, 2010 courtesy Blockbuster rentals.