Scorsese back to form

Rating: 10/10 (9 October 2006)

The Departed (2006) Dir: Martin Scorsese
Rating:
If you like good things... go see this film. Scorsese's best film in years.
What's Good About It:
They say that people elevate the level of play if they believe in their coach, (Which is evident this year in the miracle that is the Detroit Tigers) and it is evident that every one of these actors (great in their own right) upped every ounce of their game for Scorsese. Scorsese is back to what he does best, (after more than a decade since Casino) and he shows that he hasn't lost any of his balls in the decade, despite the scientific likelihood that his ability to procreate has decreased with age. Anyways, despite a couple things I didn't like on his end, this film was gloriously directed, with the pace of a healthy bowel movement (slow and steady with spurts of speed and spatter). It also brings back a lot of the directorial instinct I liked from Taxi Driver, and haven't really seen him explore again. Some people say that being a child, and being elderly are very similar, and I hope that this is the beginning of Scorsese's second childhood, where he re-finds what made him a unique voice to begin with.
OK, the acting in this film is some of the most top notch acting by a group of individuals I have seen in a long time. They don't act like an ensemble (ie United 93) which is what made the film a lot better, all were individuals who were after their own goals, and all even appeared to have their own mini film within in the film. It's something that doesn't work very often unless you get the right mix of actors, and this mix of actors is glorious, all of which I would love to work with.
I would love to write a paragraph on all of them from Ray Winstone to Alec Baldwin to Kevin Corrigan but that would take FOREVER... so I will talk about the highlights. Finally... FINALLY!!! someone cast Leonardo DiCaprio in a role that he was suited for, I didn't like him as 'Howard Hughes' in the The Aviator, I thought there were dozens of actors better suited for that role that Leo (I am not saying that he was bad, he just didn't have the tools or the look). I am of the belief that Leo gets miscast more than any other actor, just because people really wanna have Leo in their films, and in only 1 out of 4 films is he ever cast correctly (Such as; Catch Me If You Can, Titanic being the reason people wanna cast him and do so incorrectly for everything he was casted in before this i have no qualms with) I think Leo really defined himself as an adult actor with this role, before he was playing roles that he was still coming of age, or still the young kid. This was an adult role that he took and hit out of the ballpark, out of the number of Oscar nominations I assume this film will get, his will be one that was actually deserved (not to take anything away from the rest of the film, its just a film that the academy will over praise... I am sure).
I was happy to see Martin Sheen kickin it again on the big screen, and he was great. The team up with Mark Wahlberg's character made for some of the most memorable portions of the film. Both these actors are actors that I have enjoyed for a while, and I am happy to see them both doing something other than The Italian Job 12 (Wahlberg) and small screen fare (Sheen).
That will be all that I go into detail about what is good, for there was so much that I can't really get into it all unless I write an epic... and I don't write epics unless its about 'poo' or 'holes in my shoes' so I shall move on to...
What Was Bad:
I am going to go out on a limb and say Jack Nicholson. He is so close to brilliance in this film, but I feel it crossed over into ridiculous cartoonish evil. Really I hate to say it, because there is so much to like about the performance, but I even feel that the film makers saw what I saw, and his part in the film feels edited down (also from the information I have read in interviews, and other literature on the film). Though I will give him praise for taking risks in his character (for there were many), because there isn't enough risk taking in Hollywood today, and it was great to see a well established actor (who is known for taking risks) take some.
Also I will say this, and I won't write any spoiler, though it doesn't hold a bearing on the story... the last frames of the film, almost ruined it for me... They did something I despise, and that is toss in a simple ass visual metaphor and symbolism just so that the idiot average film goer can think he figured out a "subtle" insinuation from the film maker... when and if you see the film you will know what I mean... it's literally the last frames of the film before the creds.
Epilogue:
If you like any Scorsese, see this film. If you like any Quentin Tarantino (specifically Reservoir Dogs), see this film. BUT DON'T TAKE YOUR MOM'S OR YOUR KIDS!!! This film is rough... so show it to people judiciously.