Jon Monsarrat review: Fantastic in every way

Rating: 10/10 (8 October 2006)

The Departed works as an action / thriller, but it is really a serious drama with the best plot line and action since The Untouchables. Every actor, including the supporting cast, is spot on and the plot keeps you guessing. The accent is a little overdone at times -- television and radio have cut into the traditional John F. Kennedy Bostonian accent and not everybody in Beantown speaks that way. But if that's the biggest gripe I have, the film must have been nearly flawless.
The film gives a sense of the underworld, and undercover investigations, without the flair and rippling muscles of Miami Vice. Nobody takes stupid chances to save the day because They're Just That Good. Nobody says "I'm too old for this s---." It's hard to say who's better, Matt Damon or Leonardo Decaprio... I'm not sure Matt could play a bad guy, he's just so clean cut. Leonardo is one of those actors who (unlike Tom Hanks who seems to play the same guy in every film until lately) really has no pre-specified film persona that scripts are "written for".
Every nuance of the film avoids being trite and campy, but it also avoids going into melodrama. There are no flying triple spin car explosion stunts, but the action is engaging because of the drama of the people involved. I'm usually bored right away when we dwell on the pain too much... this film did not do that. The musical score does not interfere with the mood; it stays in the background like good movie music should. This is what distinguishes the action flick from a serious drama; whether celebratory music is playing during the action. And none of the minor supporting characters get a plot; they are window-dressing and they stay in the background, too.
As a nice addition, much of the film is actually shot in Boston, where I live, whereas most films set in Boston (Blown Away, Good Will Hunting) have a few outdoor staging shots and leave the rest to Hollywood sets.
Who should see this film:
-- Everyone, if you're old enough to handle the violence, which is not Quentin Tarantino bad but there is plenty of it.
-- Whitey Bulger, wherever you are
I'll give this film an outstanding 10 out of 10, something I will do possibly 2 or 3 times a year, max. Note, it is kinda long, so don't forget to use the restroom beforehand.