An Exceptional Gangster Movie

Rating: 10/10 (29 January 2008)

I am now a huge fan of Martin Scorsese. Before seeing this, the only other films of his which I had seen were Gangs of New York and The Aviator. After watching The Departed, most other films pale in comparison.
The Departed is a example of sharp, fearless and taut storytelling done right. Scorsese keeps the story moving with thunderous momentum and stylish realism which puts almost all of his competitors to shame. In other words, I doubt that anyone could have made this film half as well as Scorsese.
The cast is also perfect. Leonardo DiCaprio turns in what is potentially his best performance to date, thoroughly convincing the audience in his role as Billy Costigan, an undercover cop posing as a member of gangster Frank Costello's (Jack Nicholson) crew, as well as showing the character's eroding confidence and hard-boiled charisma with breath-taking realism and smart vulnerability. As he realises that he is close to being caught by Costello, DiCaprio uses cleverly restrained panic and anger to amplify the impact that he has on the audience. His character is satisfyingly complex, and DiCaprio breathes utterly gripping life into all of his scenes.
On the other side of the coin, Matt Damon is equally impressive as Colin Sullivan, Costello's mole in the Boston police department. He is an individual desperate not to be caught, which smartly parallels with Costigan's situation, yet he is nowhere near as close to that danger as Costigan is, meaning that he is under much less physical and emotional pressure. DiCaprio, Damon and Scorsese draw powerful and ironic comparisons between the two characters. However, in spite of the similarities between Sullivan and Costigan, Damon still manages to create an individual and human character, giving an incredibly confident yet intriguingly layered portrayal of a terrifically flawed character.
The only other real lead is Jack Nicholson, and he is typically brilliant. Striding through the film like an old pro, he naturally swipes the screen from under the other actors noses like a seasoned professional, and it is tremendously enjoyable to watch him apply great intelligence and unrivalled, bloody charm to his character.
The supporting cast is also outstanding. Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin and Vera Farminga all seize their screen time and run with it, creating thoroughly individual, compelling and entertaining characters. However, the biggest plaudits must go to Ray Winstone and Mark Wahlberg.
Winstone is a force to be reckoned with as Costello's right-hand man Mr. French, delivering a jagged, wild and superbly coloured performance. He is on top form here, and proves that he is more than just your average actor once and for all. Surprisingly, he, along with the rest of the cast, are truly eclipsed by Wahlberg, who delivers a phenomenal, career-defining performance. Swearing with unstoppable gusto almost every second that he is on screen, Wahlberg also shows gritty intelligence and a spectacularly street-wise attitude which dramatically enhance the impact of his character. His performance is unbelievably thrilling to watch, and cements his character as one of my favourite movie characters ever. If I had a say in the matter, he would have waltzed home with an Oscar.
The film's crew also knows how to entertain, and do so to the best of their abilities. Technically, the film is stylishly brilliant, with some pinpoint sharp editing and excellent cinematography highlighting some superbly suspenseful set-pieces. One great sequence shows Costigan tailing Sullivan on the streets after just seeing him meet with Costello, with several nail-biting moments of grand tension. There are moments like this scattered skilfully throughout the movie.
There is also a brilliant soundtrack. Combined with another fantastic score from Howard Shore, there is some terrific background music to get your teeth sunk into. I can't get Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" out of my head.
The script is terrific. William Monahan's dialogue mixes incredible smarts, laugh-out-loud humour and gritty intellect all into one, to create a perfect mixture. The words coming out of the character's mouths never feel unrealistic or out of place in the character's situation. If the script hadn't been written with such knowledge and skill, then Wahlberg's Dignam wouldn't have had any near the number of classic one-liners which define his character. That is how perfect the script is.
Crafting the whole affair with unrestrained style and realism is Scorsese. His direction is superb, and ensures that the film's quality never slips. He also keeps a close eye on unwanted sentimentality, creating real characters in a superbly intense environment. He makes the audience feel for the characters, yet he doesn't manipulate them. He understands that the story is really an epic tragedy in the disguise of a gangster movie, and allows the audience to be helplessly drawn into the unstoppable catastrophe, along with the characters. Every decision that Scorsese makes enhances the visceral intensity of the movie. Here is a master at work, and Oscar rightfully awarded him.
This is a classic achievement, and a terrific example of how to create a modern masterpiece. Well done to the cast and crew, most notably Mark Wahlberg, William Monahan and Martin Scorsese. And, as one critic put it, "Long live the rats!"