Scorsese Proves That a Remake Should Never Automatically be Dismissed

Rating: 10/10 (21 March 2007)

"I don't wanna be a product of my environment; I want my environment to be a product of me."  Frank Costello
Memorable quotes are abundant in Martin Scorsese's new thriller, "The Departed", but none of them describe the theme of the film quite as elegantly as the one above. Frank Costello, portrayed with devilish glee by the great Jack Nicholson is a man who demands absolute control over everything around him and will stop at nothing to exude his will in obtaining it. What's interesting about this film is that this sort of machismo persona is evident in many of the male characters we meet, no matter which side of the law they reside. These guys are almost over the top to the point of being comical, but it helps to create characters that blur the line between the good/bad dichotomy. Take for instance the character of Dignam (Mark Wahlberg), a police officer who is every bit as nasty and belligerent as Costello - maybe worse. Ellerby (Alec Baldwin), is also an example of this. All of these guys think they can control themselves, each other and their environment, but of course nothing is further from the truth.
"The Departed" stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan, a young cop who is sent undercover to infiltrate the Boston Irish mob led by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Meanwhile, Collin Sullivan (Matt Damon) who has been nurtured from the point of childhood by Costello now works for the police department's Special Investigation Unit (the unit ultimately responsible for taking Costello down) allowing him to provide inside information. Tension builds at an expeditious rate when both the police and the mob realize that there is a traitor among them and that both Costigan and Sullivan are in danger of losing their cover. Parallels between cops and criminals are again drawn when both men are called on to test their loyalty to the other side under intense life or death situations. As Costello himself says "When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?" The character foils depicted in "The Departed" remind me a lot of what Michael Mann has previously done in films such as "Heat" and "Collateral", but they also further Scorsese's own canon of work, building on the greatness of films such as "Taxi Driver", "Raging Bull", "Goodfellas" and "Casino". Scorsese is very interested in the psyche of alienated loners on the edge and he also likes to explore the notion of 'betrayal'. These motifs are evident in much of his work. In "The Departed" Costigan and Sullivan are both loners and are each guilty of at least one betrayal. Ultimately, the real question becomes; whom have they betrayed? This question is not easily answered.
A review of "The Departed" would not be complete without a discussion of the film's technical marvels. Thelma Schoonmaker, who has edited every Scorsese film since "Raging Bull", creates a desperate energy, which reflects very well the emotional states of Costigan and Sullivan, while also keeping us eager to see what happens next. Schoonmaker has an ability to create cohesion out of chaos. In the hands of a lesser talent, this type of editing would overshadow characterization and plot drastically, but like all great film editors, she is able to reflect a film's themes, mood and emotional states through choice of style.
Michael Ballhaus, who has been Scorsese's cinematographer several times in the past, also deserves much praise. He should especially be commended for bringing Boston to life like no one has ever done. I am fascinated by cities in film and when they are photographed so well that they become a character in themselves, it is truly a delight. "The Departed" is all Boston, and while a few scenes were filmed in New York, you would never know.
Despite the fact that "The Departed" has by enlarge been hailed a masterpiece by the critical community, some have criticized Scorsese for being a "sell-out" or "going too mainstream". Others just feel the film is completely unoriginal. It must be said that "The Departed" is in fact a remake of a 2002 Hong Kong film called "Infernal Affairs". I have not seen this film and therefore cannot comment on its quality, but I will say that to automatically dismiss "The Departed" because it's a remake is very unfair. Normally, I am skeptical of remakes myself, but it is quite obvious that Scorsese and his screenwriter William Monohan have crafted their own vision of this material and as a result, it easily stands on its own. Those who have seen other Scorsese pictures know what I mean.
There are many reasons to like "The Departed", as I've discussed, but I think the most important thing is that ultimately this film is just a purely enjoyable crime/gangster drama. In fact, I will go so far as to say that this is one of the four or five best gangster films of all time with the likes of "Goodfellas", "Scarface" and "The Godfather".