Boston PD Culture in an Unforgettable Crime Mystery

Rating: 8/10 (7 January 2011)

Although I'm several years late watching The Departed, I was impressed by how real the film holds up, despite time travel. Brutal language, violence, Boston accents, and culture, and the evil conflicts between the Boston and Providence RI mob gangs, creates an unforgettable Scorsese film. Particularly interesting is the birds eye view of the Massachusetts Police Academy, with anecdotes of how people inside law enforcement live seemingly ordinary lives while dealing with the worst evil crime syndicates in the US. DiCaprio is absolutely at his best playing the conflicted undercover PD agent Billy Costigan, who tries to win the confidence of his mob boss (Jack Nicholson) while keeping his undercover identity secret. At cross purposes is Matt Damon, who is doing the complete opposite, as PD officer Colin Sullivan, who tries to keep the confidence of his precinct boss Captain Queenan played by Martin Sheehan. In fact, Sullivan is double crossing his public trust by keeping the mob led by Jack Nicholson's character Frank Costello, in the business of murder and extortion. The Departed is an adult film, period. Nonetheless, performances by the main cast are extraordinary - note Alec Baldwin who holds the viewers attention as a PD facilitator and instructor for the plot to uncover the undercover agents. There isn't another actor I know of who could execute this minor but bridge building role other than Baldwin. Nicholson's evil intentions carry this film's graphic plot, because his performance as a crime boss is totally convincing. Otherwise, Vera Farmiga is a somewhat ambiguous character who is not exactly likable, but she brings the cruel pieces together in the end, so to speak. I would give The Departed a rating of 10, except I did not like the counseling scenes with DiCaprio and Farmiga - they were not realistic. Yet, I believe, The Departed will stand the test of time as one of Scorsese's best films and a great cultural description of America's syndicated crime culture.