Another excellent addition to the ever-growing cannon of Scorsese films

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2006)

By far, I think Martin Scorsese is my favourite film director. He has a solid film resume under his belt, and despite losing all five of his Best Director Oscar nominations, continues to pump out movies. When his movies are good, they are usually absolutely fantastic. When his movies are bad, even then they still have some form of redeeming quality saving it from full ostracizing. And while I was a bit apprehensive about him doing a remake of the Asian film Infernal Affairs, I have now realized that I was wrong. The Departed brings Scorsese back to his roots on the mean streets, and back to what he does best.
The Departed (named after what people are commonly referred to after passing on) chronicles the stories of two Boston police officers, both involved in the continued case to apprehend infamous mobster, Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). One is Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), a kid with a not-so-great family history who goes undercover within Costello's group soon after graduation. The other, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), is a member of Costello's group undercover within the police department, quickly moving up the ranks. Costigan and Sullivan do not know each other, but as the film heats up, both began seeking out the other.
The film is just about phenomenal. I went in with high expectations, and came out totally and utterly impressed.
I refused to watch Affairs on principle of being so hyped for this film, and to a point, I think this helped. I knew some basic outlines and ideas of what happened in the original version, but as they played out on screen here, they look just as astonishing as I could imagine. The film is downright intense during many sequences. The cinematography and editing is seamless and absolutely awestriking. There were a few obvious nodes to his older works, but for the most part, is generally what we have come to expect from Scorsese and his films. As well, the writing is sharp and extremely strong. You may find yourself laughing hysterically at a few of the things people say, but you will also sit in fear of these people. Everyone here is a bad, yet highly realistic person. So when one of these characters makes some great jokes, you will be conflicted as to the proper reaction to give.
I had no problem with Gangs of New York or The Aviator, but you could tell that Scorsese was having a bit of trouble with the ambitious projects. Seeing him here, back in the same style of film as the likes of Goodfellas and Mean Streets, just brought a smile to my face after watching the entire film. You can tell the precise touches of a Scorsese film from miles away, and this film is no exception. He brings a fine art out of these dark streets like no one else can. And of course, he has the most perfect music selection of any Hollywood director currently alive and employed. He uses them to make his undeniably brilliant and memorable moments all that much better, and as per always, he succeeds.
DiCaprio and Damon are excellent in their roles (albeit it took a little bit before I was very trusting of either of their accents). Their slow deterioration and the fear slowly creeping in on them is an absolutely pleasure to watch. While DiCaprio gets a lot more screen time and is fleshed out more, Damon is definitely the better actor, and had the better performance. These two are believable and frightening all at once. As the film keeps moving and you get more of a sense of who these guys really are, these feelings only continue to progress. Nicholson is in top form here. He chews up scenery left and right, and practically steals the carpet right out from the other two. While I saw shades of The Joker in his performance, this is still one of those essentially totally evil acting roles. You cannot help but be scared by this guy, and seeing such a masterful actor in such a great director's hands, is just too memorable of an idea to miss.
The supporting cast, which includes Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, Ray Winstone, Anthony Anderson and Vera Farmiga are all superb in their small roles. None of them can even hold a candle to the other three, but their valiant try cannot go unrewarded. Farmiga and Wahlberg are particular standouts, which didn't not surprise me at all granted his newer material. They are a strong ensemble, and they bring out the great movie watching style even more.
If there were anything wrong with the film, it would be the pace of it all. Everyone is on the ball (even through blood-saturated death sequences), but the editing is not completely. At some points, particularly the first hour and the last thirty minutes, the film just whizzes right by. But in others, the film just slows right down. It makes the film feel totally uneven. Some exposition scenes just go a bit too long, and others are just straight and right to the point. I know that the film relies on all the exposition (and the graphic violence, which never lets up), but some of it just felt forced and a bit awkward. They make the film seem a whole lot longer than it really is. It is only a small quibble in an otherwise fantastic film, but still worthy of mention.
On the whole, The Departed is one hell of a movie. Packed with strong performances and a great story, this is another excellent addition to the ever-growing cannon of Scorsese films. It obviously is not as good as some of those films, but it makes an astonishing contribution to the library. I can only hope it is recognized at Oscar time for how memorable a film it is.
9.5/10.