Oh what a tangled web we weave.

Rating: 10/10 (19 February 2007)

Martin Scorcese might be the only man in Hollywood who really doesn't have a misfire. I really can't think of any films he has done that weren't creative, ambitious, well acted and intriguing. With the exception of maybe Spielberg, there is no one his equal. This is just my opinion of course, but when you can say that you have done Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Aviator and now the Departed, who can really disagree? If it wasn't for the sheer perfection of Goodfellas, I think this would be his best film. The performances, the script and of course the direction are perfection personified. I think this is the best film of the year and this should finally be Scrocese's year to take best director.
The Departed has Matt Damon playing Colin Sullivan, a young Irish boy who grows up in a Boston neighbourhood that is "run" by the local Irish mob. One day while eating at the local diner, he meets Frank Costello, played by Jack Nicholson, and like a young Henry Hill in Goodfellas, he begins to do some work for the man. We then skip ahead perhaps 20 years later and now young Colin Sullivan is one of Frank's boys. He enters into police college where his intentions are to get into the police force to keep an eye on things for Frank.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Billy Costigan and he grew up in the mob's shadow. His father ran in those circles and so did his uncle Jackie. Both were respected men and Frank especially has a soft spot for both of them, who have since departed. Billy wants nothing to do with the life so he too enters into police college. Once he graduates, he is pretty much coerced into going under cover to infiltrate the mob. His background and connections are obviously of great value to the Boston police. The two men who recruit Billy are Dignam and Queenan, and they are played by Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg, and again, in my opinion, they both give the best performances of their career. I know Sheen has been around forever, and he was amazing in films like Apocalyse Now, but he is just outstanding here. And then there is Wahlberg who really should win the best supporting actor this year. He is a scene stealer. He has scenes with every actor in the film and he is the best part of any scene he is in. In one scene, another cop , who just messed up an assignment, asks him who the hell he is. Wahlberg responds, "I'm the guy doing his job, you must be the other guy!" He is flawless in the film.
The strength of the film is the action no doubt, but the script by William Monahan is multi-layered, labyrinth of a film. It is complex, and rich in character. Every few minutes there is another twist revealed. People that you thought were "good guys" or "bad guys" get painted with a shade of gray. Scorcese has a wide palette to stroke the canvas with and here he is Picasso at work. I truly can't find a flaw in the film and the 151 minutes fly by. The denouement is both shocking by Hollywood standards and because it is, it is also refreshing. I don't know of another film that can end like this one did and still find a way to please it's audience.
The Departed is a miracle really. It has one of the best casts of the year, it is directed by a Hollywood legend and it is flawless. If Marty doesn't win this year, then you have to subscribe to the conspiracy theory. Babel is a joke, Iwo Jima is a very good film but this has to be the year of the Marty. This is both similar yet different to any other film that Marty has done. It feels a little like Goodfellas, but at the same time, it carves out it's own niche. I also think this is one of the best casts put together, and it is a treat to watch them work under the master.
***One final note*** It's great to see Marty get his Oscar. A very worthy win for both the film and the director.
10/10