As Good As It Gets

Rating: 10/10 (10 January 2016)

Martin Scorsese, perhaps the greatest American film director of all- time, delivers in a major way with The Departed. The movie represents a return to the material that made him a superstar in the first place. And the result is one of the best American crime dramas ever made. Aided by a brilliant script (William Monahan), and an outstanding ensemble cast, Scorsese is in top form here. It should be noted that The Departed is technically a remake of the Chinese action hit, Infernal Affairs, unseen by me. It also uses the true story of infamous Boston mobster Whitey Bulger as a template for the Jack Nicholson character. But I think it would do the film and the viewer a disservice to think of it as a Bulger picture. It is not. It is its own story with its own characters that stands on its own. The film opens with a young Matt Damon in a local diner, listening to Nicholson's notorious local gangster spouting off in his own poetically vulgar way about how cops and crooks aren't so different. Instant flash forward to the future, and Damon's character is being sworn in as a Massachusetts state police officer. Meanwhile, so is another character, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. We learn that Leo's character comes from a family with an unsavory, non-law-abiding past. He's confronted by his superior, Martin Sheen, and his sidekick, Mark Wahlberg. Wahlberg might be the single most enjoyable aspect of the film, which is saying a lot. He steals nearly every scene he's in as a foul-mouthed, results-driven hothead. They present Leo's character with an ultimatum: quit the force, or join their undercover operation as a mole in Jack's gang. It's a risky proposition, but one they all know is feasible, including Leo. On paper, he'll quit the force and get back into crime, including an assault conviction and a short jail sentence. Then work his way into the Nicholson character's world. At the same time, Damon's character has been handpicked to run a top secret task force out to snag Jack once and for all. But it appears he's still in Jack's debt. One cop who's really a gangster pretending to be a cop, and another who's really a cop pretending to be a gangster. What unfolds is an epic, wholly believable and ultimately satisfying tale about just how thin the line between good and bad can be. It's difficult to overstate the quality of the acting performances in this film. DiCaprio is incredible as a vulnerable savant looking for some sort of salvation, spending his spare time sitting next to a hospital bed occupied by his dying mother. Damon delivers a strong performance as the wormy overachiever who says all the right things and shacks up with the department's psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga in a very effective performance). Alec Baldwin has some great lines in a small but solid role as one of the squad commanders. Sheen is perfect as the wise and cautious bureau chief (or something like that). When Scorsese has material like this, as in Goodfellas or Taxi Driver or Raging Bull or Mean Streets, its as if he's transported to another time and place that allows him to tell the story with an impeccable sense for placement, color, angle, emphasis, and tone. It's like watching Michael Jordan or Jimi Hendrix. It's a special thing when an artist has such control over their craft. If you're the sort of person who likes a well-written, impeccably acted crime drama, and for some inexplicable reason have not seen this movie, do yourself a favor and see it.