Let Down By The Ending

Rating: 7/10 (4 October 2008)

Up until the last 15 minutes or so I was prepared to give The Departed a 10/10 rating and put it on my list of favourite films ever. I liked everything about this film - the plot, the script, the acting etc. But then the last 15 minutes meant this film finished on such a depressing and dire note that simply left me feeling hollow, and made the film seem a little bit more than pointless.
Character development is something that really shines out in The Departed. Billy Costigan is a cop who is pretending to work for Costello, the head of the Irish mafia, but is in fact a rat and giving information to the cops. Colin is working for the cops but is in fact giving information to Costello behind the backs of all the Police. Costello knows he has a rat in his midst. So do the police. Question is, will either ever find out who? Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as Billy Costigan is not only faultless - it's really quite superb. Gone are DiCaprio's days as an actor purely know for his pretty face - it is clear from this performance that not only does the man know how to act, but acts very, very well - I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of DiCaprio's later work. Matt Damon as Colin was less impressive for me, but the remainder of the cast cannot be faulted, especially Mark Wahlberg as Dignam - his part may have been small but was definitely memorable.
Martin Scorsese did a fantastic job directing this film - he really knows how to create drama and atmosphere - and the contrasting shots of Billy and Colin all through out worked incredibly well and showed Scorsese's skill as a director.
I've got to question the name of the film though, 'The Departed', which really doesn't suit what this film is about and was one of the reasons I put off watching it for so long. But I'm defiantely glad I had finally got around to watching it, and surprised at all the poor reviews this film has got. Definitely worth a watch, just make sure you have plenty of time on your hands.