A gem from a master of the craft

Rating: 8/10 (31 October 2006)

Scorcese has crafted another excellent gangster film. "The Departed" succeeds on all levels, including its script, its images, its performances and its themes. The intricacies of the complex screenplay are a delight to absorb and unravel. Several suspenseful scenes are masterfully strung together in such a way that the viewer has only a few moments to regain her breath, process the clues and prepare to hold her breath again. No other director has so successfully captured acts of violence in the filmic medium, and the violence Scorcese depicts in "The Departed" is ugly, sudden and brutal. The dialogue is riddled with profanity and tension-relieving jokes (Wahlberg's hip-rocking character's quips and insults alone are worth the price of admission), and the cast delivers its lines in convincingly authentic Boston accents. A number of actors turn in stellar performances, notably Nicholson (as a demonic crime boss), DiCaprio (as an undercover cop) and Baldwin (as a fast-talking, affable detective). Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, who collaborated with Fassbinder on his finest films, frames the ratty world of "The Departed" with a sharp eye. One scene, a foot chase through Chinatown, is remarkably beautiful, composed of quick cuts, vivid colors and steam. There is a recurring theme, virile masculinity, which remained with me long after viewing the film, and I will continue to reflect on the ways in which Scorcese (dis)associates it with violence, success and happiness. Though the film runs 149 minutes, it does not run long. This is taut, top-notch film-making, and Martin Scorcese reaffirms his status as one of the few living masters of the craft.