Morality Tale disguised as a Cat-and-Mouse game

Rating: 8/10 (12 May 2020)

As deeply contemplative as it is tirelessly relentless in pace, The Departed doesn't let its philosophical themes get in the way of a good crime story. In the places where other Scorsese gangster flicks luxuriate in the atmospheres of their settings (the hazy lights and garish colours of Casino, the mundane tones of old age in The Irishman) The Departed is already onto the next plot beat or in the middle of unveiling another secret. The editing plays a huge part in this; in one particular scene, a character on the street looks at a security camera when he realizes that he's being followed, the next shot shows the camera's footage, and in the third is a reaction shot of said character, already in the police department where he works and watching the video footage.
That isn't to say that the film is devoid of philosophical queries; it's just that they are effectively woven throughout the fabric of its narrative rather than inserted between individual plot beats. Being a Scorsese film, it's also full of stylistic flourishes that augment the story; there are multiple instances in which incidental music will be halted abruptly by an occurrence in the film (say, the flipping of a phone), signalling that essential information is being delivered to audience, or that something important is about to take place. This technique is especially effective at a turning point near the end of the film, where silence becomes a much more effective tool for creating tension than music.
Everyone plays their role to near-perfection, especially Matt Damon, whose seemingly ruthless cunning is undercut by subtle moments of weakness and guilt; and Leonardo DiCaprio, though somewhat awkward during scenes where his character goes into monologue, plays his subtle glances and moments of fear and paranoia with utter conviction. All these elements play out in a game of cat-and-mouse where the lines between good and evil, cop and criminal are blurred, and everyone's faith is questioned in a world burning underneath the serene pastel blue sky of Boston, Massachusetts.