Good, but it lack the resonance of Scorsese's more notable works.

Rating: 8/10 (8 October 2006)

I watched The Departed the day after it's general release. While watching, I tried to set aside thoughts of the move it's a remake of, Infernal Affairs, aside to be able to assess the movie clearly. Now, I haven't seen Infernal Affairs in a while, so this wasn't too hard to do, however, since I was privy to plot foreknowledge, nothing was all too surprising.
Since I'd lived in Boston for three years, it was quite a treat to get to see that city again (well, some of it wasn't Boston, but enough of it was). The presence of the Yankee accent was okay, although I honestly wished that some of the less successful users had just gone without the accent altogether, because having it come and go sort of dropped me out of believability at times. There are enough long-time Boston natives that don't have it, that it wouldn't be weird for someone to lack the accent.
Almost all of the performances were overwhelmingly solid. At times Nicholson and Baldwin seemed to go a little too over-the-top, but it was forgivable. The direction was canny, careful and generally nuanced. Scorsese has always been an able director of actors and pulled out performances and matched it with an eye for visual that's both invisible, yet entirely specific at the same time.
I did have some issues with the film. First of all, Nicholson's character got too much screen time. He's not the emotional center of the film and a lot of what we see of him throughout the film may do a fine job of characterizing him as a badass devil-man, but we get that at the start. We need to focus on DiCaprio and Damon's characters and their stories (they are the centerpoint to the film); adding in all this excess Jack actually detracts from the film. The film's already a little bloated, running 2.5 hours, so a little chopping of extraneous scenes would've been good.
The ending was another problem. It all came a little too fast and was a little ridiculous--causing the audience to burst out in laughter--when Scorsese should've taken a little care to lead the emotions to that point. And then there's also the groan-inducing last shot--that really just took the ridiculousness of the end over the top.
So, what needed to be done to the ending? More attention needed to be paid to the moles. Towards the end of the film, DiCaprio's Billy comes across as wanting out so much that there's little motive for him to do what he does. The lack of motive leads to a lack of believability. I think focusing a little more on Billy and how the life of crime is breaking him down would've helped the drama, especially towards the end. This also goes for Damon's Colin. The impact of the life of being a good guy on his life really should've played a bigger impact. The events towards the end partially don't make sense because there's not enough motive for him to do what he does with Jack's Costello. Since his characterization breaks down towards the end, the finale just doesn't have a whole lot of resonance.
This movie really needed to be more about these two characters, even with the intricate plot. That's where the core of the drama should've been focused, but the attention of the film was spread too thin to allow the end to be convincing.
Now I'm going to start comparing with Infernal Affairs:
* The encapsulation of the two female characters from Infernal Affairs into one had a lot of potential. In IA, the female characters seemed less whole. Unfortunately, the Departed doesn't give her enough attention to pull any real drama. This is made worse by some cheap dramatics thrown in via a photograph and made a little ridiculous by the change in relationship between her and Billy, which wasn't really believable based on her characterization.
* Although I liked Walhberg's performance, his character wasn't necessary. The only reason for Dignam to even exist is to create the American ending. This is where Infernal Affairs manages to get it better. It better crafts a relationship between Leung's Chan (DiCaprio's Billy) and his police boss--the boss is the only one who knows and so when the later events occur, it's that much more devastating--and gives sufficient motivation for Chan/Billy to do what they do in the finale. It also prevents the believability hole that Billy wouldn't seek Dignam after those events.
* And this is another place where Infernal Affairs shines--the focus on the two moles. The movie really explores how pretending to be someone else can affect the way someone thinks and behaves. Chan is just as desperate as Billy to get out, but Chan also keeps a better eye for justice, despite his problems. Likewise, Lau's character (Damon's Colin) has to grapple with the life afforded him by being a goody-two shoes and figure out just where his loyalties lie and why. This leads Infernal Affairs' ending to be more effective than the Departed's, because it's not cheap and the impact of Lau's decision weighs with him even after the credits roll. No one laughs at the end of Infernal Affairs.
* The Departed doesn't have Infernal Affairs' flash and bang, but that works to its advantage--it's restraint, at least stylistically really helps what drama it has. Having come from a long tradition of Hong Kong films, the style pushes melodrama at times in IA.
All complaints aside, The Departed really is still quite an enjoyable film. The craftsmanship of all involved is highly polished and immensely engaging. Even though they share the same base, Infernal Affairs and the Departed are both different films, although they could've learned something from each other. The Departed is really good, but it lacks the resonance needed to bring it to the level of Scorsese's more notable works. 8/10.