Scorsese Oscar Just Cumulative?

Rating: 5/10 (29 July 2007)

When you combine A-List Hollywood draw, a proved storyline, and an Academy Award winning director? Normally the answer would be an instant classic. Unfortunately Martin Scorsese's latest venture The Departed seems to only be departing with his reputation. The premise was impressive, put Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen and other top stars together with a dramatic and thrilling plot. Somewhere though the film departed with it's dignity.
Based on the Hong Kong movie 'WuJianDao', the story follows two men from opposite sides of the law who are undercover within both the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia, but violence and bloodshed boil when discoveries are made, and the moles are dispatched to find out their enemy's identities. Scorsese fans will adore the cinematography; Nicholson and DiCaprio give stellar performances. The actors perform exceptionally well despite the often-stereotypical race and locality jokes, and Scorsese's strange insistence on emphasizing the distinct dialect of the Boston area. Viewers in the northeast will feel appeased by the dialect; however, it is more likely that the typical viewer will simply find the trait comedic. The film begins with a crawl, intertwining the stories of Frances Costello (Nicholson), the Irish mafia kingpin; Billy Costigan, an undercover mole for the State Police; and Collin Sullivan (Damon), also a State trooper, but with a decidedly more checkered lifestyle. As the three cross paths, at first unknowingly, then finding themselves more and more deeply involved with each other's lives, the suspense and drama builds to explosive levels. The films promise seeks to force its way out despite its drawbacks.
Scorsese delivers to his fans the expected cinematic artistry, but somewhere between production and presentation, things went horribly wrong. The films soundtrack is choppy, though utilizing his trademark rock score; the songs lack the appropriate fade in and out of the scenes that they are supposed to solidify. The drastic changes break the bond between the film and the audience, a decidedly non-Scorsese trait. Thelma Shoomaker, Scorsese's film editor for most of his career, seems to be losing her touch. Not only were the score cuts distracting, but shoddy editing also encumbered what should have been incredible action scenes. Explosions were improperly cut, once freezing mid-shot and completely ruining the effect.
What do you get when you combine a proved storyline, Academy Award winning Directing and a stellar cast? You get the potential for a mega-hit along the lines of Aviator, but like the Spruce Goose, The Departed just couldn't take flight. See you in 2008, Mr. Scorsese.