Superlatives are building up in praise of Martin Scorsese’s new film The Departed. No doubt, however, there will be plenty of people comparing it (unfavorably in all likelihood) to the director’s previous, similarly themed Goodfellas and Casino, as well as the Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs, of which The Departed is a somewhat loose remake.
Don’t listen to those people. There’s a good probability that fans of Scorsese’s crime-related movies will also enjoy this one, but comparisons are needless and unfair. How can anyone really judge anything they’ve seen only recently and probably only once against something else that’s become a part of cinematic culture and history? Enjoy The Departed for what it is — an electrifying, well-acted story with a dream cast and the most accomplished American director working today.
The story is deceptively simple. Boston mob boss Frank Costello (played by Jack Nicholson) grooms a young man to become a police officer (Matt Damon) just as the state police set up one of their own (Leonardo DiCaprio) to infiltrate the gangster’s clan. The two men’s paths never cross and eventually both men are given the task of finding their counterpart.
The complexities of this twin paradox are explored with an intriguing amount of gravitas, especially with DiCaprio’s character, Billy Costigan. While Damon’s Colin Sullivan enjoys rising up through the police ranks and his new luxury apartment, Costigan leads the life his father worked tirelessly for his son to avoid. Sullivan is given greater and greater responsibilities on the state police force while Costigan deals with prison, witnessing murders, and unspeakable violence.
It’s not surprising that the female psychotherapist (Vera Farmiga, who will hopefully parlay this somewhat standard role into a higher visibility that allows her to show the acting chops she displayed in last year’s Down to the Bone) becomes interested in both men for different reasons. When Costigan entrusts her with an envelope presumably containing crucial details of the work he’s done, the contrast in how the two men view her is obvious.
Article comments
1 - tink
A huge fan of Jack...to me that was one of the two reasons (Scorsese being the other) for seeing this flick.
Your high praise for DiCaprio and Damon has me curious now, I must admit.
2 - -E
Congrats! This article has been selected as one of this week’s Editors’ Picks.
3 - Rick
Great movie, but too ridiculous to be realistic in some parts. Some dialogue (in crassness), scenes and violence was way over the top. Like the drug deal shootout -- yea right, a sophisticated and cagy top mob boss (Nicholson) is going to whip out his pistol like a simpleton and take on the police when caught and there's a big shootout. The expected and unexpected subplots are what carries this movie to greatness.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5.