DiCaprio is mesmerizing as Costigan, giving essentially two performances and finally showing the intensity that was lacking in some of his other efforts. There’s a particular point in the film where the character is in a nearly impossible situation, closer than ever to having his cover blown and struggling to deal with what has just happened to one of the two men who know he’s a cop. Stripped of a safety net, Costigan’s fear is palpable and DiCaprio is perfect. In fact, I would venture to say that his performance really elevates The Departed from what could have been a much more standard cops-and-gangsters action picture to a film with a hefty amount of emotional depth.
Even though DiCaprio is the standout of the remarkable cast, Nicholson is, as expected, delightfully over-the-top when need be. Because of his iconic status (how many other 69-year-olds would Rolling Stone put on its cover?), Nicholson’s involvement seems to be the most talked about aspect of the picture and the prologue prior to the opening title focuses on his character. Nevertheless, Nicholson does what he should here, which is play an aging, eccentric crime boss brimming with explosive evil.
Damon is also effective, if overshadowed by DiCaprio, although I felt there could have been some more development as to how Sullivan could so blindly follow Costello on the basis of a free bag of groceries. I also never fully believed Damon was truly good as a cop or truly bad as a crook like I could with DiCaprio, who effectively showed a short fuse on more than one occasion while effortlessly switching back to being the tortured hero headcase.
Rounding out the main cast are Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg as the two cops aware of Costigan’s undercover status and Alec Baldwin (who seems to have found his niche as a character actor lately) as Sullivan’s police boss. Wahlberg is certainly entertaining as well, if more so for the insults his character is frequently dishing out than his acting. The always interesting Ray Winstone, who does what he can with a limited role as Costello’s top thug, is here, too.
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
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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.