November 28 2006
Film Review: The Departed
posted by Steven Shaw at 9:33 am
Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. (R16 – Graphic Violence & Offensive Language)
Director Martin Scorsese returns to the crime genre, remaking the 2002 Hong Kong classic Infernal Affairs.
The Departed stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson. Nicholson is terrific, scary and downright malevolent as Frank Costello, a key figure in Boston’s Irish mafia. Nicholson brings a manic sense of evil to the role, which was originally intended for Robert De Niro. He does slip however, sometimes coming across only as a dangerous version of his character from As Good As It Gets.
If you’re wondering why Scorsese would cast the very similar leads of Damon and DiCaprio, it’s because they play opposite sides of the same coin: DiCaprio is Billy Costigan, an undercover cop who infiltrates the Irish mafia while Damon plays Colin Sullivan, who is progressing nicely through the ranks of the Massachusetts State Police while secretly working for the mob. Both men are tied to Costello and both men are charged with discovering who the other mole is.
The story takes its sweet time to unfold, although it positively races through the set-up, where we watch the leads progress through their cadetship and DiCaprio’s character Costigan win the trust of Costello. It’s pretty much a montage set against a Rolling Stones soundtrack.
The other stars include Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin as law enforcement officers — Baldwin’s appearance may be brief, but it provides comic relief and is as memorable as his sales manager character in Glengarry Glen Ross. And Ray Winstone puts in a great performance as Costello’s main thug Mr. French.
Scorsese’s recent films The Aviator and Gangs of New York haven’t had the same appeal as his crime films like Goodfellas, Casino and of course Mean Streets. And dramatically, this is no Raging Bull either.
The Departed is a good film, with memorable performances and characters. There are surprises and unexpected twists in store near the end, but at two and a half hours, the bulk of the story takes far longer than it should. But luckily we’re back in the comfortable and familiar old shoe that is Scorsese crime country. And that’s more than enough to keep me happy.
November 28th, 2006 at 11:19 am
Oh but it was soooo comic. Baldwin and Wahlberg were way over the top, and the totally anti-climactic resolutions almost ruined (what I though was) a good performance by Jack Nicholson’s.
5/5 stars for the most convinced pistol shots to the head though – some impressivly subtle gore.