The Departed

Title: The Departed
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson
Year: 2006
MPAA: Rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, some strong sexual content and drug material.
Date of Review: October 15, 2006

Martin Scorsese's lastest is actually a remake of a cult Hong Kong crime flick trilogy entitled Infernal Affairs. This series of films presented a flashy, stylish, and overly convoluted story about dual moles in the police and crime world, each trying to discover who the other one is. The amazing thing about what Martin Scorsese has done, is that he took the basic concept and created something entirely his own. It definitely worked, and provides the audience with a return to Martin Scorsese in his greatest form since 1990's Goodfellas.

With an all-star cast, every performance is impressive and feels unforced and truly gripping. Non-fans of Leonardo DiCaprio will definitely gain a new appreciation of his acting ability after seeing this film. And while DiCaprio definitely proves himself as a strong actor, others like Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen and Jack Nicholson only further prove their cinematic prowess, as they provide gritty urban performances, and evidently had some fun with them.

Beginning with a beautifully photographed slow motion tracking shot of Jack Nicholson's profile as he walks through a warehouse, it sets the stage for a brutal yet elegant cinematic experience. Scorsese is at the top of his game with this film, showing that he can still deliver the sweeping camera movements and dark, shockingly violent content, while also showing that he has matured as a filmmaker. Like Goodfellas, the film is narrated by its main character - in this case, Frank Costello (played by Jack Nicholson). He's a hardboiled, uncompromising gangster in Boston with a sick sense of humor and, at 70 years of age, a libido that would make most 19 year old men feel ashamed. But he still has the signature Jack Nicholson charm, where you can't help but like the guy regardless of how horrible a man he is.

The script is smart. Really smart. It takes what was in Infernal Affairs and plants in like a seed, growing something entirely different out of the soil of the American film industry. It's less about the style and more about the story and the issues it raises about both organized crime and the police force whom we trust with our lives to protect us. In an incredible scene involving Leonardo DiCaprio - an ex-cop working undercover for crime lord Nicholson - in which he confronts his superior officer about Nicholson, he says "Why haven't you arrested him on one of the million other things that you've seen him do, that I've seen him do. The man murders somebody, what are you waiting for?" It transgresses the usual good cop, bad cop formula and becomes a hard-hitting moral tale.

Martin Scorsese's The Departed is, without a doubt, the best film of the year, and in a surprising turn, one of the best films of Scorsese's entire career. It oozes with energy and keeps a taut pace through its entire 153 minute running time. It's gritty, violent, and shocking, but it's all for a good cause. The Departed tells one hell of a story, and it shouldn't be missed.

9/10