“The Departed”Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Whalberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Alec Baldwin
4 stars out of 4
O Marty Marty, wow have you returned with some spectacular stuff! I can’t believe how good this movie was. From Jack’s opening monologue, to the dialog, to the acting, to the bloody shootouts, this is movie going at its finest. We know from the beginning that this isn’t going to be a pretty story, there will be betraying, killing, and fuck said about 150 times.
Although this is Scorsese’ film, he has turned it into a remake of the Hong Kong film “Internal Affairs.” Not only is the material top notch, Scorsese has gathered a cast of A-listers to fill out this masterpiece. The story while simple to explain gets even trickier and more dangerous for the characters as the film moves on, ferociously clocking in at 152 minutes, it gives all the time in the world to the characters to plan, counter plan, and make there moves.
Leonardo DiCaprio is a stunning actor, full of charisma and charm, he can play probably anything, here he plays Billy Costigan, a kid who has been surrounded by a family of crime his whole life. He, along with Matt Damon, who plays Colin Sullivan, are both training to be policeman for the Massachusetts staties. Nicholson who isn’t as cuddly this time around, does his first Scorsese film, you would think he had done a dozen previous to this for how good he is in it. Nicholson plays Frank Costello, the kingpin of Boston, the “it” when it comes to organized crime. The staties have been on his trail forever and plan to get even closer if they Costigan in as mole in Costello’s crime outfit. Only Mark Whalberg and Martin Sheen mind you, know the identity of Costigan, as they faked kicking him off the force, as he took a bumb prison sentence to make sure he looks more like a criminal. Costello takes him in slowly, trusting him, as Costigan is scared for his life the whole time.
Matt Damon and Leonardo can be called the same actor, they both have turned down the same roles, one has declined a role, the other has accepted. These two are as close as your gonna get to charming A-listers these days. They are so talented and believable, they make this story so dangerous and exciting that you would think these were they’re real jobs. As Damon takes the part as a member of Costello’s crew who gets in the Staties and may even climb into better positions. Two moles are planted; let the games begin Scorsese style, which means violence, swearing, great music, gangster appeal, this film flat out makes you want to shoot somebody in the head.
Rounding out the solid supporting cast is Alec Baldwin, head of the team trying to get to Costello, Anthony Anderson, a fellow cop, and Vera Farmiga who comes across as very sexy in a breakout role as Sullivan’s girlfriend who doesn’t know his real identity, but who also shares some intimate moments with Costigan as she is a psych inside the department.
This movie is as old school as it gets, the writing is spectacular, and you get the feel of true, down to the bone vintage Scorsese. The cast even knows it, I can’t even imagine how much fun they had shooting this movie. It’s so fun watching Damon and DiCaprio play cat and mouse. The 152 minutes felt like an hour and half. Although some may shy away from the hard on machismo displayed in almost every shot, the film relies on it, as these characters thrive on what they know best, either being a cop, or being a gangster.
Nicholson hasn’t had this much fun in years, as he could be a Best Supporting Actor contender come Oscar time. Jack plays such a wily guy, that while still dangerous we can't avoid his persistence as the nucleus of the film, yes he's getting old, but he remains the best at what he does. I still can’t stop thinking of DiCaprio’s performance, he is so convincing and hard nosed, who could have seen the heartthrob from “Titanic” doing this kind of work? Not I.
This film is balanced incredibly, everyone is given sufficient screen time, what a shame it would’ve been if you couldn’t get these A-listers enough time to develop in a story like this. So much is on the line in every scene, so much at risk for these characters. You can tell how devoted they are to this stuff, trusting Martin(Scorsese) was never an issue. He is back ladies and gentleman, after “Gangs of New York” and “The Aviator” the Marty that everyone loves had made his mark, this is the best film of the year so far, and a true crime masterpiece.
