The Departed
(2006)
review by Died with Boots On

Now here is a film with an epic flavor.  Leave it to Martin “Scoreseasy” to direct a film this provocative and gung ho.  Following in the footsteps of “Taxi Driver,” “Gangs of New York,” and “Goodfellas,” this masterpiece starts out with broad brushstrokes and quickly ripens into a finer tip.  Electrified with all sorts of heart racing music, eccentric incarnations of good and evil, and lots of brutal violence, “The Departed” wants desperately to be remembered as the best film of the year.  It’s got a lot of heart and a lot of cheek, and I, in good faith, give it the whole nine-yard.  There was a film done four years ago called “Infernal Affairs.”  With Siu Fai Mak on board, I was afraid of a word-for-word Western translation of the Hong Kong trilogy, but was relieved when I was met with a lethal dose of creative license.  This is vintage Scorsese at his finest, serving grit and gore on a silver platter.

This film is chockfull of Oscar-worthy performances, from the villain I loved to the villain I loved to hate, from the cat to the mouse to the mouse to the cat to the cat to the mouse.  This is the best Jack Nicholson performance I’ve seen since “The Shining.”  With a run-time close to two and a half hours, there is a twist lurking around every corner, a rhythmic method to the madness that kept me entranced until the closing credits.  Even little things like a recurring “rat” motif drew me in, had me sitting on the edge of my seat.  This flick had enough atmosphere for ten movies.  The nerve-racking cat and mouse game that followed the story throughout left me biting my nails and holding my breath, the claustrophobia thickening as the characters dug their own graves.

Set in Boston’s Irish ganglands, “The Departed,” named for “the faithful departed,” begins with a narration by the infamous mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson) about the hardships of life as a foreigner.  From there, a young Costello demands payment in a loan shark fashion from a local proprietor.  After collecting, he hits on the shop owner’s daughter, asking if she got her period yet, and then buys a shopping bag full of groceries for a young boy sitting at the counter.  He tells the boy that if he ever wants to earn any money, he knows where to find him.  The film jumps to a montage of Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Damon) spit shining their shoes and adjusting the brims of their caps as they prepare to graduate from the police academy.  Upon meeting the Police Chief, Sullivan is admired for his immaculate record and clean family history, while Costigan is kicked out of the Academy for his criminal lineage, for his “double life” growing up to divorced parents, however, not all bridges are burned.  Police Chief Queenan (Sheen) wants Costigan to go undercover to infiltrate the mob syndicate under Costello.  While Costigan does time before giving credibility to his criminal persona, Sullivan becomes the chief detective in the Special Investigation Unit.  After several information leaks in both the police department and syndicate, both Costello and Queenan realize there is a mole in their midst.  What ensues is the most cerebral and adrenal game of cat and mouse in recent cinematic history, one where the cat can easily go from being predator to prey, the mouse from hunted to hunter.  The upper hand’s swapping is what keeps this film on its toes.

In characteristic Scorsese decorum, the music reflects the action, and what better song than The Dropkick Murphys’ cover of “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” is there to mirror the tone of a movie like this?  This movie reminded me of another picture Vera Farmiga recently starred in by the name of “Running Scared,” if only for the similarities between the Russian and Irish mobs and the dichotomy of the main characters.  This movie is Academy Award material and Scorsese is long overdue for his slice of the pie.  I believe Jon Stewart said it best at year’s ceremonies, “For those keeping track, Three 6 Mafia, one, Martin Scorsese, zero.”  Do not be intimidated by the runtime, this is a movie that you truly lose yourself in.  Jack Nicholson provides his eccentric comic relief that in no way sabotages the ongoing tone of the piece, but stokes it, pretending to be a guy masturbating in an X-rated movie theater, or nibbling on an imaginary wheel of cheese.  He plays the role of a character losing his mind well, and I’m glad he was chosen for the part over Robert De Niro, the movie would have been dry without him.  This movie comes highly recommended, even to those content with “Infernal Affairs.”  This is not a rip-off.  It is a much better film that stands on its own two feet and deals in original circumstances.  The third act is much more tightly wound than the clockwork of the Cantonese anthology’s, and the ending is more satisfying, with succinct visuals that cause you to nod your head and purse your lips.  Go out and see this in theaters.  Epic films never leave the same aftertaste on your television set.