Im happy to be able to report that The Departed is the best film of 2006, and blows IA out of the water in every respect.
I know I'll take shit for it, but whatever. After a single viewing, this is possibly my favorite Scorsese, ever. I'm just re-posting my review from another place I post:
The Departed (Scorsese, 2006) - 10/10
Ladies and gentlemen, here is the latest masterpiece by legendary director Martin Scorsese, the best remake I have ever seen, and my favorite film of 2006 thusfar (and I'm not sure if it can be topped). The Departed features Scorsese once again doing the thing that no one does better than him - crafting a brilliant character study about isolation and the loss of identity and soul, set smack dab in the middle of an epic gangster film. This film is the best Marty has done in some time, easily the best of his three collaborations with DiCaprio, and totally blows the original Infernal Affairs out of the water. Yes, that's right. If that film is a nice T-bone steak, The Departed is a giant serving of juicy prime rib. What Scorsese and Monahan do so well is take the basic structure of the original, and then proceed to mold it into something new and fresh, while adding significant depth to all the characters, and that classic Scorsese touch. This is the work of a virtuoso filmmaker returning home after a long absence, and I fully welcome it.
The filmmaking here is immaculate. Scorsese handles the wealth of material, plots, characters and twists without breaking a sweat. The film really feels rather effortless and breezy, and while 150 minutes long, runs a lot shorter than many 100 minute films do, which says a lot. This is a tribute to Scorsese, who changes up his style a bit for this film. There are no long tracking shots to be found here, the musical choices are strangely stunted and repeated, and the camera is almost always moving. For a lesser director, this sudden change in style could ruin the film. Scorsese makes it work though, and I actually felt that the frantic pacing of the camera and the editing made this film even better; more intriguing and suspenseful. As usual, Marty's technical prowess is on full display. The man just knows exactly where to have his camera at all times, how to frame things, and when his camera moves, it's always in the right way. It will be a sad day when Scorsese retires, because there are few remaining directors that possess the knowledge, and then the skill to apply that knowledge, that Marty does.
Of course, the masterpiece Scorsese films comes from the pen of the great William Monahan. Holy hell is this ever an electric screenplay. This is the best writing I have seen in a Hollywood film in ages. I don't know where Monahan pulled the razor sharp dialogue (laced with more profanity, vulgarity, and racism than you'll likely see again in a major film) from, but I am extremely thankful for it. There is so much memorable dialogue and so many great scenes in his script to count. The other great thing Monahan did, which caught me totally off-guard, was write an absolutely hilarious screenplay. I was expecting the film to be serious in tone, and yet my sides were splitting from laughing at least a dozen times during the film. In fact, I think he should be proud of that, because, based on my audience, which erupted with laughter each time one such line or scene occurred, he completely nailed the humor. This is what makes the film work so great. Monahan wrote this serious screenplay filled with dark humour, and Scorsese, while taking it also very seriously, definately directed it with his tongue firmly in his cheek. In essence, as strange is it sounds, the film is a heavy, but a light-hearted one.
Scorsese directs from Monahan's vision, but it's the actors who are tasked with bringing the whole thing to life and making it believable. To say they all do this with flying colours would be the understatement of the year. Every single member of the cast, from top to bottom, brings their A-game. It's like they were all fully aware they were starring in a Scorsese crime classic, and no one wanted to be the weak link, so they all elevated their performances. Three actors in particular blew me away, and I will touch on them last. Before that, I will touch upon the rest of the cast. Matt Damon is very good here, probably the best I've seen him, and I could buy into his cocky Bostonian Colin persona, because it's probably the truest to life role he's had. Martin Sheen is excellent as Queenan, the leader of the spy unit, the mentor to Billy, and the "good" of the most hilariously awesome good cop/bad cop team I've ever seen. Alec Baldwin is full of Irish piss and vinegar as Ellerby, leader of the special unit. He's solid as always, and provides several laughs. Vera Farmiga has the huge task of playing the sole major female character in the film, and pulls it off wonderfully. Her role, as Colin's love interest, and Billy's shrink, has been greatly expanded for this remake, and Farmiga has the chops to believably pull off the very smart and conflicted Madolyn. Now, back to the three performances that really rivited me, from least to most. First up is Mark Wahlberg, in a smaller, supporting role as Queenan's right-hand man, Dignam, the "bad" portion of the previously mentioned good cop/bad cop team. Wahlberg doesn't have a lot of scenes, but boy is he ever memorable in the ones he has. He obviously had a lot of fun with his excessively vulgar dialogue, and acted like he was spitting fire. Next up is Jack Nicholson, who is a revelation as mob boss Frank Costello. This is the most impressed I have been with Jack since The Shining. He totally ownes this role, and turns in an unforgettable performance. Why it's taken this long for Nicholson and Scorsese to team, I'll never know, as it's a match made in bloody heaven. This is the sleaziest, most profane, digustingly enjoyable performance Jack has ever given, and he delivers at least two-thirds of the film's humor. He perfectly balances between going completely over-the-top, and keeping it grounded enough to make us scared shitless of someone like Costello. Last, but definately not least (in fact, most) is Leonardo DiCaprio's heartwrenching, seething, frightened and hopeless turn as the tortured Billy Costigan. I will fully agree with and endorse the claim that this is the best he has ever been. Hooking up with Scorsese is the best thing that could have ever happened to Leo, as his craft has improved tenfold since their first collaboration. He is absolutely on fire here, as the conflicted, aggressive and utterly lost undercover agent. DiCaprio totally sells the persona of a man trying his best to wrestle his inner demons, while falling deeper into Costello's world, and desperately seeking a way out. What is really great about his performance is that so much of it is internalized, and manifests itself not through dialogue, but through his body language and his eyes. And the eyes never lie. Brilliant acting from DiCaprio and the entire cast.
Well, it's definately time to wrap this up, as it's definately the longest review I have ever written here. It should also be said that compared to the original, The Departed has a few cards up it's sleeve, and takes its own direction at several key junctions. Also, for anyone who gets turned off by language, violence or general crudeness, this might not be for you. The Departed is the most graphic, excessively violent, profane, and vulgar film I've seen in some time. And I love Scorsese all the more for it. His unflinching and uncomprising style is always welcome. To sum it up, this is a total resurrection of a true auteur. And while it's a bit hard to gauge after a single viewing, with the insanity of excitement still surrounding me, this is possibly my favorite film Scorsese has ever done. I don't think theres a bigger compliment I could give The Departed. Welcome home, Martin Scorsese.
TBH I didn't like either endings in IA, things turn out too well for that one character in the original ending.