The Departed (Scorsese, 2006)
In the last 6 months I've done a lot of catching up with respect to watching movies I should have seen earlier. While many lived up to the hype created by more hardcore film buffs - such as Brazil and Die Hard - others didn't, and instead rubbed me as either just good (Heat) or simply ok (Reservoir Dogs, Blade Runner). Like many of the movies mentioned earlier, The Departed was introduced to my consciousness with an interesting trailer and lots of hype. I must say I was somewhat skeptical going into the movie, but after watching it I can truly say this is not only one of the best crime movies I've ever seen, it's also one of the best movies I've ever seen.
When I watch movies I look for two things: great acting and great writing. The Departed not only does both of these things very well, it knocks them out the park. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon give wonderful preformances as undercover "rats" - the former as an undercover cop and the other as an undercover mob informant. Both are seperated by more than just career desisions; on one hand DiCaprio's character Cortigan is the blacksheep in a family knee deep in crooks, while Damon's character Sullivan is the product of a stable, calculated good life. Yet despite their contradictary differences they are brought together by a central, powerful similarity: Frank Costello. Nicholson's portrayal of the mob boss is brilliantly chilling. A true force of power, Costello is the main man involved in a plan to bring down the Boston mob.
The preformances of all three are simply magnificant. DiCaprio especially shines and effortlessly portrays a fragile, scared man who simply wants to do the right thing, yet is afraid that doing it could lose him his life. Throughout the movie he effortless shows a wide range of emotions, from anger to manic fear to vulnerability. Although I haven't seen the other movies featuring best actor nominees for the oscar, it's hard to imagine anyone giving a preformance more real and stunning as DiCaprio's. Likewise Nicholson's preformance is also stunningly real and effortless; it's hard for me to understand why he wasn't nominated for best supporting actor. Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen also give standout preformances which serve to further balance the movie.
The script is simply amazing in nearly every aspect and really compliments the great acting. Yet the force which brings it to life the most is Scorsese, who masterfully orchastrates this tour de force. It's amazing how he's able to use short scenes to flesh out each character without anything seeming rushed or looked over. The opening of the movie is simply brilliant, and truly sets the view up for the next two hours. It's as if he gives you a slight tease of what's to come before finally pulling up the curtain and revealing his magic trick. Yet once he does show his hand it's impossible to look away; the story simply draws you in and never lets go. Even the more emotional scenes that seem to drag other crime dramas down are handled with a superior level of intensity.
Everything comes together perfectly and leads right to the shocking climax and ending, as DiCaprio and Damon finally meet, the story in the balance. I was left impressed over and over again by the movie.
If I have any complaints it would have to do with the rather forced, gratuitous profanity towards the beginning of the movie and well as a few puzzling plot holes. Yet these are minor flaws when compared to just how much the movie gets right. I simply cannot express how much I was impressed by this movie - it's a balanced, perfectly acted blueprint of how to make a compelling crime movie.
9.5/10
