FilmReviews: Martin Scorsese's The Departed

Lies. Betrayal. Sacrifice. How far will you take it?

Finally watched The Departed earlier today on DVD and I was really very impressed with it.We'll talk about my insights about the film in a little while.The Departed is directed by master filmmaker Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver/GoodFellas) and stars an all-star talented cast that consists of Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic/Gangs of New York),Academy Award Winners Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting) & Jack Nicholson (The Shining/As Good As It Gets/Chinatown),Mark Wahlberg (Three Kings/Four Brothers),Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now),Ray Winstone,Vera Farmiga and Alec Baldwin (The Hunt For Red October).The Departed tells the tale of An undercover state cop who infiltrated a Mafia clan and a mole in the police force working for the same mob race to track down and identify each other before being exposed to the enemy, after both sides realize their outfit has a rat.And,the plot is exactly like that if you haven't seen it.But if you have seen it,you know there are more and more revelations.



As far as I'm concerned,The Departed is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong crime-thriller,Infernal Affairs and The Departed's screenwriter William Monahan adapted it's screenplay from Infernal Affairs.Meaning The Departed is the American version of the Hong Kong hit thriller film,but added with Scorsese's twisted,smart direction.The Departed follows the question of "Who's working for who?" as the plot follows the story of an undercover state cop who infiltrated a Mafia clan and a mole in the police force working for the same mob race to track down and identify each other before being exposed to the enemy, after both sides realize their outfit has a rat.The plot is simple,but in times a little complicated.But still,it was easy to understand.But the thing here is,the two main characters raise questions.Also,once you watch the film,you must need to focus clearly or else,you might definitely miss something important in the plot.The experience I had here wasn't same with my first viewing of Inception,but for me,it was still pretty hard to understand because of the twists and turns.Maybe a 2nd viewing is really necessary.But again,I understand the plot well.The great thing in my experience while watching this is,I was shocked when I found out that there was another mole when it was revealed in the end.And turns out,that other mole was Barrigan, (Played by James Badge Dale) Colin's (Played by Matt Damon) co-worker.I was like "WTF?!" during that scene.I really never suspected he was a mole and neither would you.I was really surprised during that scene,no kidding.Also,the film's plot heavily relies on the use of cellphones as it is one of the characters' ways of communicating.It was no hassle,no fuss.It didn't ruin the plot or anything in fact,it was very useful. Hoorah!.The Departed has a solid,clever thrilling storyline that is infused by Martin Scorsese's twisted methods in directing making it a film that will keep you guessing until the end.Also,The Departed's storytelling is Oscar worthy and it highly deserved the Best Picture achievement.

The Departed has a talented cast so no doubt that it has really great performances.Leonardo DiCaprio was really amazing as Billy Costigan,the undercover cop.He was just so bad-ass.I've never seen DiCaprio act like this before.Truly remarkable.I really don't know why the Academy snobs him.He's just a great actor,accept it.And he deserved the first in billing,'cause he was the true star in here.Second best performance here would be Jack Nicholson's as the mob boss Frank Costello.From his opening scene to his last,he was just awesome.He fit the gangster character archetype.He just felt so sinister but with dark wit.Every line he muttered was just so great and awesome.Third best performance for me would be Mark Wahlberg's.Wahlberg played Staff Sergeant Dignam who was the Capt's right hand man.And Marky Mark was the second bad-ass in here and served as one of the film's comic reliefs for his smart,funny but bad-ass lines.Here's an example of one of his bad-ass  lines: "Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe fuck yourself.".Sounds bad-ass huh? That's because it really is.Specially with Marky Mark's wonky Bostonian accent.Matt Damon performed well too,but he didn't get my attention much because I was busy giving emphasis to those three actors mentioned above.But still,he was pretty good.The supporting cast was good too in case you're wondering.Martin Sheen,Ray Winstone,Vera Farmiga and Alec Baldwin all acted well also.The Departed has a great,awesome,bad-ass dialogue that are all well-written.It also had one of the best lines I heard in a film and one of those is that line said by Mark Wahlberg.Really superb.Two thumbs to the scriptwriter/s.

The Departed won 4 Oscars and one of those achievements is Best Film Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker) and no wonder it won.Those transitions from one scene to another are just rather amazing.Same with the cinematography.The score was great,it was thrilling and sometimes spine-chilling and that's because it was handled in the hands of Howard Shore.Who also scored Se7en.Even the soundtrack was bad-ass,the Irish rock-music that plays throughout the film fit the film's vibe and it added greatness to the film.The visuals of the film are spectacular and well shot,specially the final frame,the very last one before the credits rolled.All in all,The Departed was amazing in the technical department.The music was just unforgettable.

The Departed is directed by Martin Scorsese,so it's no doubt it was great.The guy is a veteran and is highly respected.And by far,this is the best film I've seen from him next to Taxi Driver.His direction and guidance in this was really masterful and because of that,the film has now become one of the American crime classic films.

The Departed is infused by great performances from the skilled roster of actors,brilliant storytelling that will keep you guessing and Scorsese's one of a kind direction.If you love crime-thrillers,this one is a must-not-miss.This is an instant classic.Worth re-watching again and again.

This brilliant crime thriller The Departed gets 8.7 out of 10 stars.


That poster above is a great alternative artwork for the film as it signifies the film's iconic final frame with the rat scuttling around the window rails as the background is set with the Massachusetts State House's gold dome.Classy.

*This Scorsese classic,The Departed is available on DVD & Blu-Ray distributed by Magnavision Home Video.

For now,check out this clip from the film:


*Video courtesy of Movieclips.com