Review of The Departed (2006) by Liam C — 26 Apr 2015

This film is classic Scorsese, and it finally got the living legend a well deserved Oscar that he has deserved numerous times; 'The Departed' is an excellently executed thriller with outstanding performances from an unbelievably outstanding cast. But seriously though, wow, this cast is through and through perfect: Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Vera Farmiga, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson and it just keeps going. DiCaprio's haircut makes him look really young; Matt Damon does his Matt Damon face at one point, with the raised eyebrow and slanted mouth; Alec Baldwin and Marky Mark have hysterical dialogue that really fit them and an absolutely outrageous Jack Nicholson that really does not care about what he says or does, which we find out within the first minute, even if it was kind of funny to see him in a tracksuit killing someone, near the start. Yep, it looks like it had SAG award for Best Performance by a Cast all over it and Leo was put into Supporting because he was already in the Leading category for something else. The only way to make it any better would be if Robert De Niro was in there somewhere. I did always feel bad for the original filmmakers though, Hollywood takes a smaller film that was released a few years before, remake it and then reap all the awards, would have been nice to have seen Mark Wahlberg win as well.

I remember someone saying that Jack Nicholson won an Oscar for this film and even though he didn't, I could see why they thought that though because it's Oscar worthy and it's just great to see him in a role like this, once again. And I laughed when he said that we shouldn't but seriously, why did that character laugh? They could have been killed right there. They keep him in shadow near the beginning and it makes sense stylistically and of course for the story to portray the progression of time, even if I remember seeing Costello's hair longer in shots before seeing the film, as to portray his craziness, I assume. And Mr. French seemed to remain quite casual when he got shot. We see Sullivan's story begin right from the start and Costigan's gets developed as the film goes on and Leonardo DiCaprio's emotions in the parts where he's really struggling to cope with what he was doing was fantastic; he also really did well at committing to that lifestyle. And honestly, I wanted to see Dignam beat up Sullivan so much and, well, I won't spoil it but the look on Dignam's face near the end was fantastic and so satisfying, you knew he loved that moment.

The story for this film was intelligent whilst also being highly entertaining. It makes sense why they chose Costigan for the job even if I thought he would have been arrested for pretending to be a cop. It wouldn't have made sense for the story but it wasn't the cliché moment that they picked the rat out of the crowd of workers even though it would have been odd to see if they picked Sullivan to be the rat. Even though I always do wonder in films like why the person undercover in the police department would go after their own person; I know it's their job but you'd have thought they would stall as much as they can but the story develops in a great way to a believable end, even finding Costello seemed to happen a little too quickly. It'd appear that the film could have ended at 2 hours and that could have been one way to end things but it keeps going for another 20 minutes and its all great. It's shocking and it looks like one character will get away with it all, but at least Sullivan did one good thing before the film ended by recommending Costigan but his face when he's left alone in the cemetery was sad. And it all leads up to an excellent final shot that really solidifies what an excellent film you just witnessed. I haven't really said that much as not to spoil it but it's also hugely entertaining and I just took it all in.

The way this film is put together is perfect; it has an excellent soundtrack, amazing editing of everything and an overall Scorsese shine that only he can accomplish. If I wasn't told it was Scorsese who directed this, it wouldn't be that hard to figure it out, all of his films have a different feel and tone but he knows how to do his gangster films. I also picked up on the 'x' imagery throughout the film, I thought it was just a coincidence at first but it continues. I thought that one of the plot points would be that either Costigan or Sullivan was getting too adjusted for the lifestyle they had to adapt to and while, out of the two, it'd be more likely for this to happen to Costigan, it didn't happen. There also some jokes about how corrupt the police are, some of which are even told by the police themselves, which was a nice touch.

There were only a couple of things I didn't really understand. We see DiCaprio's character wearing a wire at one point and even though it was for a very short time, I find it hard to believe Costello didn't find it. It's hidden like any good wire should be but we see Costigan being searched like anyone would be when they enter a place like that and I just find it hard to believe nobody found it. Also, around the same time when Costello suspects there is a rat in his operation, he doesn't think to suspect Costigan, the newly appointed member of his operation, to be that rat? Costello even knows Costigan's family as well as his own background of being a cop. And it also seemed like a tad of a coincidence that the cameras that were placed in that abandoned building were just out of place to oversee that meeting; I know they said they were rushed when placing the cameras, but still, and nobody can text that good without looking at their phone and not making at least one mistake. It also seemed kind of odd that no-one overheard the talk about the wrong address and Costigan still showing up to the right address anyway, but it's not like Costello employs the smartest of people. The ending seemed to happen a tad quickly as well, not the 20 minutes after 2 hours but the end of Costello's reign. The setup for Queenan's exit was clear but it was still shocking and sad to see as well.

Scorsese says this was the first film he ever did with a plot, while he was clearly telling a joke, no... That certainly is not true, however, it is a very complex and interesting plot and it is filled with excellent acting and is hugely entertaining; also, poor Brad Pitt for not being one of the producers up for an Oscar. 'The Departed' is, simply, a fantastic film and I'm so glad I've finally seen it and it's another one off the list.