Review of The Departed (2006) by William T — 15 Aug 2013

Does everything a thriller is supposed to do and then some. The plot was surprisingly easily to follow and it is Scorsese's most purely enjoyable film in years. Since its release, "The Departed" has become a very necessary crime film as it explores the difference between cop and criminal in a very creative way by having a 'good' cop (DiCaprio) going undercover with a vicious Irish crime lord named Costello (Nicholson) while attempting to discover to identity of Costello's informant, a 'bad' cop (Damon).

The movie is engrossing in every one of its 152 minutes and manages to be thrilling, funny, brutal, and an altogether unique experience but feels as familiar as a classic. The actors give their all and then some to Scorsese's wonderfully stylized direction filled with the grandiose shots (my personal favorite is Damon, standing outside, after getting off the phone with Costello while his girlfriend, Vera Farmiga, bites a nail and stares at him through the glass), unashamed vulgarity, racism, and rudeness to just about every human being, and an overall intoxicating sense of mystery and morality cocktail.

Scorsese didn't just make an amazing crime film and finally won his Oscar, he made a crime film that deserves comparison to GoodFellas, Casino, Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, and even After Hours. The psychology of the characters, motivations of their actions, and philosophy behind identity is something Scorsese has always loved to explore, but here he does it in such an unparalleled fashion that the movie is extremely original but maintains remnants of why Scorsese's earlier crime films were so damn popular and continue to be viewed today.

As I said before, this is one of the most enjoyable Scorsese films but still proves that there is life within the idea of exploring cops and criminals. Also, the soundtrack (both of them- the original music and 'found' music) fit perfectly, especially Comfortably Numb during a forbidden sexual encounter and Howard Shore's excellent guitar licks.