by Kevin Morris

Created on: February 10, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

The Departed
Four weeks ago, I was privileged to an advanced screening of Martin Scorcese's newest gangster film, The Departed. Scorsese is no stranger to the genre, with his previous productions, including Mean Streets, Goodfellas, and Casino, all centering on organized crime. But The Departed is a different kind of crime film, riff with the existential angst, ethical ambiguities, and personal dilemmas that mark conventional dramas. And with an all-star cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, and Mark Walberg, it's hard to deny The Departed's greatness.

The plot of The Departed seems simple enough. Rookie cop Billy Costigan (Dicaprio) goes undercover to infiltrate South Boston's most dangerous crime syndicate, a brutal and racist Irish mafia headed by the sociopathic Frank Costello (Nicholson). At the same time, one Costigan's police colleagues, Collin Sullivan (Damon), begins secretly feeding information to Costello, continually compromising his already-sensitive undercover work. But such a synopsis cannot do The Departed justice, for the film's plot is not advanced by standard plot arcs, but by realistic dialogue and raw human emotion, as both Costigan and Sullivan attempt to reconcile their double lives.
Scorsese builds tension in The Departed in a masterful, Hitchcock-esque manner, as the viewer constantly fears that Costigan's undercover persona could be exposed at any moment. Moreover, the brutal violence that marks nearly every scene in The Departed continues to put the audience on edge, reminding us of the lethal consequences of any misstep in this bloody game of cat-and-mouse. This is all compounded by the stellar performances from the principal actors; The Departed's cast reads like the cinematic equivalent of the roster of the New York Yankees, and Scorsese doesn't let it go to waste. Matt Damon truly comes into his own, acting with a range and depth that American moviegoers have yet to see from him, and Jack Nicholson's performance as Costello may very well define his career. Moreover, ensemble performances from Martin Sheen, Mark Walberg, and Alec Baldwin spoil the audience with top-notch character acting.
The Departed is a great film, but is certainly not for everyone. A review such as this cannot convey the sheer volume of violent acts and destructive behaviors depicted over the film's two and a half hours. The world of The Departed is a cruel one, in which nothing is sacred and raw survival is the best anyone can hope for. Moreover, the weight of an unnecessary love story and Byzantine plot structure begin to wear on the viewer, particularly around the two hour mark. Perfect or family friendly The Departed is not, but it is easily the best gangster film in a decade, and contains some of the finest performances in modern movie history. Go see The Departed, if you dare.

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