The Departed
Watching “The Departed,” I was wondering if critics are so desparate to see Martin Scorsese win a long-overdue Oscar that their near-unanimous praise for the film- a remake of a terrific Hong Kong crime gem called “Infernal Affairs”- is just a way of beating it into Academy members heads, “Hey, it’s been a weak year. Marty’s your man.” Don’t get me wrong- Scorsese (a living legend in cinema) should have won for anything from “Mean Streets” to “Raging Bull” to “The Last Temptation of Christ” to “GoodFellas” to “Gangs of New York” to his landmark documentaries about American and Italian cinema, with solid evidence of his passion and craft for the medium also coming from “Taxi Driver,” “The Age of Innocence,” “Kundun,” “The Aviator,” and “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan.” If he’s stumbled or lulled into cliche at times (see “The Last Waltz” (which didn’t quite grab me like the above-listed films, though it is a very good film), “Casino,” “The Color of Money,” “Cape Fear,” and “Bringing Out the Dead”), it can be forgiven by the balls-out exhilaration his best films exude in every frame. And one look at “Infernal Affairs”- a crafty and complex cat-and-mouse story- is enough to know that putting an American remake (written with a keen ear and smart mind for theme by “Kingdom of Heaven’s” William Monahan) in anyone else’s hands would result in an inferior film.
The most common thing said about “The Departed”- which transplants the story of an undercover cop and undercover crook assigned to find one another to Boston without losing anything in the translation- is that it’s a new pop masterpiece for Scorsese, and his best, purest Scorsese film since “GoodFellas.” The latter is certainly the case- in retrospect it’s hard to think of a film of his since “GoodFellas” that doesn’t seem calculated towards Oscar voters (except for “Cape Fear” and probably “Bringing Out the Dead,” which I wasn’t a fan of, but contains many elements of vintage Scorsese)- but I wouldn’t put the film up there with “GoodFellas.” Watching that 1990 masterpiece again before filming my last day (for now) on my own short film, nothing in that movie feels contrived or unnatural- it’s like a documentary about the criminal underworld told through the eyes of a filmmaker intimately aware of both the culture of violence he’s depicting, with a cast that might almost be mistaken for those people if you didn’t know you were watching a dramatic work. The confidence at work in the film makes it one of the all-time greatest works in cinema history.
“The Departed” lacks that feel. Granted, Scorsese’s direction of the piece is as sure as you can expect from a master (no, you won’t hear me complaining if he does take home an Oscar this year finally), and his eye for casting is still unmatched by peers. But while the film achieves an authenticity in regards to the film’s look and character dynamics, you sense very early on you’re immersed in a purely cinematic story, one of those “only in the movies” tales that will never be able to compare to the drama of real life, and a true story. That’s probably why “Casino”- while based on a true story- never worked the way “GoodFellas” did- while Scorsese was telling a true story similar to “GoodFellas,” he also did so with a purely cinematic authenticity that makes it ring somewhat hollow. But I will say, “The Departed” (which almost resembles Michael Mann’s “Heat”- a film Scorsese admires- in a way) does succeed in ways “Casino”- which felt all the more like a 2nd tier “GoodFellas” with the presence of DeNiro and Pesci in similar roles- didn’t, even with its’ fictional narrative.
Scorsese just jumps into Monahan’s story with both feet, and it’s always moving forward for the next 140 minutes (kudos to Scorsese’s long-time editor Thelma Schoonmaker for her head-long pacing). But he doesn’t waste any scenes- the story’s always on the move even when the action takes a moment to breathe; Marty’s interested in characters, the dynamics between them, and how events and situations effect them on a personal level. It’s what has always helped separate his best films from the rest of the pack- few filmmakers can equal him- and what separates “The Departed” (which also features exemplary cinematography by long-time Scorsese cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and music by “Aviator” and “After Hours” composer Howard Shore), and makes it a pure Marty picture. When he does show the violence down-and-dirty (even the shootouts between hoods and police have real weight to them), he suckerpunches you, as if the bullets hit you as well as the characters. He has some misteps along the way (including a final scene that- while satisfying- can be predicted after the shock that comes right before it- lifted effectively right from “Infernal Affairs,” and a final shot of a rat that is all-too symbolic), but whether it wins him that Oscar or not, whether it matches his best work or not, Marty’s made one damn good thriller…
…and compiled one damn great cast to become immersed in. In his third film with Scorsese (after “Gangs of New York” and “The Aviator”), Leonardo DiCaprio has matured into a true adult performer, no more so than here as Billy Costigan, a South Bostoner with cime in his blood (his family’s full of thieves) but a desire to fight it in his heart who is recruited by BPD Captain Queenan (Martin Sheen, playing the father figure effectively) to go undercover as part of kingpin Frank Costello’s crew as part of an operation to bring him down. DiCaprio- in his best performance under Scorsese’s guiding hand (or anyone’s, really)- lets go of the boyish confidence of his earlier characters and gets right down into Billy’s growing anxiety of getting found out (his moments with whackjob Costello do nothing to help). He talks a tough game- whether it’s to Queenan, his right-hand man Sargeant Dignam, Costello, or his right-hand Mr. French (Ray Winstone, channeling his “Sexy Beast” co-star Ben Kingsley’s intensity in that film more than once to great effect), or even to Madolyn, the psychiatrist he’s setup to see as part of his cover (and who’s played by the beautiful Vera Farmiga in a breakout performance than brings to mind Lorraine Bracco’s in “GoodFellas”)- but when he’s alone, you can see the pressure getting to him, and you feel it with him.
On the opposite end is Matt Damon as Colin Sullivan, who- as a young boy (in a grabber of a prologue)- was recruited by Costello to play department mole. After his graduation from the Academy, he’s put in a plum position to do so, as he’s made a detective in the Special Investigations Unit where he- alongside Captain Ellerby (Alec Baldwin makes his one-note pitbull bite)- is in charge of the investigation of Costello, whom he feeds with tips and intel that make any case against him difficult. Damon- an Oscar-winner as a screenwriter (whether deserving or not) for “Good Will Hunting” who’s always seemed underappreciated as an actor (despite a deserving Oscar nod for “Hunting” and great work for “Dogma,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Rounders,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Syriana,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” and the two “Bourne” thrillers)- goes the opposite route as DiCaprio, in that he builds on the cool-hand confidence of his earlier characters to get to the insecurities that come with his uniquely pressured positioning, where one false move in a department- with keenly-peeled eyes for a mole (only Queenan and Dignam know about Billy)- can mean being found out, and being of no further use to Costello, who’s cool as a cucumber, but not completely nerve-free on the thought of being betrayed. His growing relationship with Madolyn provides a release, but even the chore of hiding himself from her becomes a tension-builder; her slight of him in the end resonates as strongly as the violence does. But by that point, it’s a credit to Damon’s performance that you care about his character as much as you do DiCaprio’s. Add another great credit to that list above.
DiCaprio and Damon are the stars, and we’ll get to Jack Nicholson in a moment, but Mark Wahlberg steals the movie. No joke; of the four male leads above the title (three of whom are Oscar nominees or winners), the former rapper (though he put his Marky Mark days behind him years ago) is the one who runs away with the movie. Of course, if you remember his spectacular performance two years ago in David O. Russell’s star-packed- but head-scratching- “existential comedy” “I Heart Huckabees” as a firefighter whose life is an emotional confusion (he was Oscar-worthy then, too), you can’t be too surprised. Granted, after his acting breakthrough in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights” (an overrated movie, but Wahlberg did well with what he had), he followed a more commercial path to stardom (though I’ll admit an enjoyment of “The Italian Job,” “The Big Hit,” “Invincible,” “The Perfect Storm,” and even the “Planet of the Apes” remake), with rare rebel films like Russell’s “Three Kings” and “Huckabees” to remind us of his potential. Now that Scorsese’s gotten a hold of him, consider his potential realized, and ready to fully blossom. Though his Dignam is on the right side of the law, he also has that wickedly profane, loose-cannon attitude Joe Pesci performed brilliantly in his Oscar-winning turn in “GoodFellas.” That he holds his own with acting heavyweights like Nicholson, Sheen, DiCaprio, Damon, and Baldwin, and has his character leave from sight at about the 2 hour mark- but leave a lingering impression- is a major accomplishment for an actor many might have a hard time seeing around such extraordinary talent in front of and behind the camera. By the time the credits start to role, he’s just another one of a very accomplished gang.
And then, there’s Jack Nicholson as Costello. A three-time Oscar winner- for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Terms of Endearment,” and “As Good as It Gets”- multiple nominee (for the off-beat likes of “About Schmidt,” “Easy Rider,” “A Few Good Men,” and “Chinatown,” among others), and unquestionably the biggest personality in front of the camera from that storied generation of filmmakers in the late ’60s/early ’70s that also gave us Scorsese. Whatever the reasons it took these two 30-plus years to work together- it was worth the wait (expect more Oscar talk for both). Personally, Jack’s Costello sometimes veers too far into the traditional “Jack” over-the-top performance to be an all-time great bad guy, but at the same time, it’s the over-the-top moments- taken alongside the subtle character moments (reminiscent of his work in “Chinatown” and parts of “The Shining”)- that make this character distinctly Jack. As charismatic as ever, Nicholson also does a deft job at hinting at the vulnerability- such as Costello has- in the character to go with his menace and madness. At 69, it’s this last trait- added depth to a character very one-dimensional in the Hong Kong film- that continues to set Jack apart from the rest of the pack. I wouldn’t consider it the best performance in “The Departed,” but with his vivid portrayal of a true cinematic bastard, there’s no doubt he’s still the colossas of the bunch as a performer. Regardless of your thoughts of his performance, it’ll stay with you after you’ve left the theatre. The same can be said of the movie in general. It’s something you’ll get from every Scorsese film, regardless of if it’s his best, worst, or somewhere in the middle. Put “The Departed” in the upper echelon of that spectrum.
