Movie Review: The Departed

Boston, some years ago.

And so begins The Departed, Scorsese’s return to the crime genre that he reinvented with Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, later perfecting the mould with Goodfellas and Casino.

After over a decade away from his forte, Scorsese has returned; and in a big way. The Departed is a remake of the Chinese film Infernal Affairs, which was brilliant in its own right. Scorsese’s adaptation packs much more grit and intensity.

This film is brutally beautiful with every actor cast to perfection. The story centers around a cop gone under cover (Leo DiCaprio) with the Irish mob led by none other than Jack Nicholson himself. Nicholson plays a sadistic, narcissistic psychopath; a role that he has mastered through the years. Nicholson’s character has sent one of his own (Matt Damon) undercover into the Boston State Troopers to level the playing field.

After the premise is set, the movie evolves into a smoke and mirror show as both Leo and Matt attempt to exist in their worlds without getting made. Their dual identities rake their mental health as both exhibit the stress of living a lie. To tie these two together, the film also employs a love triangle, although all parties are oblivious to the full impact of this element. At the center is unknown actress Vera Farmiga, who is not only incredibly gorgeous (especially those eyes – wow), but also brings extraordinary vulnerability and believability to a very demanding and difficult role.

The supporting cast is top – notch, led by Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg – in his best performance since Boogie Nights, and the incomparable Alec Baldwin, who brings laugh after laugh to an otherwise vicious and violent film. As with every Scorsese film, the soundtrack is once again carefully selected and adds a sense of depth and richness to each and every scene, led by the Pink Floyd classic, Comfortably Numb.

The ending sequence is gritty and left me in shock once the credits rolled. I am still reeling from it. This is by far Scorsese’s best film in years and I would venture to say that it is even better than Goodfellas and Casino. The only film I would rank above this one in the Scorsese catalogue would be Raging Bull.

This is definitely a must see film, not only for the masterful direction, which will hopefully finally garner Marty his first Oscar, but also for the performances of a lifetime from Matt Damon and especially DiCaprio.

5/5, Brilliant cinema