The Departed

Okay, so I finally got to see The Departed. Perfect timing, too—just in time for awards season! With all the buzz surrounding Martin Scorsese's latest entry into his legendary filmography, and with the potential for him to finally take home a Best Director statuette, I knew that it would be best for me to go into Oscar night with at least one viewing of The Departed under my belt. Thankfully I made that happen this weekend when I found (literally) the last DVD of it on the shelves at Blockbuster.

I must confess, I wasn't sure what to expect when I first heard that The Departed would take place in Boston, because Martin Scorsese's territory, nay his very heart and soul, has been firmly carved out in New York. So part of me wondered if The Departed would merely be a Boston version of Goodfellas. But in the final analysis, I can honestly say that this was a lot better than I thought it would be! Some Scorsese purists might deride The Departed for not being true to his more trademark films, like Goodfellas, Raging Bull, or Taxi Driver, but I found The Departed to be a very fun, high-intensity ride from beginning to end—with a twist ending that I'll dare to say rivaled that of The Sixth Sense!

The basic premise of The Departed is pretty simple. Matt Damon plays Colin Sullivan, who met Irish mobster Frank Costello (none other than the great Jack Nicholson) at a very young age, and over the years came to see him as a surrogate father—which means that when Sullivan graduates from the police academy, he's already a cop on the take, and the perfect set of eyes to know where and when the police will be breaking down Costello's doors. Leonardo DiCaprio plays young Billy Costigan, whose father was a mobster himself, but whose life was tragically cut short. Billy, however, wants to rid himself of his old family ways and become a cop. He naturally isn't taken seriously at first; the overzealously condescending yet hilarious interviews with Sergeant Dignam (played by Marky Mark Mark Wahlberg) illustrate just how little he's thought of as a potential cop. Nevertheless, Billy's background makes him the perfect mole to infiltrate Frank Costello's mob.

In short, the Boston PD has a mole in Costello's mob; Costello's mob has a mole in the Boston PD. So it's only a matter of time before the respective moles discover who the other is—and it doesn't help that both moles are pursuing the same woman.

With lightning-quick editing by Scorsese editor Thelma Schoonmaker (who was launched to editing fame with Raging Bull), The Departed really hits the ground running, and doesn't stop until the film's final shot (pun intended!). I'd have to say this is one of the best undercover movies I've seen lately. Along with Miami Vice, Above the Law, not to mention Donnie Brasco, The Departed shows just how deadly undercover work can be—not just to life and limb, but also to your own mental state, because it pushes cops to the limits of their sanity and self.

It's hard to say, between the two moles, who has more to lose. Leo's Billy Costigan struggles to maintain control over his own sanity and sense of security while he's inside Frank Costello's mob. He's constantly plagued by an understandable paranoia that he's about to be discovered, because it goes without saying that his death warrant is sealed if his cover gets blown. But for him, his own feelings of self-worth are on the line. He wants to prove to himself that even though he's the son of a dead Irish mobster, he can still make a difference as a cop. Damon's Sullivan, on the other hand, has his entire livelihood on the line just by being in Costello's pocket. His super-lush condo is undoubtedly more expensive than your average police officer's salary, and his hot girlfriend is just icing on the cake. You could almost argue that Costello essentially enables Sullivan to "live the good life".

The acting all around was pretty good, with a superb supporting cast that included Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, and Anthony Anderson. I was uneasy at first with the idea that Matt Damon was being cast as a cop on the take, largely because I didn't think he could pull it off (i.e., it went against type). But I had to admit, the role of Colin Sullivan was surprisingly well executed by Damon! His gradual buildup of paranoia when he's assigned to flush out the Costello mole in the Boston PD was palpable, and his initial cell phone exchange will Billy Costigan was unbelievably nail-biting . . . despite the fact that no words were even spoken! (It actually reminded me of the quick-cut editing of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Heat, when Pacino and crew were camped out in the trailers while De Niro and crew walk away from the platinum job, and all you see are the close-ups of each person's face back to back, almost like they're looking at each other through mirrors.) Though on a funnier note, when seeing Matt Damon in yet another Boston-based movie, I half-expected him to shout out during Costello's death scene, "How do you like them apples???"

I was pleasantly surprised by Martin Sheen's turn as Billy Costigan's superior, Queenan. Sheen's outspoken politics do get rather tiresome, so it was refreshing to see him put that aside and tackle a serious dramatic role again. And Jack Nicholson? I ask you . . . has the man ever given a bad performance? No. As expected, he completely chewed the scenery in The Departed, but I think his character could have done with a little more development. Frank Costello seemed a little too much of a cardboard cutout to me, but in the hands of Jack Nicholson, Costello was surely a pistol (pun intended). Though another part of me wonders, and I leave this for Scorsese purists to ponder . . . how would Robert De Niro have fared in the role of Frank Costello?

I will admit, some of the Oscar nominations for The Departed surprised me. I honestly wasn't expecting a nomination for Mark Wahlberg, though he is pretty funny to see. Honestly, I would have expected Jack Nicholson or Matt Damon to receive a Best Supporting Actor nod. Though I'm even more surprised that Leo didn't get a nomination. His edgy, teetering-on-the-brink-of-the-abyss performance was absolutely stellar! I tell ya, this kid's come a long way from the annoying pretty boy in Titanic. As to Martin Scorsese himself, I can honestly say that his Best Director nomination was warranted, and if he wins, in my eyes he will have earned it, and it won't be an apology award (as I had previously feared). Whether or The Departed wins Best Picture this Sunday, that's really hard to tell. The Best Picture race seems like an even bet all around (and this is only the second Best Picture nomination I've seen for this year, the other being Babel), but if this wins, I won't complain. 9.5 out of 10, with my figners crossed for Marty.