Review #662: 'The Departed' (2006)

I saw Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs (2002) a couple of years before Martin Scorsese's Hollywood remake The Departed. I remember little of it now, but I do remember finding it to be an ingenious idea and a gripping little movie, albeit a little overrated. Scorsese obviously saw potential in the idea, as The Departed is admittedly bloated, but packed-to-the-gills with eccentric criminals, sweary 'cwops', and CGI blood, expanding the story and characters and executed in that uber-stylish way that the director is so well known for. I'll avoid comparisons to Infernal Affairs as the two share very little in common apart from basic story, and Scorsese makes this film very much his own.

Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is enlisted into mob boss Frank Costello's (Jack Nicholson) crime-ring at a young age, and is raised to be an informant in the Massachusetts State Police. New police academy graduate William Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), a rough-and-ready type from a colourful family, is forced into going undercover in Costello's gang by Captain Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Sergeant Dignam (Mark Wahlberg). When a rat is exposed on both sides, the two must search desperately for the other before they are unwillingly revealed. Unbeknownst to the both of them, they also share a girl in psychiatrist Madolyn (Vera Farmiga). 

If you go into this film expecting a gritty and realistic urban crime thriller, you will be disappointed. Although the subject matter is grim and it certainly doesn't pull its punches when it comes to violence, this is a shiny movie with explosions of bloodshed akin to the comic-book aesthetic of manga, and asks you to suspend your beliefs for the duration. I mean, Costello is a known maniac with no fear of dispatching his own, yet Costigan becomes his right-hand man within months even though he is known to be ex-police? There are plenty of plot-holes that I could mention but won't bother, as they are there for the purpose of telling an entertaining story.

This is Scorsese as unhinged as he's been in years, letting the story just unravel regardless of just how mental it becomes. Nicholson, an actor I cannot believe had never worked with Scorsese before, gets frequently mentioned as stealing the show. He certainly steals his scenes, and grabs the opportunity to improvise with both hands, waving a severed hand in a bag around in one scene, and inexplicably covered with blood in another. Costello wouldn't last a minute in real-life, he's just too obvious and psychopathic, but in this world he thrives, and is a memorable Nicholson creation. But it's actually Wahlberg that steals the show, getting lines such as "if you had an idea of what we do, we would not be good at what we do now would we? We would be cunts. Are you calling us cunts?". It's a testament to his performance that he has probably 10 minutes of screen time and received an Oscar nomination.

DiCaprio and Damon fill their roles admirably, the former being the incarnation of anxiety and the latter proving surprisingly slimy given his history of generally wholesome characters. But its the ensemble that really shines in this array of ridiculous and cartoon characters. By the end, questions of identity and who is really important to the story get blurred with a climax of endless bloodshed. The prize of Best Picture and Best Director now seem somewhat silly, and surely a sympathy vote for Martin Scorsese who has made at least ten other movies more deserving of rewarding his talent. But this is a crazy ride, and one that remains gripping and surprising throughout, bolstered by a smart script and a hell of a cast.

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Vera Farmiga, Ray Winstone, Alec Baldwin

Country: USA/Hong Kong

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie