55) The Departed

The Departed (2006)

Director: Martin Scorsese

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


As I've made reasonably clear over the course of this blog, I'm a big Scorsese fan. I am also an even bigger Jack Nicholson fan. So needless to say, I was super pumped when they teamed up for The Departed. I went in and saw it at George St, I bought the 2-disc DVD the day it came out and was among the many frustrated to find that the feature length documentary Scorsese on Scorsese that was advertised on the box did not actually end up making it onto the DVD. I hadn't watched it for a couple of years so over the last few months had been eyeing it off on the shelf, all the more so since I recaught Scorsese-fever after Shutter Island. It made sense to progress from Peckinpah to Scorsese so this afternoon was the time.

Taking advantage of his family history, the Boston Police Department places new recruit Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) deep undercover in the Irish-American underworld of Frank Costello (Nicholson). At the same time Costello has Colin Sullivan (Damon) working his way up the ranks in the Special Investigations Unit, leaking information back to him. When both Costello and the Special Investigations Unit both work out there is an informant in their ranks, it becomes Costigan and Sullivan's job to try and discover the identity of the other without having their own cover blown.

The Departed is an remake of Wai-keung Lau and Alan Mak's famous Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs. Infernal Affairs is a brilliant film, and that creates a lot of arguments as to which is better, whether the remake was worthwhile, etc, etc. I prefer to think of The Departed as an adaptation rather than a remake, as Scorsese brings something different to the film, more than just an American setting and English speaking actors. Scorsese's films, particularly his gangster films, have always been more anthropological than plot driven. They take the viewer into a criminal world and explore the mechanics of that lifestyle and the psyches of the people who inhabit that world. Scorsese admitted, when receiving his Directors' Guild of America Award for The Departed, that it was "the first film I have ever done with a plot." While this is a slight exaggeration, it does correctly suggest that what we have here is a slightly different style of filmmaking from Scorsese. The Departed is a faster paced film than we are used to seeing from Scorsese, as a result of its greater than usual focus on its core narrative. That being said it is still not as lightening paced as Infernal Affairs. Infernal Affairs sets up in the first 5mins what Scorsese allows roughly 30mins to achieve. Scorsese has taken the narrative structure of Infernal Affairs but made it a Martin Scorsese picture, taking the time to flesh out a lot of the characters, particularly the supporting characters. Both films have their merits and both are excellent films, but they have a different focus, so to suggest that one makes the other redundant is a bit simplistic.

This film has one of the greatest casts of all time. That is a big statement, but I'm willing to stand by it. We are talking a The Godfather, JFK, A Bridge Too Far strength cast. Not only do you have three very strong leads in DiCaprio, Damon and Nicholson, you have a support cast which is second to none. Martin Sheen is a fantastic actor and brings a real sense of nobility to the part of Queenan (the same sense of nobility which made so many West Wing viewers wish he was actually the president of the United States). Mark Wahlberg is fantastic as the abrasive Dignam, and rightly earned an Academy Award nomination, surprisingly the only one from the cast. In the last ten years Alec Baldwin has gone from being a bit of a joke in Hollywood to being one of the best supporting actors going round. He is just a guy who seems to make a film better by being in it. Vera Farmiga wasn't shown up by the names around her in the cast and showed the ability which would be recognised in Up in the Air. But as is always the case, the star of this show is Jack. He makes Costello such a compelling character that we are just transfixed by him when he's on the screen. I don't want to count the great man out, but this could well be the last great performance of Jack Nicholson's career.

The Departed also has a great "what if" cast of people who turned down roles, including Brad Pitt as Colin Sullivan, Robert De Niro as Cpt. Queenan, Ray Liotta as Sgt. Dignam and Mel Gibson as Cpt. Ellerby. There are some pretty big names there. All the guys who got those parts ended up doing amazing jobs so mostly I don't regret any of those changes, though a big part of me would have loved to see Mel Gibson as Ellerby, that could have been sensational (and would have meant I didn't think 30 Rock as soon as Baldwin appeared on screen). Scorsese was also apparently tossing up between Kate Winslett, Hilary Swank and Emily Blunt for the role of Madolyn, before deciding to go with the more anonymous Vera Farmiga.

One thing which did bug me a bit this time, which I hadn't noticed before, was the film's soundtrack. The Departed has a great soundtrack including the Rolling Stones, Dropkick Murpheys and Roger Waters featuring Van Morrison and The Band singing Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb, but I it hasn't been mixed very well into the film. At times it's great, but at other times it is clear that Scorsese is interested in one particular part of the song, ie. the intro to the Stones Gimme Shelter, so rather than playing through the song that part repeats, but the repeated remix has not been smoothly mixed. You're not likely to notice it unless you're listening for it, it slipped past unnoticed the first couple of times I watched the film, but I noticed it this time so thought I'd mention it.

Here's a trivia tidbit for you. The Departed uses the F word and it's various derivations a total of 237 times, making it the most F words in a film to have won a Best Picture Oscar. Aren't you glad you know that now.

The Departed is not Scorsese's best film. It is also not Jack Nicholson's best film. But then both of those guys have higher standards than most. The Departed it is none the less a damn good film. It is engrossing to watch these two legends of cinema joining forces and both playing to their strengths; Scorsese making an urban gangster movie, and Nicholson playing a fearsome, maniacal villain. An enthralling storyline borrowed from Infernal Affairs and one of the all time great casts make this easily Scorsese's most commercial film and most accessible film. A real gem.