#140RVW
The last Boston film to be predominantly shot outside of Boston, hopefully for a long time. Classic Scorsese, but with a real plot for once.
What’s more:
Scorsese always does really well with character study films, but this may be the most story-driven of all of his movies. And it makes this one of his most enjoyable. Despite the length, there is an energy to The Departed that keeps it moving along wonderfully.
For starters, this may be the best source material he’s ever had to work with. Originally made in Hong Kong as the film “Infernal Affairs”, relatively new screenwriter William Monahan adapted the story and was rewarded with an Academy Award for his work. The dialogue is so perfect – this is the sound of Boston tough guys.
The story of Boston’s most famous gangster, Whitey Bulger, is overlaid on what was already a great crime tale: the cops want to take down gangster Frank Costello and both sides employ undercover operatives. The filmmakers wisely realize that what is most fascinating about this tale is not the crime – it’s the development of these parallel characters, mirroring each other as they progress through an increasingly dangerous series of events.
All the acting is excellent, of course, but Leonardo DiCaprio really stands out. His story is arguably the most interesting, but it is a testament to the actor that he is able to wrest attention away from such a heavyweight as Nicholson and his Costello character. Reportedly DiCaprio shied away from any award promotion for his performance as he didn’t want to take away from any of his co-stars. Pretty stand-up if so, but it certainly cost him a Best Actor win.
As his counterpart, Matt Damon is his usual solid self. No knock on Damon at all. He’s a great actor and he’s great here – just nothing new here. Vera Farmiga is an excellent addition to the cast; nice to see a (relative) newcomer among these familiar faces. Although hers is one of the less believable Boston accents.
Thelma Schoonmaker received a well-deserved Oscar for editing; the movie absolutely hums with energy and the many characters and scenes work together to keep the excitement level high.
Every good filmmaker deserves a chance to craft a great thriller. It’s really interesting to see how different artists approach the genre. It’s one of the reasons I tend to like remakes; they don’t need to be improvements on the original, just new interpretations. In classical music it’s called variations on a theme. Like anything else, the key is having a really solid story to work off; then let’s see what you can do. For this one, Scorsese puts on his game face and nets Best Picture…
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Fail
| Main Cast | Leonardo DiCaprio Billy, Matt Damon Colin Sullivan, Jack Nicholson Frank Costello, Mark Wahlberg Dignam |
| Rating | R |
| Release Date | Fri 06 Oct 2006 UTC |
| Director | Martin Scorsese |
| Genres | Crime, Drama, Thriller |
| Plot | An undercover state cop who has infiltrated an Irish gang and a mole in the police force working for the same mob race to track down and identify each other before being exposed to the enemy, after both sides realize their outfit has a rat. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 151 |
| Tagline | Lies. Betrayal. Sacrifice. How far will you take it? |
| Writers | William Monahan (screenplay), Alan Mak (2002 screenplay Mou gaan dou) … |
| Year | 2006 |
