Has it become a cliche for film critics to praise Martin Scorsese's movies and call him the greatest of all active American film directors?
If so, then I must apologize for being utterly unable to avoid this cliche.
Now nearly 64, Scorsese remains at the height of his powers, The Departed clearly demonstrates. Sure, many moviegoers will show up for the stellar cast -- Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin -- yet the movie is almost guaranteed to please both Scorsese fans and action junkies alike.
Returning to the milieu of contemporary American gangsters after the lavish period pieces Gangs of New York and The Aviator, Scorsese's latest is an Americanization of the cult Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, adapted by journalist-turned-screenwriter William Monahan (Kingdom of Heaven). The film's adaptation transposes the action to Boston, and more specifically, the turf of war between the Irish mob and the Massachusetts State Police, with Nicholson's Frank Costello character being a kind of Tony Soprano of the Irish mob, who seemingly rules unchallenged in the South Boston area. Whereas Scorsese's Goodfellas and Mean Streets focused almost entirely on the gangsters, The Departed analyzes a spectrum between mobsters and law-enforcement agents, where some police officers are moles for the mobsters and some mobsters are actually undercover agents, with the lines appearing to blur at times.
DiCaprio, working with Scorsese for the third film in a row, gets the more obviously conflicted role of Billy Costigan, a young policeman from South Boston who agrees to work undercover to infiltrate Costello's gang. His undercover identity is a closely guarded secret shared only with the heads of the undercover unit (Sheen and Wahlberg).
In the less flashy role, Damon is DiCaprio's counterpart, officer Colin Sullivan, who enrolled in the Massachusetts State Police specifically to become Costello's mole. (How Costello took Sullivan under his wing while he was still a child is subtly explained in the movie's opening flashback). Much of the movie is spent with Costigan and Sullivan each trying to outsmart each other while skillfully avoiding any error that could blow their covers. This part of the movie does require some suspension of disbelief, since one would imagine that in an all-out war with the mob, the mere suspicion of any rats would lead to closer scrutiny of everyone's cell phone records.
Fortunately, the movie's pace is generally snappy enough to make it easy to overlook possible plot holes, even with the 2 1/2 hour running time. Arguably, the movie could have been trimmed by maybe 20 minutes, but with such spectacular work both in front and behind the cameras, it's unlikely many viewers will mind. By the time the movie's end credits start to roll, most viewers will likely feel the exhilaration usually associated with a roller-coaster ride, even if some might feel the story is ultimately a sort of shaggy-dog joke about the perils of undercover/mole work in the neverending war between cops and mobsters.
Nonetheless, it's hard to think of a movie title in recent memory that more aptly and cleverly describes its own protagonists by the end of the film; you can almost feel Scorsese ribbing you when the movie's over.
If there's one clear downside to having chosen the specific setting in which the American version of Infernal Affairs takes place, it is that this juicy story must be told with a cast made up almost entirely of white male actors. One can't help wishing movies this good could also have a bit more diversity in their cast. Still, the movie is quite well-cast, and while it's almost a shame that Sheen, Wahlberg and Baldwin do not get more screen time, they also make the most of their supporting roles. The sole female among the main parts, Vera Farmiga plays Madolyn, the Ivy League-educated police psychiatrist whose relationships with Costigan and Sullivan start out professionally but quickly become much more.
British actor Ray Winstone (Nil by Mouth) brings great understated menace to his role as Costello's main lieutenant, known only as Mr. French. Behind the scenes talent is top notch across the board, with Scorsese bringing on board many of the same key talents from Goodfellas 16 years ago, most notably cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, production designer Kristy Zea, and editor Thelma Schoonmaker.
And while Goodfellas didn't actually have a composer, Scorsese has wisely brought on board for The Departed his new regular collaborator, Academy Award-winner Howard Shore, who delivers a smooth score with subtle motifs. For Scorsese fans, there will be no doubt that this is right up there with Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas.
"The Departed" opens October 6, 2006 and is rated R. Crime, Drama. Directed by Martin Scorsese. Written by William Monahan. Starring Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson, Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Matt Damon, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga.
