Review: The Departed
I'm continuing in my annual mission of seeing all the nominated films, and finally saw Martin Scorsese's latest yesterday. It lived up to every bit of its hype. An incredible cast filled with incredible performances -- a story that kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing until the final shot -- some wonderful cinematography -- and enough blood, guts, and salty language to keep you cringing and gasping.
This is the parallel story of two young men in Boston. One (Matt Damon) has been raised under the protection of Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) a local mobster. He becomes a Massachusetts State Trooper with one mission - to infilitrate the unit that is trying to stop Costello, and act as Costello's informant. Meanwhile, another Trooper (Leonardo DiCaprio) is recruited by the same unit to go under cover as THEIR informant in Costello's bunch. The movie follows the two "rats" as they each try to uncover the other's identity and stay alive.
This film completes DiCaprio's journey from teen heart throb to a fully realized actor. I haven't seen Blood Diamond, but I understand he's wonderful in that also - and this one-two punch earned him his well-deserved Oscar nom. As the film progresses, we see his slow breakdown, how he slowly disintegrates under the constant violence that surrounds him. It is a brave and bravura performance. Damon's take is not a showy, yet he stands as an equal to DiCaprio. Nicholson is, well, Nicholson. Scary, deadly, unpredictable, and even funny in parts. He pretty much steals every scene he's in.
Equally worthy of note are some of the supporting players - especially Martin Sheen in a role that was supposed to be Robert DeNiro's. Alec Baldwin is terrific as Damon's superior officer. I wasn't as taken with Vera Farmiga as Damon's psychiatrist girlfriend - I found her a little too doe-eyed and bland.
Mark Wahlberg deserves his Oscar nod for creating the memorable character of Sgt. Dignam. When he was on screen, part of my brain kept imaging the up-coming Oscars. They always show a highlight reel for each nominated actor - and I wondered how they can do that for Wahlberg. He didn't seem to utter a single sentence without profanities! And it's catching - I found myself using several of his more creative pronouncements last night! I love when he keeps calling one of the other characters "Lace Curtain" - the ultimate insult to an Irishman. Awesome.
Of course, I loved one of the characters in particular - Boston. I know most of the movie was made in NYC (b00), but the shots of Boston were great. Gritty, beautiful, crazy. Although where was our beloved Fenway!
I'm glad I finally got a chance to see this - and on the large screen. It comes out on DVD this week, so if you've missed it, try to rent it before February 23rd.
This is the parallel story of two young men in Boston. One (Matt Damon) has been raised under the protection of Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) a local mobster. He becomes a Massachusetts State Trooper with one mission - to infilitrate the unit that is trying to stop Costello, and act as Costello's informant. Meanwhile, another Trooper (Leonardo DiCaprio) is recruited by the same unit to go under cover as THEIR informant in Costello's bunch. The movie follows the two "rats" as they each try to uncover the other's identity and stay alive.
This film completes DiCaprio's journey from teen heart throb to a fully realized actor. I haven't seen Blood Diamond, but I understand he's wonderful in that also - and this one-two punch earned him his well-deserved Oscar nom. As the film progresses, we see his slow breakdown, how he slowly disintegrates under the constant violence that surrounds him. It is a brave and bravura performance. Damon's take is not a showy, yet he stands as an equal to DiCaprio. Nicholson is, well, Nicholson. Scary, deadly, unpredictable, and even funny in parts. He pretty much steals every scene he's in.
Equally worthy of note are some of the supporting players - especially Martin Sheen in a role that was supposed to be Robert DeNiro's. Alec Baldwin is terrific as Damon's superior officer. I wasn't as taken with Vera Farmiga as Damon's psychiatrist girlfriend - I found her a little too doe-eyed and bland.
Mark Wahlberg deserves his Oscar nod for creating the memorable character of Sgt. Dignam. When he was on screen, part of my brain kept imaging the up-coming Oscars. They always show a highlight reel for each nominated actor - and I wondered how they can do that for Wahlberg. He didn't seem to utter a single sentence without profanities! And it's catching - I found myself using several of his more creative pronouncements last night! I love when he keeps calling one of the other characters "Lace Curtain" - the ultimate insult to an Irishman. Awesome.
Of course, I loved one of the characters in particular - Boston. I know most of the movie was made in NYC (b00), but the shots of Boston were great. Gritty, beautiful, crazy. Although where was our beloved Fenway!
I'm glad I finally got a chance to see this - and on the large screen. It comes out on DVD this week, so if you've missed it, try to rent it before February 23rd.
posted by Beth at 2:01 PM
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