The Departed

Giddy excitement infiltrates the very core of my movie-loving soul the moment a new Scorsese picture comes out. My anticipation level rivals that of a kid on Christmas Eve, while the customary ‘visions of sugarplums’ are replaced with blood-spattered ballets in the boxing ring, homicidal patriots with penetrating glass eyes, and loudmouth gangsters who dangerously inquire, “Do I amuse you?” To see a film by Martin Scorsese is to revel in the sheer pleasure of cinema itself, and his latest film is no exception. The Departed is a remake of the 2002 Chinese thriller Infernal Affairs, yet the film feels as fresh and vibrant as if Scorsese had dreamt it up yesterday.

Put simply, the film is about two rats who find themselves at the center of a war between Irish Mafia lord Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) and the Boston Police Department. Criminal Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) serves as Costello’s mole within the police force, while undercover cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) masquerades as Costello’s new recruit. As would be expected, suspicions flair, tension builds, and both men fall in love with the same woman, cop-counselor Madolyn (Vera Farmiga). Yet the story takes turns no one new to this plot could possibly predict, and Scorsese infuses the film with his trademark cultural richness and visceral energy.

This is DiCaprio’s third film in a row for Scorsese, who must be applauded in saving the actor from a post-Titanic sentencing into Teen-Idol purgatory. Scorsese reveals dimensions of DiCaprio’s acting that haven’t been unearthed since What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993), and his latest performance is one of animalistic rage and naked vulnerability. Yet this is truly an ensemble cast, with every performer working at the top of their game. As police Capt. Ellerby, Alec Baldwin delivers some motor-mouth soliloquies worthy of Vince Vaughn, while Mark Wahlberg is sensational as the irreverent partner of Capt. Queenan (Martin Sheen). Damon is equally impressive, although his character’s deceptive nature hits similar notes to that of his next film, Robert DeNiro’s The Good Shepherd. And Nicholson devours the scenery as if it were an all-you-can-eat buffet, providing his larger-than-life character with shades of ironic humor that never compromise his formidably sinister intentions. Ray Winstone is also splendid as his gruff henchman, while Farmiga makes an indelible impression as Damon’s puzzled girlfriend.

Although The Departed lacks the operatic gravity that has marked Scorsese’s best work, such as Raging Bull or GoodFellas, the film absolutely succeeds as a crackling suspense yarn. The director’s longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker provides her signature blend of impeccable pacing and frenzied jump cuts that further boost the rhythmic intensity of any given scene. Scorsese’s knowledge of the Irish culture adds an affectionate validity to observations like ‘Irishmen are impervious to psychoanalysis.’ Unlike the trendy bloodbaths of exploitation hits such as Hostel, the violence in Departed is as measured, artful, and genuinely fierce as it is in any Scorsese film. There were a couple moments during the film’s final act when the entire audience at my screening jolted backward and screamed as if they themselves had been shot in the head.

The Departed truly marks Scorsese’s return to the type of unflinchingly raw, unapologetically profane, and purely adrenaline-pumping cinema that characterized his earliest work, such as Mean Streets (1973). If I felt any hint of disappointment at the film’s final fade-out, it was due to the fact that no single character gripped me like the ones who usually populate Scorsese’s filmic universe. Yet there simply isn’t room for a Travis Bickle or a Bill the Butcher in a film where the endlessly twisting plot is the real star. Nevertheless, this is a near-masterpiece that only intensifies the power of Scorsese’ reign as America’s greatest living filmmaker – a crown he arguably shares with Robert Altman. At 64, Martin Scorsese has the bottomless exuberance and youthful excitement to match the most passionate film student. He remains an inspiration, a cultural icon, and a guy still capable of making one hell of a good thriller. As was true for Welles, Hitchcock, and Altman, no Lifetime Achievement Oscar could ever do this man justice.

Rating: ****1/2 (out of *****)