The Departed

The Departed (2006)
Director: Martin Scorsese

I loved this movie. The best movie I have seen in theater in 2006 by a long shot. And what’s not to like? Scorsese, Nicholason, Damon, DiCaprio, and Ray Winstone (my absolute favorite actor even though no one knows who he is).

Before I start, let me say I have not seen “Internal Affairs” yet. That is the Asian film that “The Departed” was based on. I have heard it was much better; I find that difficult to believe, but people say if you saw that one first you wouldn’t like this one. Well I haven’t, so I am reviewing this movie on its own merits.

The concept for the film is really very simple (as most great films are). There is an undercover cop who has infiltrated the mob, and a mobster who has infiltrated the cops. Each one is trying to find the identity of the other first.

Watching the film was like watching a chess game between two very skilled players, but what is especially great about the film is how it lets you into the player’s heads so you can see their thought process. That’s not an easy thing to accomplish. The only film I have seen that was close was “Millers Crossing” by the Coen Brothers.

Scorsese has a tendency to make films about really esoteric subjects. This film isn’t like that. As a result I think it is also one of his most interesting movies to watch. It also happens to be the first film he has shot in 20 years that isn’t a period piece. That’s quite a major deviation for him. I always knew he was a good filmmaker, but sometimes its hard to tell because you just don’t know what the heck he is trying to show you (as in, "That was probably a tremendous joke that guy just cracked; if only I knew more about the Brooklyn draft riots of 1863 I would probably be laughing a lot right now").

Scorsese said this was the first movie he ever used digital effects in. He had some digital bullet hits instead of squibs. He said he didn't even know they could do digital bullet hits. That made me laugh. He’s Martin Scorsese! How can he not know that you can add in bullet hits digitally? His friend George Lucas created an entire film digitally. I don't think I believe that Scorsese really didn't know that, but it will be really interesting to see where he will go if he starts using more visual effects in his films.

Scorsese knows his stuff. He knows the gangster genre probably better than anyone alive so the details of the film were spot on. That’s always been one of Scorsese specialties. The clothes, the locations, the accents, the mannerisms, the lifestyles, everything is as real as it can get. Watch it. It’s a great film.

My rating: 5 out of 5