Film Reviews: The Departed

The Departed

2006

Director: Martin Scorsese

Screenplay: William Monahan

A line made famous from Francis Ford Coppola’s classic The Godfather Part II states: “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”  In Martin Scorsese’s 2006 Picture, The Departed, that line seems all too true.  The modern day gangster film follows the lives of two young men (Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon) who are both portraying roles that ultimately do not depict where their morals lie.  

The plot is set in Boston, where crime boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) has groomed and recruited young Colin Sullivan (Damon) to infiltrate the state police department.  Colin quickly rises to the top of the class and is placed in the SIU (Special Investigations Unit) where he primarily focuses on organized crime, something that he is apart of.  The flip side of the story focuses on Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) who graduated from the Police Academy and shows great promise of becoming a successful police officer.  Before he enters the force, Captain Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Staff Sergeant Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) decide that with Costigan’s knowledge of the tough streets of Southie and his rugged look, he would fit perfectly into being an undercover cop in Costello’s crew.  

Throughout “The Departed,” the characters evolve into their “roles” more and more with each passing scene.  The betrayal and lies start to build up and eventually both men are faced with the ultimate decision of who to turn too.  Colin is forced to find the mole in the SIU, while Billy is asked by Frank to find the snitch in his crew.  Each member of the police force and Frank’s crew perceives the young men to be honest and straight up, when as an audience we know that each one has a plan to take down the particular unit.  

“The Departed” does an excellent job incorporating the supporting cast into the battle of “good vs. evil.” The members of Costello’s crew and the SIU department seemingly put all their trust into Costigan and Sullivan, only to be betrayed by both.  Martin Scorsese has a history of getting the best out of his actors, and this film is no different.  The strength of the film is based on the star power of DiCaprio, Damon, and Nicholson, but the performances of the scene stealing Mark Wahlberg and always consistent Ray Winstone really brings believability and real emotions into the picture.

As an audience, we should be ever so lucky to still have a director like Martin Scorsese around making films.  Each passing decade he seems to get better (Taxi Driver in the 70’s, Raging Bull in the 80’s, and Goodfellas in the 90’s).  And in the case of the 2000’s, he seems to have achieved his best work.  The Departed is a film that will one day be revered as one of the greatest works in American Cinema. 

4/4