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Movie Notes: The Departed

January 2nd, 2008

The Departed

starstarstarstarstar = 5 stars

Starring Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon
Directed by Martin Scorcese

Synopsis

In this crime drama (based on Hong Kong movie Internal Affairs) Boston cop Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) wants to take out Irish mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a former cop who has been taken under Costello’s wing. But both Billy and Colin are moles working for the other side, and a solid thriller emerges as pieces are bumped off the chess board at an increasing pace.

The Good

  • Scorcese returns to cops and criminals, but with a tight plot featuring enough twists to pack the final half hour with enough excitement that left me on the edge of my seat.
  • Jack Nicholson is his typical twisted mode, but with much more gritty brutality.
  • Leonardo DiCaprio has a role where he’s much more man than pretty boy (one quibble I had with Gangs of New York).
  • Scorcese fills the first half with impressive director tricks, but knows when to let the plot take over. Right after two characters die, the plot comes to the forefront.
  • There’s one especially tense moment where Colin calls Billy on the phone. Neither character speaks, and one imagines the thoughts of both characters as they decided which part to play – their true selves or their undercover personas?

The Bad

  • The film’s final moment of a rat on a railing was a bit too literal for me.
  • There’s a lot of screaming, swearing, killing, and blood – definitely not a date movie.
  • Nothing can surpass the taught violence of Goodfellas or Taxi Driver. But since the return to familiar ground earned Scorcese his first Oscar as best director, I’m all for it.
  • The cell phone usage did get a bit much.

Conclusion

While not as incredible as Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, or Raging Bull, The Departed is an awesome return to form. All the actors involved fill their roles perfectly and I really got caught up in this flick. I’d watch it again.

IMDB: The Departed
Wikipedia: The Departed
Rotten Tomatoes: The Departed 92%

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folder Categories: 5 Star Movies, General, Movies :: , , , , ::

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  • Regrettably, I took a date to this movie. Not a huge fan of Scorsese, but the acting was pretty incredible. Not his best performance, but a solid bit of acting by Jack.

    The only reason I want to see that huge plot device known as "The Bucket List" is because of him.
  • Yep I can't say I'm a huge Jack Nicholson fan but this was one of his better ones. Now if Scorsese could think of some way to pair Nicholson and DeNiro in something.
  • Nice movie, but not OSCAR movie
  • Great movie...was shocked at a lot of the sudden deaths to some of the major characters.
  • Jess
    This was a very good movie and I only watched it because I watched Internal Affairs and wanted to see the comparison. Still, quite entertaining and amazing actors.
  • Though "The Departed" had a good star cast, it suffered from expectations. I'd a huge expectations and so disappointed. May be If I did watch it without any expectations, I would have liked it.
  • A great adaptation of the Hong Kong blockbuster.
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