The Departed

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead”……Benjamin Franklin

Although some of my ancestors hail from the troubled and partitioned island nation of Ireland, I find Hibernian pride and false egoism to be incredibly obnoxious.  Green is one of my least favorite colors, and as fond as I am of the dark pints of Guinness, I avoid the orgy of drunken cretinism known as Saint Patrick’s Day more than I avoid the police.  Equally annoying, is the grammtheatically childish Massachussets accent.  It’s pronounced “card” not “cahd,” you fools.  Given this mild prejudice, it may come as a surprise at how fantastic a movie I find “The Departed” to be.

“The Departed” is Martin Scorsese’s superior adaptation of the very sleek and slick Hong Kong police drama, “Infernal Affairs,” another favorite of mine.  My expectations for “The Departed,” were very high, being such an admirer of its predecessor.  Being the regular contrarian that I am, I resisted admitting to myself that “The Departed” is the stronger film of the two.  But its excellence quickly grew on me, so much so that I have seen this intimate character study of Boston crooks and cops hundreds of times.

The most agreed upon definition of a “mancrush” according to urbandictionary.com is as follows: “A heterosexual man admiring another man to an extreme in a non-romantic or sexual way, more having an intense desire to be that other man.”  Ok, if that’s an accurate characterization, then I have something resembling a mancrush on Dicaprio.  It’s been remarkable to watch the actor of our generation transition from a scrawny, cherub-faced matinee idol, to a very serious and formidable A-list lead.  Being the prototype for a stylish outcast with varying levels of angst, along with the catalogue of stunning babes he has dated, Dicaprio has become, without question, the main man.  It’s true, that more often than not, Dicaprio plays characters that are under a great deal of anxiety or burden.  He reaches the height of this affliction as Billy Costigan, an unstable, but moral, undercover cop.

The potency of “The Departed” comes from its emphasis on character development, dialogue, and the performances.  It does not shock the audience with ruthlessness, as is the case with other Scorsese films.  Matt Damon, another terrific modern star, plays a smooth talking douche bag that has been embedded in the Boston Police Department as a mole.  One of the many things I respect about Damon, is his willingness to play some incredibly unlikeable characters (“School Ties.”)  It’s fitting that Vera Farmiga, plays an almost equally unlikeable two timing, blazer-wearing shrink, who happens to be Damon’s love interest.  Mark Wahlberg received an Oscar nod as Dignam, the informant running sergeant who attempts to bully Costigan, not for fun, but to improve him as an undercover officer.  Wahlberg comes close to crossing into the jurisdiction of “over-acting-town” with his extreme macho attitude, but holds back just enough to keep his performance from seeming inauthentic.  Jack Nicholson tries to walk this line as well, but does not do it as smoothly as Wahlberg.  There is a scene when Nicholson attempts to be funny when impersonating a rat.  It doesn’t quite work.  Martin Sheen is serviceable as Captain Queenan, a veteran who almost fills a surrogate father role as Costigan becomes more isolated and paranoid.  Characters displaying severe male bravado can be quite fun to watch (“Reservoir Dogs”, “Scarface”).  “The Departed”, is full of them.

“The Departed,” has basically already become an American gangster classic.  I’m sure it will be on people’s top five all time lists for many years to come.  It is ubiquitous enough to be enjoyed by many.  Scorsese and company hit another one out of the park with “The Departed.” We should expect nothing less.

- Magistrate Dunham