The Departed

[Photo Credit]

When the movie ended, I had to ponder questions that I rarely have to ask myself. Did I enjoy this movie? Is this as great a movie as everyone is making it out to be? Normally I know right away.

For the first hour and a half I was riveted to the screen. There is sharp dialogue, a great premise, a dynamite performance from DiCaprio, and solid appearances from Alec Baldwin (as a Boston Police lifer), Mark Wahlberg (as a wiseass member of the force) and naturally, Jack Nicholson, as mob boss Frank Costello. At some point the movie fell flat, and oddly enough it collapsed when it should have been delivering the knockout blow. Big scenes became somewhat lackluster because they are conducted via cell phone (something the Village Voice brings up in one of the three reviews I agree with at Metacritic.com), themes were introduced and then abandoned, and the rising action, methodically built up for the first two hours fell flat at the end.

There is plenty to be impressed with. DiCaprio is in top form and I will go so far as to say that it is, without a doubt, worth the price of admission. I had high hopes going in, partially due to the praise it was catching from just about everyone. The opening scene, showing Jack Nicholson walking through a garage while delivering an off-color commentary on the way things work in South Boston and in the Irish Mob, had me hooked. As The Rolling Stone's "Gimme Shelter" slowly built up steam in that same scene, a fast paced introduction to characters and to the premise followed in flawless fashion. I immediately felt like Scorcese was back to his old form.

Scorcese's soundtracks are second to none and he has created some of the most memorable music-in-film moments in cinema ("Layla" in GoodFellas, "Go Your Own Way" in Casino, and "It's In The Way That You Use It" in The Color Of Money to name a few). The Departed is no different. He uses "Gimme Shelter" twice (a song that was also used in Casino), a lively version of Woody Guthrie's "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" from Boston's own Dropkick Murphys, and a Van Morrison cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb." All of the music sets a great tone for the action, and in this area at least, Scorcese hasn't lost a step.

As DiCaprio's Billy Costigan and Damon's Colin Sullivan establish footholds within their double lives, the plot begins to unfold. It is a great story, based on a screenplay from Hong Kong called Internal Affairs, which follows two moles (one good, one bad) within a degree of separation, both working as cops, each trying to infiltrate the other's world. Given the cast and director at the helm it seems failsafe. Perhaps, my expectations were too high, but, I truly believe that the movie collapses under its own weight. All negativity aside, DiCaprio's performance is one of the best of his career. The comic relief, coming mostly from Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg, is fantastic and expertly woven into the script. I will see it again - it is a good movie and good movies deserve that. It also points me to a foreign original (much like Vanilla Sky, The Office, and Traffic) that could prove to be better than the American update.

In closing, I will offer a prediction. This will earn Scorcese an Academy Award (either for Director or Picture), simply because he is due (kind of like Denzel's performance for Training Day). He has never won, which is a crime in itself: Ordinary People over Raging Bull, Dances With Wolves over GoodFellas, and Rocky over Taxi Driver. But this effort, in combination with the critical acclaim it has garnered, will be enough to have him holding Oscar come February .

MP3: The Rolling Stones - "Gimme Shelter"
MP3: Pink Floyd - "Comfortably Numb"