Martin Scorsese, possibly the greatest living director, attempts a return to his glorious form of yesteryear with The Departed. A remake of the Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs (2002), Scorsese’s highly unsentimental portrayal of gangsters makes him well suited for adapting the source material into a fascinating bloodbath, though by no means an instant classic.
Looking at Scorsese’s illustrious record, I was interested to note that out of his four greatest films (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and Casino) all but one are at least partially based on a true story. His cachet as a filmmaker lies in energizing unconventional material through his mastery of the medium and willingness to explore the rotten depths of seriously damaged men. As alluring as the premise of The Departed may be, Scorsese’s talents somewhat go to waste on what turns out to be a fairly conventional story. He does manage to add some personal touches to his version; it’s a thousand times bloodier and more cynical than the original, with top-notch performances from the A-list cast, but we’ve seen the style and the story before in other, superior films.
The premise: we follow two Massachusetts state police officers, both serving as moles. On one end, Billy Costigan (Leonard DiCaprio) has infiltrated the gang of the colorful and truly vile Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). On the other, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) serves in the state’s elite anti-gang unit, but his loyalties actually lie with Costello, who had groomed Sullivan to be a mole for over twenty years. Each man becomes ware that two moles exist, but are clueless as to who the mole may be.
The best sequences involve the exploration of the line between cop and criminal. Already a nearly invisible border as it is, each mole does a better job at their double-life than their real one; Costigan’s quick wit and vicious temper fit well with Costello and his murderous gang, while Sullivan’s effortless bureaucratic dishonesty and manipulation suits his life as a police yuppie quite well. The two engage in a balancing act as they each try to expose the other, their battle of wits and wills frequently punctuated with gunshots and CGI brain splatter.
To many, Nicholson is a greater appeal than Scorsese, and it’s not hard to see why. He inhabits the skin of Costello with a chameleon-like nature that perhaps no other living actor can match. It’s incredible how such an iconic and familiar screen presence can completely disappear into a role, never once reminding us who we are looking at.
Yet, Scorsese doesn’t seem to know when and when not to use Nicholson. At times, Costello seems to be onscreen simply to allow Nicholson to act, as if everyone didn’t already know that he could. Considering the long-winded love-triangle between Costigan, Sullivan, and a police psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga) that burns up considerable screen time, Scorsese could have cut a scene or two where all Costello does is talk trash and have fun with hookers. The rest of the cast does a virtually flawless job, as Damon’s subtle performance makes for a great foil to the tortured DiCaprio. The support cast matches up as well, from Farmiga’s psychiatrist to Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and Mark Wahlberg’s police officers, Scorsese proves he can definitely still bring out the best in his talent (fans of Anthony Anderson will find sorely underused here after his phenomenal performance in The Shield).
The film makes for a very solid thriller, and the improbable yet deliciously bleak ending satisfies, but Scorsese falls well short of his own par. Beneath the great direction and performances, we’re watching another police thriller, one of thousands, and its pedigree is not enough to elevate it beyond that. He may not produce films that are the best of their decades anymore, but the auteur still has plenty of movie magic left in him.
4 out of 5
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