The Departed
Martin Scorsese is a legend in the movie world, and he rarely disappoints. The Departed takes the Chinese moles of Infernal Affairs and turns them into Boston rats. As was expected in an American gangster movie, there's plenty of guns, blood, and stars to make this a blockbuster favorite.
What Happened
The Boston crime syndicate is being run by ruthless and cocky mobster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). To help keep his butt out of jail, Costello puts one of his guys, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), into the police force. Playing the same game, Sergeant Queenan (Martin Sheen) places a cop with a checkered past, Billy Costigan (Leo DiCaprio) into the gangsters realm to get hard evidence that could finally put the scum away for good. Eventually both sides realize they have traitors among them and it becomes a race to see who can find the rat first. (Sounds about the same as Infernal Affairs, but on the other side of the world)
What Rocked
Well there certainly were gunfights in this one! And THANK YOU Mr. Scorsese for letting some of the guys walk away with wounds, rather than letting bullets fly like a swarm of bees without one flippin sting. More importantly, the acting in the movie was very well done. There was a crazy amount of actors in this film--Vera Farmiga, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, and Alec Baldwin all shared captivating supporting roles to the works of the big three of the flick. DiCaprio was on his A-game, bringing the his character to the very edge of a psychotic break and keeping us there, holding our breath throughout most of the film. Damon...well, I'll be honest that I've never been a fan of his work (Team America really ruined my perception of him), but he did a convincing job as an aggressive, but somehow still charming mobster in disguise. Wahlberg was over-the-top with his character, but I loved it. These are the roles he needs to be playing. He is so much better at the crazy-gonna-kick-your-ass-any-second guy than the soft, brainy but weak dude. Nicholson was...well classic Nicholson. Offensive, graphic, and wonderfully demented.
The character relationships were also really well developed. I liked the father-son dynamic between Costello and Sullivan. The love triangle with Farmiga's character also added an interesting flavor to the film.
What Blew
I really think they were trying to imitate the cinematic achievements that made the original so fantastic...but failed. There were several scenes with swooping camera movements that were highly unnecessary and seemed out of place since they were not prevalent throughout the entire film. But, hey, I guess they tried. I'll never understand why so much bloodshed is needed in these movies. Yes, it is gruesome world that these characters are living in but you can show us that without blowing their brains against the wall every other second (Infernal Affairs certainly proved that). I found myself less on the edge of my seat and more curled up ready to shield my eyes from the next gun blast. Then there's the ending...(SPOILER ALERT BTW, don't read on if you don't want anything ruined for yourself) because this is a remake I knew Costigan was gonna die and I was okay with that. But killing Sullivan too?! Did they really have to? Granted, Sullivan did not have the same "good side" show through as Ming did, but I still could have done without the King Lear ending. Plus with everyone dead how can they make a sequel (which Infernal Affairs did quite successfully--twice) And WHY did Dignam even shoot him? Did he figure it out? Did Madolyn show him whatever it was that was in the damn envelope that Costigan gave her (which we never got to hear of again)? Was the baby Costigan's? I know we are supposed to use our imagination to fill in the gaps, but come on...I want some follow-up here!
What Others Thought
What Else You Should Know
The parallels between the two films are easily seen. Some of the best scenes in The Departed came straight from Infernal Affairs-- the sudden and dramatic roof dumping of the sergeant's body, the phone ringing in the end, revealing the bad guy's guy double-crossing him, even the shocking second mole within the police department. All those brilliant ideas, and so little credit. When it came time for The Departed to win its Oscar, the voiceover guy said it was a remake of the "Japanese film Infernal Affairs." Come on Oscar, check your facts!
What Happened
The Boston crime syndicate is being run by ruthless and cocky mobster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). To help keep his butt out of jail, Costello puts one of his guys, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), into the police force. Playing the same game, Sergeant Queenan (Martin Sheen) places a cop with a checkered past, Billy Costigan (Leo DiCaprio) into the gangsters realm to get hard evidence that could finally put the scum away for good. Eventually both sides realize they have traitors among them and it becomes a race to see who can find the rat first. (Sounds about the same as Infernal Affairs, but on the other side of the world)
What Rocked
Well there certainly were gunfights in this one! And THANK YOU Mr. Scorsese for letting some of the guys walk away with wounds, rather than letting bullets fly like a swarm of bees without one flippin sting. More importantly, the acting in the movie was very well done. There was a crazy amount of actors in this film--Vera Farmiga, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, and Alec Baldwin all shared captivating supporting roles to the works of the big three of the flick. DiCaprio was on his A-game, bringing the his character to the very edge of a psychotic break and keeping us there, holding our breath throughout most of the film. Damon...well, I'll be honest that I've never been a fan of his work (Team America really ruined my perception of him), but he did a convincing job as an aggressive, but somehow still charming mobster in disguise. Wahlberg was over-the-top with his character, but I loved it. These are the roles he needs to be playing. He is so much better at the crazy-gonna-kick-your-ass-any-second guy than the soft, brainy but weak dude. Nicholson was...well classic Nicholson. Offensive, graphic, and wonderfully demented.
The character relationships were also really well developed. I liked the father-son dynamic between Costello and Sullivan. The love triangle with Farmiga's character also added an interesting flavor to the film.
What Blew
I really think they were trying to imitate the cinematic achievements that made the original so fantastic...but failed. There were several scenes with swooping camera movements that were highly unnecessary and seemed out of place since they were not prevalent throughout the entire film. But, hey, I guess they tried. I'll never understand why so much bloodshed is needed in these movies. Yes, it is gruesome world that these characters are living in but you can show us that without blowing their brains against the wall every other second (Infernal Affairs certainly proved that). I found myself less on the edge of my seat and more curled up ready to shield my eyes from the next gun blast. Then there's the ending...(SPOILER ALERT BTW, don't read on if you don't want anything ruined for yourself) because this is a remake I knew Costigan was gonna die and I was okay with that. But killing Sullivan too?! Did they really have to? Granted, Sullivan did not have the same "good side" show through as Ming did, but I still could have done without the King Lear ending. Plus with everyone dead how can they make a sequel (which Infernal Affairs did quite successfully--twice) And WHY did Dignam even shoot him? Did he figure it out? Did Madolyn show him whatever it was that was in the damn envelope that Costigan gave her (which we never got to hear of again)? Was the baby Costigan's? I know we are supposed to use our imagination to fill in the gaps, but come on...I want some follow-up here!
What Others Thought
- The Departed won plenty of awards, among them Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Scorsese' long overdue award for Best Director.
- Roger Ebert offers it a 4 star rating.
- RottenTomatoes gives it a 92% rating, promising "The Departed is a thoroughly engrossing gangster drama with the gritty authenticity and soupy morality that has infused director Martin Scorceses past triumphs."
- TheMovieBlog puts it at number 43 on their list of the Top 100 Films of All Time (Infernal Affairs was number 40).
What Else You Should Know
The parallels between the two films are easily seen. Some of the best scenes in The Departed came straight from Infernal Affairs-- the sudden and dramatic roof dumping of the sergeant's body, the phone ringing in the end, revealing the bad guy's guy double-crossing him, even the shocking second mole within the police department. All those brilliant ideas, and so little credit. When it came time for The Departed to win its Oscar, the voiceover guy said it was a remake of the "Japanese film Infernal Affairs." Come on Oscar, check your facts!
Of all the times I have watched The Departed I never knew this movie was a remake. So kudos for that. But as for your comments as to "What Blew" I have to disagree with you. And I am not just saying that because my family line runs deep with Bostonian Irish blood. I can understand your feeling for wanting some closure but I don't think the manner in which the film ended was all bad news. Sure there is no room for a sequel but I think that is what sets this movie apart from the original in the creative sense. When a movie is remade to follow the original exactly as shown it can have terrible consequences. By adding a different ending Scorsese puts his own touch on , what I consider to be, a masterpiece. Overall, I really enjoy your blog and want to keep being surprised by films being remakes that I did not know. Now off to download "Shipping Up to Boston".
ReplyDeleteExcellent point SilentRider. It's true that changing the ending set it apart from the original and gave a great shock to those of us who thought we knew what was coming. But my real problem is the lack explanation around the whole scene. I like being allowed to fill in the blanks for myself in movies, but they have to at least give me a word bank so I can at least feel vindicated in my conclusions (that's a corny metaphor...sorry...I'm tired). But if you like The Departed so much then I HIGHLY recommend you checking out Infernal Affairs. It was good enough to pique Scorsese's interest after all... :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments!
I watched this movie two years ago a couple of months after it was released. I was really looking forward to this film as they won four Academy Awards. With three excellent actors in Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, and Matt Damon I didn’t think twice when renting the DVD. The only actor I wasn’t sure about was Leonardo DiCaprio. I’ve never been a DiCaprio fan, even after watching his best movie, Titanic. I don’t know why I don’t like DiCaprio’s acting. I think he is a better actor or would fit better in a family movie, a kid’s movie, or perhaps a romantic movie. I simply don’t see DiCaprio playing the role of a badass. Other than that, I liked the storyline and the setting was great as well. Mark Walhberg’s acting was excellent and Martin Scorsese did a great job with this movie. The choreography was not disappointing and the sudden kills in the end were exciting. I really loved the end. Overall, the movie was entertaining from beginning to end and for that reason I gave it a B+.
ReplyDelete