2008 Woodie Awards
Deadly Deception in The Departed
Megan Borkes
Issue date: 10/16/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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If you want a movie that you don't have to think about, where you can just sit there and let your mind wander back to whether you left your coffee pot on this morning or not, don't go see The Departed. To really enjoy it, you've got to dive in head-first, invest in the characters, and retain a lot of information. So if you want some other fluffy, whatever-y movie, I believe Jackass: Number Two is still out in theaters.
The Departed is a story about manipulation, deception, and the importance of which side one is "loyal" to. With a star-studded cast, it's hard, at first, to look past the big names and get to the story. However, once the ball starts rolling, it's hard not to sit with rapt attention on the storyline. Jack Nicholson plays Frank Costello: a crude, "shoot-then-ask" kind of fellow with an affinity for dropping the F-bomb (much like every other character in the movie). Costello is the "Don," if you will, of the Irish mafia in Boston, and is quite well-known throughout the community. But the movie's not really all about him, as it seems to be at the beginning (don't let the five minute long prologue fool you). As the film rolls on, we meet Billy Costigan and Colin Sullivan (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, respectively), who are simultaneously enrolled in the Boston State Police Academy. We watch as Costigan is almost rejected from the force because of a shady background, as Sullivan moves on up - rather quickly - to the rank of sergeant. Costigan is given a final assignment - one last grasp at staying in the force: he must go undercover to infiltrate the underworld of the Irish mafia and get dirt on Frank Costello and his crew, so the force can finally nab the infamous gangster. At the same time, we find Sullivan getting cozy with his new promotion, as he is made the head of the Investigations department, which is coincidentally working with Costigan's undercover assignment to nab Costello.
If I were to explain much more of the plot, I would give much too much away, and there would be no use in any of you going out to see the movie. But be assured: there are more twists in this plot than in a bag of pretzels. Sure, there are probably some holes in the plot, but if they're there, they're very well covered up. Martin Scorsese's direction and the expert cinematography by Michael Ballhaus makes this an interesting movie simply to look at, let alone watch for the story. If you're not a fan of gangster movies and violence (of which this film has plenty), there's also an interesting sub-plot with a love triangle between Costigan, Sullivan, and the police force's hired psychiatric doctor. But, really, who doesn't love a shot of someone getting their brains blown out (or two… or six)?
All in all, this film was one of the better that I've seen this season. It's got Oscar-worthy acting, directing, and production - a triple threat in filmmaking. If you're skeptical about the topic, or one of the actors (as I was about Leonardo DiCaprio), I suggest that you gamble your $7.50 and see if the movie will change your mind. I know that I'd pay to see it again, if only to catch some of the plot points that I know I must've missed the first time through. If anything, watching Leonardo DiCaprio actually put some feeling into this role (and making it believable) is worth the price of admission.
The Departed is a story about manipulation, deception, and the importance of which side one is "loyal" to. With a star-studded cast, it's hard, at first, to look past the big names and get to the story. However, once the ball starts rolling, it's hard not to sit with rapt attention on the storyline. Jack Nicholson plays Frank Costello: a crude, "shoot-then-ask" kind of fellow with an affinity for dropping the F-bomb (much like every other character in the movie). Costello is the "Don," if you will, of the Irish mafia in Boston, and is quite well-known throughout the community. But the movie's not really all about him, as it seems to be at the beginning (don't let the five minute long prologue fool you). As the film rolls on, we meet Billy Costigan and Colin Sullivan (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, respectively), who are simultaneously enrolled in the Boston State Police Academy. We watch as Costigan is almost rejected from the force because of a shady background, as Sullivan moves on up - rather quickly - to the rank of sergeant. Costigan is given a final assignment - one last grasp at staying in the force: he must go undercover to infiltrate the underworld of the Irish mafia and get dirt on Frank Costello and his crew, so the force can finally nab the infamous gangster. At the same time, we find Sullivan getting cozy with his new promotion, as he is made the head of the Investigations department, which is coincidentally working with Costigan's undercover assignment to nab Costello.
If I were to explain much more of the plot, I would give much too much away, and there would be no use in any of you going out to see the movie. But be assured: there are more twists in this plot than in a bag of pretzels. Sure, there are probably some holes in the plot, but if they're there, they're very well covered up. Martin Scorsese's direction and the expert cinematography by Michael Ballhaus makes this an interesting movie simply to look at, let alone watch for the story. If you're not a fan of gangster movies and violence (of which this film has plenty), there's also an interesting sub-plot with a love triangle between Costigan, Sullivan, and the police force's hired psychiatric doctor. But, really, who doesn't love a shot of someone getting their brains blown out (or two… or six)?
All in all, this film was one of the better that I've seen this season. It's got Oscar-worthy acting, directing, and production - a triple threat in filmmaking. If you're skeptical about the topic, or one of the actors (as I was about Leonardo DiCaprio), I suggest that you gamble your $7.50 and see if the movie will change your mind. I know that I'd pay to see it again, if only to catch some of the plot points that I know I must've missed the first time through. If anything, watching Leonardo DiCaprio actually put some feeling into this role (and making it believable) is worth the price of admission.
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