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October 19, 2006

Movie Review

No Departure Yet

Scorsese pulls together a surprise winner that will keep you tense in your seat

Story by: Emily Aberg

The Shorthorn staff

The Departed is manipulative, surprising and probably one of the most entertaining movies to come out in the last five years.

Not since Reservoir Dogs have excessive violence and a startling soundtrack worked together so well, and not since Taxi Driver have psychologically disturbed characters been this scary.

On the surface, there are several factors working against The Departed. Former heartthrobs Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio work alongside the ever-so-slightly-demented Jack Nicholson in this remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. Add a director whose last several movies were little more than pandering attempts at that one last Oscar, and you run the risk of having a major letdown. But while the story itself may not be as tightly told as it could be, the actors, directing and dialogue completely enveloped me from the moment the film began.

Nicholson is Frank Costello, an Irish mob boss who handpicks a young Colin Sullivan (Damon) to work for him and eventually become his inside man at the Massachusetts State Police criminal investigations unit. William Costigan (DiCaprio) is an undercover policeman working in the same department under Oliver Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Dignam (Mark Wahlberg), a police captain and sergeant who are the only ones who know Costigan is a policeman. Both Costigan and Sullivan infiltrate each other’s organizations. Eventually, both are assigned to uncover each other.

Both men unknowingly connect by getting involved with the same woman, a police psychiatrist named Madolyn (Vera Farmiga). Her femininity and moral center keep the film from turning into a boys’ fight fest as she maintains their unwitting connection, but her character never really reaches its full potential.

The only real letdown is the ending. While it is as intense as the rest of the movie, the ending suggests that the film exhausted itself by trying to keep up with all of its characters’ undercover identities.

Ultimately, The Departed is an amazing film to experience. The actors bring the complexity and adrenaline of their characters alive, and audiences will leave the theater with legs and backs aching from tension.