THE DEPARTED

Cliches be damned!  Director Scorsese returns to the ‘mean streets’ that brought him critical acclaim again and again in movies like “Goodfellas” (1990), “Raging Bull” (1980) and - Yes! - “Mean Streets” (1973). The one constant in all these movies is the Mob: the masterminds behind the big heists, the Capos who fixed the pro fights, and the made guys who kept an eye on the young wannabes.  The fight game may not be part of Scorsese’s  new movie but high tech thievery and new blood play a major part in this story of two cops - one honest, the other corrupt - whose destinies are bound by their neighborhood ties to a fearsome Irish gang.

Bred on the streets of South Boston, Billy Costigan turns his back on the street life to become an undercover cop sworn to bring down Frank Costello - the same mob boss who groomed Colin Sullivan from boyhood to become his inside man in the State police. Both cops are moles on opposite sides of the law. Costigan plays the role of a disgraced cop. His cover is a rap sheet, jail time, and an in-your-face bravado that ingratiates him to Costello. Sullivan is an honors graduate from the Academy on the fast track to success. His silent benefactor? Frank Costello.

Once it’s discovered there’s a mole in each other’s opposing camps, “The Departed” turns into a cat and mouse game with lives and careers hanging in the balance from the top of the police hierarchy down to the bottom rung of Costello’s crew. Screenwriter William Monahan and Scorsese bounce these relationships off each other like atoms in a reactor. You never know how one they will play out but you do know one them will go nuclear. As a paroled ex-cop, Costigan must seek counseling. His shrink, Madolyn (Vera Farmiga) turns out to be the woman who, coincidentally, hits it off with Sullivan.  On the surface, this set up seems contrived, but instead of playing these scenes for the obvoius threat of discovery, they are used as building blocks to create flesh and blood characters with a genuine emotional complexity that is just as riveting as the action.

DiCaprio’s Billy Costigan is a loner determined to make a difference, unaware of the psychic cost he will have to pay for sacrificing his identity. He becomes torn between duty and the feelings he develops for Madolyn. But Colin wins her over with his self confidence and charm. They become lovers. Matt Damon;s Colin Sullivan is like a yuppie with a taste for the finer things in life. At times he too appears torn, but between his allegiance to Costello and his oath as a police officer, or maybe he is just afraid of being discovered? Damon plays it every which way until his survival instinct rears its ugly head.  

Martin Sheen is Captain Queenan, the head of the undercover investigative unit. Mark Wahlberg is Sergeant Digman, the hard nosed assistant whose aggression,  bad manners, and foul mouth are tools to test the mettle of anyone who thinks that have what it takes to work undercover.  He’s the Devil’s Advocate to Queenan’s saintly father image. Alec Baldwin is Captain Ellerby, the local police chief who has made Costello his number one priority.  He is entertainingly blunt, disarming, and offensive.

Jack Nicholson tops the cast as the alternately funny, shrewd, calculating and predatory Frank Costello. He is not above offing his own men in the name of self preservation. Ray Winstone plays the one man Costello can trust. His periodic acts of arson, torture and murder are just like daily chores at the office.

“Departed” is based on the 2002 Chinese thriller, “Infernal Affairs,”  so there may be few surprises in the basic plot for anyone who’s seen the original. Some key set ups - a scene in a movie theater, the roof top meetings, and a case of mistaken identity  among others - remain intact. The big caper is changed from a drug deal to defense technology. Like its predecessor, “The Departed” has more twists than a barrel full of Bavarian pretzels. A few additional surprises and a change in milieu to the hard scrabble streets of Boston put a spin on the story that makes it seem uniquely Scorsesian. But don’t be fooled. All foreign gangster films have drawn their inspiration from the American cinema going back to the silents with movies like “Underworld” (1927) then later “Scarface” in 1932 and so on. Scorsese has taken the homage that “Infernal Affairs” represents and reclaimed it as his own.

Similarly,  think of Akira Kurosawa’s “The Seven Samurai” (1954) which, by Kurosawa’s own admission, is a western Japanese style. He credits director John Ford as one of his major influences. Then director John Sturges made “The Magnificent Seven” six years later using the same plot structure as “The Seven Samurai.” Each movie is valid in its own right as is “Infernal Affairs” and “The Departed” in theirs.                                                                               

                                                                                                                      Copyright 2006

Check out these gangster classics from the early days of sound film.

“Little Ceasar” (1930) - Dir. Mervyn Leroy: Edward G. Robinson is the title character who claws his way to the top of the underworld in his first major role. The classic line: “Is this the end of Rico?”

“Scarface” (1932) - Dir. Howard Hawks: Paul Muni is the title character in this story ripped from the headlines of the era suggested by the exploits of the Al Capone - the original ‘Scarface. Also with George Raft and Boris Karloff.

“The Public Enemy” (1931) - Dir. William Wellman: James Cagney gives a career defining performance as a criminal on the rise during prohibition and treats everyone around him like dirt. With Jean Harlow and Mae Clark as the one who take the grapefruit in the kisser from Cagney in one of the most famous scenes in any gangster movie.  every Cagney doc

Three amazing performances about real cops three classic movies

“Serpico” (1973) - Dir. Sidney Lumet: Al Pacino has the title role as a hippie style undercover street cop Frank Serpico, a major player in the hearings on police corruption for the Knapp Commission. A first rate character study, thrilling from start to finish.

“Prince of the City” (1981) - Dir. Sidney Lumet: Treat Williams is real life cop Danny Ciello who gets caught up in an Internal Affairs investigation into police corruption. He tries to cooperate without dragging his fellow police detectives into his mess without success. Great cast includes quintessential New York actors Bob Balaban and Jerry Ohrbach.

“Donnie Brasco” (1997) - Dir. Mike Newell: Johnny Depp is FBI agent Joe Pistone who goes undercover as Donnie Brasco to infiltrate a New York mob family. He is unwittingly helped by a low level wise guy played by Al Pacino who gives a surprisingly sympathetic performance.