The Departed reviews

[Eric]

Having him win for this would of course undo past injustices, but...I don't know...would also be kind of like Hitchcock winning for Dial M for Murder -- a fine enough piece of craft, but miles short of his greatest work.

Frenzy might be a better comparison. Hitch's best work was in front of him when Dial M for Murder came out. I don't think many would say the same of Scorsese.

[flipp525]

But, for me, it was far more exciting to see [Scorcese] apply his prodigious talents to more foreign genres like the literary adaptation (Age of Innocence) and the bio-pic (The Aviator).

I very much agree. Interestingly though, I'd say that The Age of Innocence was no less "violent" than any other Scorcese film, just in a different social context. The going-away dinner that May Welland (Winona Ryder) throws for her cousin, the Countess Wolenska (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), given with the full knowledge that her husband has been sleeping with her cousin for months is a veritable blood-bath when viewed through the eyes of an 1870's brownstone-dweller living in the Guilded Age.

[Mister Tee]

Well, I'm way late, but here are my thoughts on the film:

Like most, I enjoyed it alot, though it could have been trimmed (not half an hour, maybe, but 15 minutes or so). I've not seen Infernal Affairs, so I have no point of comparison, but the story struck me as both gripping (in a thriller sort of way) and having resonance with its double-mole/tribal identity themes. I wasn't totally wild about how the last segment (post-Costello death) played out -- when Damon cell-phoned DiCaprio, I expected an "each now knows about the other" exchange that would have pushed the plot in different, more interesting directions than what actually transpired -- and the last ten minutes, with everyone dropping like flies, have a faintly comic aspect (then again, so does the last scene of Hamlet -- hope that's not a spoiler). But I still felt like the story hung together enough that it was one of Scorsese's more narratively coherent films.

Sonic, to answer your plot question, I thought Damon had, against his agreement with DiCaprio, brought along a crew for back-up -- Anderson right behind him, the other guy on the ground floor.

My anal-structuralist question would be, if you give a character a letter and specify it should be opened upon a death, isn't it required that we see said letter being opened? (Though maybe they felt that , having given Farmiga the Third Man exit scene, any return to her would be anti-climactic).

I thought Farmiga did well enough in the part, though the writing for her character was somewhat confused, and it only got half-away from "the girl". I was fine with Nicholson as the charismatic villain -- it wasn't one of his latter-day "real acting" efforts (like Ironweed, The Pledge, About Schmidt), but it didn't reach the Jack-ing-off level of Batman. DiCaprio gave, I'd say, his most successfully adult performance -- not as completely impressive as his earlier This Boy's Life/Gilbert Grape work, but well-past the kid-wearing-grown-up-clothes thing he'd done in Titanic and Gangs of New York. I see many are impressed by his scenes of tortured conflict, and they wedre solid...but, honestly, I think I preferred Damon, who suggested much of the same without all the sweat. Damon's a bright guy, with the good taste to get involved in intelligent projects, but since Good Will Hunting, I haven't seen a performance that really suggested he could go to the next level. This film gets him most of the way there.

I also like the supportng cast alot: Sheen, Wahlberg, Baldwin, Winstone...on and on.

Finally, Scorsese, and the inevitable "Does he deserve a Oscar" debate? (Weren't we supposed to be spared that this time?) I think his work is quite fine, but in a rather minor mode. Oddly, the fact that the milieu was close to that of his 70s work made this seem less impressive. Yeah, we're on the mean streets again, but the plot was, if far tighter, also far nearer to mechanical than what he gave us in Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. And the characters suffered far less -- yes, DiCaprio gave us a man under great stress...but in the 70s version, he'd have been holding his hand over burning altar candles. The general effect is of an old-time Scorsese movie, just house-broken this time around. This has undoubtedly made the film more commercially palatable, which, of course, will give him a far better shot in the Oscar race than he'd otherwise have had. But, for me, it was far more exciting to see him apply his prodigious talents to more foreign genres like the literary adaptation (Age of Innocence) and the bio-pic (The Aviator). Having him win for this would of course undo past injustices, but...I don't know...would also be kind of like Hitchcock winning for Dial M for Murder -- a fine enough piece of craft, but miles short of his greatest work.

[OscarGuy]

I think Damon's the weak link and most would prefer Jack as a Supporting Actor since he really is just support for Damon and DiCaprio in all reality. If the Academy is smart, they'll ignore the studios this year and nominate as they see fit. If they ghettoize Leo as Support, there will be a LOT of clamoring for a revision of the system, I believe. It will be the most egregious decision the Academy has made, I think, for Oscar positioning.

I don't agree with Gyllenhaal being pushed as support but I can see more reason to consider his role supporting than I could DiCaprio who is the key character of his film.

[anonymous1980]

If The Departed doesn't get him an Oscar, Martin Scorsese can always make this movie.

[Big Magilla]

Sabin, I can't say I disagree with you, though I can see the selling point for all those placements you mention but nominating Leo in support while nominating Matt and Jack as leads would be like nominating Jake and Randy Quaid as leads for Brokeback and Heath for support. If any of he three should be considered supporting it's Jack.

Does anyone see the possibility of all three being nominated for lead? That has happened only once before when Clark Gable, Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone were all nominated in the lead category for Mutiny on the Bounty the year before supporting awards were given. With only two clear favorites for best actor (Peter O'Toole and Forest Whitaker), it could happen especailly if The Departed continues to do so well at the box office.

[Sabin]

Jake Gyllenhaal was CLEARLY a co-lead in 'Brokeback Mountain' if there ever was one. This decade alone so was Julianne Moore in 'The Hours', Jim Broadbent in 'Iris', Ethan Hawk in 'Training Day', Benicio Del Toro in '21 Grams', Laura Linney in 'Kinsey', Jamie Foxx in 'Collateral', Rachel Weisz in 'The Constant Gardener', and one could make a damn good case for Benicio Del Toro in 'Traffic', Marcia Gay Harden, Jennifer Connelly, Tim Robbins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Clive Owen, Thomas Haden Church, Natalie Portman, and George Clooney.

I feel as though this star-slumming is effective screwing outstanding SUPPORTING ACTORS like Melissa Leo, Lupe Ontiveros, Tony Shalhoub, Joe Pantoliano, Willem DaFoe, Peter Sarsgaard, Mattheiu Amalric, Oliver Platt, Taraji P. Henson, Liev Schreiber, David Morse, AND STEVE BU####INGSCEMI! These are actors whose careers could benefit very, very, VERY strongly from a nomination that goes to Jake Gyllenhaal who is a TOP BILLED ####ING ACTOR!, and this politicking hurts their careers that would otherwise get a much-needed boost into better roles. I really hate it.

One of the key factors in supporting status is screen time. If two Judi Dench-in-'Shakespeare in Love's equal one Hopkins-in-'Silence of the Lambs' and that qualifies as a lead, then who gives a #### anymore?

[Penelope]

If Leo Is nominated as a supporting actor for The Departed while Matt and Jack are nominated as leads the Oscars will have lost all of their remaining integrity. He's the friggin' star of the movie for cryin' out loud.

Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. This strategizing for Lead/Supporting nominations has got to come to a stop; perhaps it's time the Academy put in a place a comittee that would assign the placements rather than leave it up to the studios' campaign teams.

[Big Magilla]

Not exactly a review, but...

If Leo Is nominated as a supporting actor for The Departed while Matt and Jack are nominated as leads the Oscars will have lost all of their remaining integrity. He's the friggin' star of the movie for cryin' out loud.

'Departed' arrives as fall's hottest movie
Updated 10/23/2006 9:45 PM ET E-mail |

Dual nominee?: The Departed's Leonardo DiCaprioalso could get an Oscar nod for Blood Diamond.

By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

In deciding when to release their World War II epic Flags of Our Fathers, Paramount executives figured that, in a worst-case scenario, Clint Eastwood's film would open at No. 2 this weekend. They didn't count on Martin Scorsese.

Scorsese's return to the mobster genre has turned The Departed into the talker of fall — becoming not only a box-office powerhouse but also changing the landscape of the Oscar race.

Though Flags of Our Fathers— with Eastwood's dual directing Oscars to boost its pedigree — is still a contender for the best-picture race, Departed's strong showing is the talk of Hollywood.

"You have to give them credit; it's pretty impressive, the word of mouth it's generating," says Jim Tharp, distribution chief for Paramount. "It's playing spectacularly."

Analysts say strong reviews and word of mouth are moving the film into top-5 lists in several categories, including best picture, acting and directing.

"Before it opened, it really wasn't being positioned as an Oscar film," says Dave Karger of Entertainment Weekly. "It was described as a straight-down-the-middle thriller, which isn't always the kind of film that the academy responds to. But once people saw it, it reminded a lot of critics and fans of an old-time Scorsese film. That's when Oscar talk began to surround it."

The Departed, now in its third week, was No. 2 this weekend with $13.5 million, bumping Flags' debut into third place with $10.2 million. The Departed has done $77 million in 17 days and is on track to beat Scorsese's previous best, 2004's The Aviator, which took in $102 million domestically.

The surge presents an enviable dilemma for Warner Bros., which released the film and must decide which actors in the ensemble picture will get an Oscar push. Stars generating Academy Awards momentum include Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Alec Baldwin.

But a key question facing the studio must be how to campaign for star Leonardo DiCaprio, who also stars in Warner Bros.' upcoming drama Blood Diamond. It's due Dec. 15.

Analysts say the studio may push for DiCaprio as a best supporting actor in The Departed and best actor in Diamond so he doesn't compete against himself.

"It would be disingenuous, because he's one of the main stars" of The Departed, Karger says. "But you don't want to split your vote between movies."

Warner Bros. executives are mum on campaign strategy, though they say their jobs have become easier thanks to Departed's strength at the box office.

"Right now, our plan is hands off," says Dan Fellman, the studio's head of distribution. "The movie has taken on a life of its own with the public, and we think that's going to help it be recognized at the end of the year."

[Akash]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the board in terms of posting. I've been lurking here for a while, enjoying all your comments and I feel like I know so many of you already even though we've never "met."

Just wanted to say I really enjoyed The Departed. I thought the two male leads were excellent - DiCaprio is best when he's as coiled as he was in this film, and I can see why some would call it his best work. It's a stretch to make that claim for Damon I think, who has given more complex and nuanced performances before like The Talented Mr Ripley. Still, he brought the necessary gravity and serpentine thrust to this venture. I know it's a tired cliche now (particularly for those who don't deserve it) but Damon really is a chameleon.

The Sopranos has of course done this stuff already and with much more psychological probing, but I was fascinated with the incestuousness that coursed through the film - the police need to apprehend but also requires the mob to sustain their own place in this society, an idea that fits well with the impotence insinuation for the Damon and Nicholson characters. I also thought Scorsese did a great job conflating the Catholic imagery with the idea of pseudo-father figures who exude kin and kindness to their surrogate sons but are willing to offer up them up as prey (Jack with Matt, Martin Sheen with Leo). Am I imagining it or did someone mention Abraham early in the film?

Either way, I loved it.

[Sabin]

'The Departed' stands at a $38 mil weeklong gross, never dipping below $2 mil a weekday. That's really solid, and indicative of very strong word of mouth. This seems to be a fairly iffy fall we're heading into, and 'The Departed' seems poised as one of the true success stories.

[Big Magilla]

I finally saw it this afternoon. In my estimation it's Scorsese's best directed film since GoodFellas, which is not to say he deserves an Oscar for it, though I wouldn't be surprised if he gets another nomination.

They do occasionally give best picture nominations to popcorn flicks, but this one may prove to be a bit too violent. It's also, as others have said, a good half hour longer than it needs to be.

The acting of the three leads is strong. Leo does give his best performance since Gilbert Grape and Matt his best since Will Hunting. Jack is meant to be over-the-top, but not as outragously as he was as the Joker in Batman. His style here is closer to his performance in A Few Good Men. The supporting cast is good, with Ray Winstone and David O'Hara probably coming off best. Vera Farmiga isn't bad, it's just that her role is under-written.

I give ***1/2.

[99-1100896887]

Well, Wes, if it isn't "nearly as good as Aviator", that for me was the kiss of death. I am not fans of overblown Jack or Leonardo di Caprio in anything.

[OscarGuy]

Despite its flaws (there are lots of dead ends plot wise), I very much enjoyed The Departed. It's nowhere near as good as The Aviator but miles ahead of Gangs of New York. I still think it could be a contender on Scrosese's name alone but it definitely doesn't feel like an award winner.

[Penelope]

Let me rephrase it a bit. To my taste, the Jackass films say more about the state of masculinity than Scorsese's film, even though the latter seems to make great attempts at addressing this topic and the former doesn't really appear to be addressing anything at all.

How about this: Jackass is a reflection of the state of masculinity today whereas The Departed is a reflection of the state of masculinity 40 years ago.