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Mar. 5, 2007 I finally got around to seeing Martin Scorsese's latest work, "The Departed" after renting it on DVD. I have to admit I was going to bypass this one altogether. As a rule, I tend to avoid Hollywood productions which involve politically outspoken actors and others, particularly for the most extreme members of this club. These individuals are free to speak as they wish and I am free to spend my money as I wish. This time, however, the accolades and Oscar wins successfully sucked me in and, being an aficionado of the mob movie genre, I decided to give it a try. Of course, had I known both Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin were in this film, I likely would not have taken the plunge. In fact, with Sheen, Baldwin, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio all taking part, one tends to wonder if the casting of this film was performed at least partially with a nod towards the political perspective of the players. All politics aside, "The Departed" in many ways is representative of why I do not enjoy the movies as I once did. In the end, it is loaded with style but runs far short of any deeper substance. The movie is packed with name-brand actors who perform their roles admirably, but this alone does not make a great film. Indeed, I believe the reason an average movie like this can win 4 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, is because of the dearth of truly good flicks which emanate from Hollywood nowadays. "The Departed" is billed as an epic mob movie; make no mistake, though, this film is no "Goodfellas," (one of Scorsese's best), not even close. Matt Damon plays Colin Sullivan, a young cop who is quickly making his way up the chain of command within Massachusetts State Police. Sullivan, however, happens to have ulterior motives; he is on the dole of mafia crime boss, Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), working as an inside informant for the mob. Meanwhile, Billy Costigan (DiCaprio), another young state police officer, is tagged to infiltrate Costello's world and operate as an undercover operative to help the cops nail the bad guys. Much of the tension in the film is created as each side gets wind of the fact that there is a mole working in their midst and they use all means to identify who exactly is double-crossing them. One of the larger problems I have with "The Departed" relates to its overall plot credibility; it simply is not believable. Too many elements seem to exist for no other reason than they are convenient for the story. We are asked to believe that, in a city the size of Boston, both Sullivan and Costigan would wind up going to the same mental health counselor and, even more, manage to get her in the sack. The psychiatrist ostensibly specializes in treating cops; however, Costigan is working deep undercover and is not even listed in any record as being a cop. There are only two people in the police hierarchy who even know of his existence. By all accounts, he's a police academy failure and a thug just out of prison. The idea that he would be seeing the same shrink as the other officers would seemingly blow his cover in an instant, wouldn't it? Also, the entire explanation provided for why Frank Costello was so willing to accept Costigan into his inner circle was glossed over as if it is not even important. Experienced mob bosses, it seems, would not be so willing to open up their world to a newcomer, who has done nothing but beat up a couple of thugs from a rival gang. The film is supposed to take place over an extended period of time; however, it plays out as if it spans only a week or two. Characters are not really developed; they are merely thrust upon the audience and we are asked to accept them for who they are. We are shown a snippet from Colin Sullivan's youth in which the mob boss, Costello, buys him some groceries and tells him to call him sometime if he wants work. Then we see Sullivan advancing in his police career but remaining fiercely loyal to Costello. Exactly how this connection is maintained so strong over such an extended time is only lightly addressed. Yet, this relationship is key to the entire film and in two-and-a-half hours of running time, it certainly should have garnered more focus. Other questions abound in the movie. For instance, why exactly would a career-oriented psychiatrist be so quick to jump in bed with two different patients, one of whom threatens suicide? Despite the outstanding acting that is evident in most of the film, the characters still seem to be plastic and superficial. Nicholson's mob boss is far more annoying than scary and intimidating. At times he seems to be more of a cartoon character than a real live person. In fact, some of the scenes from this film play out as if it is animation. In one scene, Costello's gang meets another group of shady characters to sell high-end weapons grade computer components. (The exact reason they want the chips is not provided and, I guess, is not deemed to be important.) This entire segment of the film is laid out more like a scene from one of those "Batman" movies than a mob film. In fact, Nicholson's character looks more like "The Joker" than anyone else in this particular spot. I halfway expected Catwoman to walk in any minute and steal the computer chips for herself. The "Batman" films, however, are all cartoon-like in their setting and dialog for an intended purpose. The producers of those films are seeking the feel of glorified animation, that's the whole point. This effect certainly does not enhance a mafia movie, however, and I hazard to guess it was not intentional. The violence in the movie is also delivered in a far more gratuitous way than any of Hollywood's classic mob films. In Scorsese's own "Goodfellas" the violence was an inherent part of the plot and, as such, its impact was that much more powerful. The "Godfather" delivered some episode of violence which were certainly shocking, especially for the time, but were also completely interwoven with the plot and the result was a masterpiece. In the last twenty minutes of "The Departed" we get so many people being shot in the head that it the whole impact is weakened; it even becomes downright silly. One relatively minor character pulls out a gun and starts shooting people in the head and then explains why he did it. We learn that he had his reasons, but where the heck was he the whole film? Of course, this is rendered moot when he too is shot and killed in the next instant. The fact that he had done his shooting, though, was more than convenient for one of the main characters in the movie--another example of occurrences which take place for no other reason than to somehow make the plot work, which makes the whole thing feel more contrived than necessary. "The Departed" is not a bad film by any means; it is well crafted at times and certainly well-acted. It, however, never remotely touches the level of film making exhibited in the classics within the mob movie realm and is not worthy of Best Picture. In the classic gangster films, the audience comes to identify with the mobsters to a degree, even sympathize with their positions in many ways. We see how they are stuck in their world even if they want out. The lifestyle is the American dream and a nightmare at the same time. It is this element which makes the films work. "Departed" never reaches this point. We don't care about the bad guys and we don't care about the cops. We don't know anyone well enough to think one way or another about them. In the end, even after two-and-a-half hours, the audience is left wanting more from this piece of work, and this is not meant to be taken in a good way. ------------ About the author: Ed Abraham is a concerned citizen living in flyover country, U.S.A., who happens to be truly disgusted by the loss of common sense in our society and is doing all he can to try to reinstall it. Email: eabra@myway.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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