Review

Review Date: 15-October-06
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Just OK

The Departed (2006)

Well, now, what to make of "The Departed?" Not just the movie — a kinetic, blood-soaked crime drama with a no-holds-barred cast — but the elemental significance of the title. It apparently refers to the deceased, but why do they get pride of place? Do the dead influence the living in this tale, or is it just that there are so damn many of them?

The answer is, I am not really sure and not all that keen to know. "The Departed" is another foray by Martin Scorsese into a world of tough guys whose principal pursuits are crime and firing guns (albeit this time in Boston), which means it strikes me as inherently pointless. The main characters fall into a trio of father-son pairings: hotshot state police investigator Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), who has worked for mobster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) since childhood; trash-talking Sergeant Dignam (Mark Wahlberg), whose fierce loyalty centers upon his commanding officer (Martin Sheen); and ragged undercover agent Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), whose luck seems devolved from the choices of an old man he barely knew (the most prominent of the early deceased). These men, and a token female (Vera Farmiga) who merits less mention than her screen time would suggest, engage in a shell game wherein Sullivan tries to con the cops for Costello, Costigan tries to con Costello for the cops, and their colleagues try to figure out what's going on. Much drama and the exchange of bullets ensue.

While I can dis "The Departed" for the limitations of its genre (and just did), there's no denying that it has its particular charms. Scorsese goes out of his way to deliver a hip, modern film which hits the ground running and never stops for breath, so it's diverting at the very least. (He can't resist looking backward occasionally, of course, as when he alludes to the end of "The Third Man.") Most importantly, the movie boasts a fine bunch of actors who command attention on screen even if they fade quickly when off. Nicholson impresses by (mostly) abandoning the winking naughtiness that has characterized his recent roles and showing us that Costello's an unmitigated bastard. The sardonic humor he often supplies is provided by Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin as less pivotal, highly refreshing SOBs. Damon and DiCaprio are reliable as always; it's too bad the poetry of their parallel lives is hampered by the absence of character in their characters. Sullivan is merely an empty frat boy and Costigan a sorry tool. Still, lesser actors might not have pulled them off at all.

"The Departed" has enough ups and downs (too many, perhaps) to satisfy many an audience. But for this critic of macho anguish leading to no discernible end, it offers few solid moments before departing, leaving little behind.

Copyright © 2006 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.