The Departed Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The Departed
Year: 2006
Director: Martin Scorsese
Country: US
Language: English

I have written a lot about Martin Scorsese, mainly because I consider him one of the greatest living American Directors. While I personally think Raging Bull is his best work,  I've seen Goodfellas over a dozen times. Most people know him for his gangster work, though he has made plenty of extraordinary pictures that don't belong in any genre. He can even make a great children's picture, as seen in Hugo. Most of his pictures deserved the best picture Oscar, but only The Departed won it. So I thought I would review it. 

In The Departed an undercover state cop (Leonardo DiCaprio) who has infiltrated an Irish gang and a mole in the police force working for the same mob (Matt Damon) race to track down and identify each other before being exposed to the enemy, after both sides realize their outfit has a rat.

Inspired by a successful Hong Kong flick known as Internal Affairs, The Departed is about two men trying to live public lives that are the complete opposite of their inner realities. DiCaprio works for the mob, yet is a fragile man underneath the surface. His life is hell, but unfortunately he can't get out of it until the mob boss (Jack Nicholson) is exposed for what he truly is and cuffed. His life is rather tragic; we can't help but sympathize with this poor man. Damon is quite frankly, a complete asshole. He is a slimy snake who nearly takes down the entire police force. Throughout the film I found myself begging for something nasty to happen to him.

Scorsese presents an already intense story and increases the suspension by ten. He preys on our belief in human nature, our belief that all humans have at lease some sense of remorse and some sense of guilt. As intelligent humans we also have a sense of justice, and are infuriated when justice is not served. How can bad things happen to good people? How can bad people get away with horrible crimes? We hate being backed into a corner, thus we are upset when we find our hero constantly trapped. The picture is an examination of conscious, playing almost like a horror movie in a predominantly Christian North America.

In conclusion, while I do hate the ending because I think it robs the audience of a satisfying conclusion (although I am thankful that the Damon didn't exactly get away with his misdeeds) I can't deny that The Departed is certainly one of Scorsese's greatest works. Its depth and maturity is the sign of a cinematic genius who also really understands his Catholicism. Praise it! 4.5/5