The Departed - movie review

Seriously, it is hard to write a review for Scorcese's latest mob offering without dropping the F-word.
One - because it is so prolific in the film itself your mind just adopts it and
Two - because the movie is fucking fantastic!

In honesty, I think I could stop my review there. The movie is exceptional. Go see it. End of story. But that wouldn't be very nice and, for anyone with a gentle stomach for the profane, not very fair. The Departed is unapologetically direct and you have to be able to revel in that to fully enjoy the ride.

Essentially, the film is a story about allegiance and honour. It is about identity and truth. And it is about the crumbling of all of those things. The story revovles around two young cops (Leo DiCaprio and Matt Damon) whose lives become wonderfully intertwined with the Irish mob, undercover investigation and a hot psychologist. At times, the coincidences might seem far-fetched but Scorcese does a good job of making the tight universe plausible and engrossing. Unlike Micheal Mann's Heat that wandered through the lives of an increasing cast - The Departed takes an intensely similar look at character relationships but with a much narrower lens.

This tack might have been suffocating to the film if not for the fine casting. Jack Nicholson is finally back with some grit in his teeth after his sojourn as a mainstream man-in-crisis in Something's Gotta Give, About Schmidt, and As Good As it Gets. And as Irish mob kingpin Costello he is magnetic. But the film truly rests on the shoulders of Damon and DiCaprio and the audience could not do better. Whatever you think about the young actors - both prove themselves to be worthy screen presences. As adversaries they are well-matched with the golden boy looks of Damon challenging the saddened scruffiness of DiCaprio. I personally, have always held these two actors to the top in their generation and they do not disappoint. DiCaprio brings a physicality to the role that is intoxicating. Damon offers a charmed menace and highlights that his career isn't even close to ending.

Around these characters, Scorcese adds a gruff Alec Baldwin, a mouthy Mark Wahlberg, and an exasperated Martin Sheen. Token love interest Vera Farmiga is forgettable eye candy but likely a good choice for the woman that just happens to get caught up in the mess. And mess it becomes. A blown-brains out, leaking guts kind of mess. And yet, shocking as some of it is (execution-style killings are seldom NOT shocking) it never feels unnecessary. No one dies without it being part of someone's plan. And it is following this plan, convoluted as it is, that keeps you waiting for the final departure.