Director : Martin Scorsese
Main Cast : Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg
Yet again I have to start a review by apologizing for the crime of abandoning this blog for so long. The excuse is really simple, really. Going to the cinema was such a horrible experience that I actually STOPPED going to the cinema again!
However, things have turned for the better now, and my how things have turned! I’m proud and happy to announce that I’M NOW BACK IN LONDON! Finally! No more subtitles that take up half the screen, no more bad prints, no more being directed through some dodgy backdoor route at the end of the film, no more censors, and no more crying babies in a supposedly 18SG film! Actually, the only thing I’ll miss is the fact that I’m now unable to have one of those tasty 1901 hotdogs in the cinema.
So what better way to kickoff this return to the good ‘ol days of film-going than to write a review of The Departed, surely one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year in terms of director and cast. And it can’t get more mouthwatering than having Martin Scorsese directing Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio, easily the best actors of their respective generations. Add Matt Damon, Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg to the mix, and you can understand the hype surrounding the film.
To the uninitiated, The Departed is a Hollywood remake of the Hong Kong smash hit Infernal Affairs. The plot is quite interesting actually, the story of two moles on the opposite sides of the police and the Irish mafia. They are played by DiCaprio and Damon, two actors in my opinion who still look in their early 20s after so long a time. This I feel is partly why they were cast in the film, two young apprentices, both trying their best – for different objectives, and through different means – to impress mafia boss Jack Nicholson. I would have to say that they both had familiar, clichéd roles, which weren’t a real change from what they’ve done in the past – DiCaprio, the boy who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, a livewire, prepared to fight his way through any problem, and Damon, the smartly-dressed, clean-looking all-round good guy. It’s interesting to note though that DiCaprio has taken over from the great Bobby De Niro as Scorsese’s muse, this being their 3rd film together, after Gangs Of New York and The Aviator.
The real star of the show is undoubtedly Jack Nicholson. His character here is nasty, violent, cold-blooded and merciless. Someone you definitely don’t want to mess with. Nicholson also manages to somehow restrain himself for most parts of the film, but there were one or two scenes where we do see the good ‘ol OTT Jack.
Though good the movie may be, I still feel that there was just something missing. Maybe because of the cast, and especially the director, I expected more. Maybe I hoped that this was going to be THE film to finally win Scorsese an Oscar. Sadly it isn’t. Don’t get me wrong, The Departed is still a very good film, and I recommend it fully to fans of Scorsese, gangster films, or a combination of the both.
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