The Departed

Having been weaker than I remember in the last 20 years this past few weeks with Pneumonia, I must say, it's fitting that my first review back will be of a film called 'The Departed.' haha Well, I made it through the 'monia (as Bean calls it) and am back in good health. Note to all: Take care of yourself and do not let yourself get run down, and do not let coughs linger!

Special Thanks to my sister Bean, who made the best vegetable soup ever for me, and who waited on me hand and foot the whole time. Bean Rules!!

One good thing about being unable to move or stay conscious for very long is, you get lots of time in the recliner in front of the big screen, all bundled under fleece blankets and cozy. So I saw a lot of movies, some good, some not. I generally only review the good here. Avoid 'The Grudge 2' and 'The Return' at all costs. I like Sarah Michelle, but these films lacked any great plot or original horror motifs. 'The Return' TRIED to be original, but ended up just being confusing.

But 'The Departed' did not disappoint.

Synopsis:

Martin Scorsese directed this tale of questionable loyalties and blurring identities set in the South Boston organized crime scene and inspired by the wildly popular 2002 Hong Kong crime film 'Infernal Affairs.' As the local police force attempts to reign in the increasingly powerful Irish mafia, authorities are faced with the prospect of sending in an undercover agent or seeing their already frail grip on the criminal underworld slip even further. Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a young cop looking to make a name for himself in the world of law enforcement. Collin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is a street-smart criminal who has successfully infiltrated the police department with the sole intention of reporting their every move to ruthless syndicate head Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). When Costigan is assigned the task of working his way into Costello's tightly guarded inner circle, Sullivan is faced with the responsibility of rooting out the informer before things get out of hand. With the stakes constantly rising and time quickly running out for the undercover cop and his criminal counterpart, each man must work feverishly to reveal his counterpart before his identity is exposed by the other.

DiCaprio was an especially likable character: I rooted for him the whole time, and wanted to see him succeed. Of course, as a woman I admit a bit of a Leo-crush. He's a great actor too, though, and he made his character very human, yet also very brash and harsh at times. This is a Scorcese theme; most of his primary characters are very harsh and tough. I wanted to see more of Mark Wahlberg's character, who was a slightly over-the-top harsh cop. I cheered his character at the end, which would blow plot points, but trust me, you'll cheer too.

I've never been a huge Matt Damon fan, for some reason; I think because I read or saw interviews and he came across as a bit arrogant in them. He's a good actor, too, though, and made his character very un-likable. This film had a lot of classic actors in it: Martin Sheen, Jack Nicholson, and Alec Baldwin among them.

The twisty plot kept my interest throughout, and there was a constant question of, 'Who is on what side here?' and 'Who will be the first to be found a traitor?'

This film was reminiscent of both 'Casino' and 'Goodfellas,' only a bit longer and with perhaps a more intricate plot. I'm partial to 'Goodfellas' as a Scorcese crime movie, because it was the first of its type that I personally saw and I am still in shock over some of the brutality in it. Think Ray Liotta pistol-whipping this poor schmo who makes the mistake of bothering Ray's love interest.

I'm glad Scorcese finally got his Oscar, which was long overdue for films like 'The Last Temptation of Christ,' 'The Age of Innocence' (His only female-centric movie, I believe, and an incredible literary adaptation of a book by one of my favorite authors, Edith Wharton), and 'Cape Fear.'

Highly recommended!
A bit long...is my only slight complaint.

Grade: A

Have a great day, All!