Not Coming to a Theater Near You

The Departed / USA / 2006

Better late than never, as they always say…

Though I don’t consider myself a die-hard Marty Scorsese fan, something I’ve always admired about the director is the dispensability of his seemingly vital characters. (Think Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, killed off with ample movie left.) In The Departed, that notion is amplified threefold, making for a enthralling 152 minutes…time that mournfully flies by, even with a title card tucked neatly, albeit unexpectedly beyond the opening scene.

DiCaprio and Damon, two actors I’ve never been wholly fond of, are excellent—I credit some of this to their Boston accents—while Nicholson’s Costello is sleaze incarnate. Wahlberg is pleasingly foul-mouthed, and Baldwin is much more effective and enjoyable now that he’s resigned himself to supporting roles. But for my money, Martin Sheen dominates, probably because he’s now freed from the ever-souring NBC White House. (A Sorkin fan I am not, and I’d almost forgotten the elder Sheen could do vulnerable.)

But the main question is, of course, whether or not this is Scorsese’s Oscar-winner. At first I thought no, this is too contemporary—computers and cell phones occupying far too much screen time. Luckily I came to my senses and realized that Scorsese was manipulating our current society into a modern crime drama. Computers are present-day informers, wells of unregulated and unguarded information ready for harvesting; and in the first phone contact between Damon and DiCaprio, the ring tone becomes a foreboding and suspenseful tune, a mark of identity. Plus, with Scorsese, you’re guaranteed an awesome soundtrack, and the director delivers with the Rolling Stones and a live recording of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.” Still, with Scorsese facing down past “fellow nominees”—David Lynch (1981), Stephen Frears (1991), Pedro Almodovar (2003), and Clint Eastwood (2005)—February should be mighty interesting.

Rumsey ’s Thoughts Beth ’s Thoughts Jit’s Thoughts Leo’s Thoughts Jenny’s Thoughts Ian’s Thoughts

by Adam Balz | Source: Warner Brothers 35MM Print
21 Nov 2006 3:05 PM | Comments (11)

Comments / 11 total / Submit Comment

1. Chiranjit / 21 November 2006 / 1:22 PM / URL

   Some part of really doesn’t enjoy the fact that the main question about Scorsese’s recent films is whether or not each new project will be worthy enough to win him the Oscar.

2. Adam B. / 21 November 2006 / 2:42 PM / URL

   Not my fault—it’s all you hear when they come out. For me it’s usually an afterthought—either “yeah, he’s got a chance” or “what the hell was that?”—but something must be said for an Academy that claims to honor the best in film yet time and again overlooks directors like Scorsese, Altman, and Hitchcock for “directors” like Mel Gibson and Kevin Costner. I’ve always interpreted the Oscar rhetoric as a compliment to Scorsese rather than commercial blubbery.

3. Adam B. / 21 November 2006 / 2:46 PM / URL

   Also, I’m hoping Hollywood got a clue after last year’s Oscar ceremony, in which host Jon Stewart took to the stage after Best Original Song and said, “For those of you who are keeping score at home, I just want to make something very clear: Martin Scorsese, zero Oscars; Three 6 Mafia, one.” Now that was embarassing.

4. rogers / 1 December 2006 / 3:11 PM

   Let’s talk about the ending?

5. Adam B. / 2 December 2006 / 11:08 AM / URL

   While I agree with Ian that the last shot is ridiculous (I would use the term “vainglorious” rather than “breathtakingly stupid”), the ending didn’t both me a bit. As a friend of mine said, there really wasn’t any other way for the film to end, and I happen to agree with that. (Unless, of course, Costigan and Sullivan decided that they loved one another, then hopped a plane to Hawaii.)

6. Chiranjit / 2 December 2006 / 11:51 AM / URL

   I have no problem with how the film ended in terms of the body count, which I think is a perfectly fitting conclusion in relation to what Scorsese & co. have been attempting to get across to us for the past two hours of the film. I do have a problem with the bizarre tactless final shot, but as I stated in my own review, I can’t help but wonder if it’s supposed to be a little silly with Scorsese sharing a little laugh with us at how crudely he finishes his film. Or maybe I’m just hoping Scorsese is aware of how ridiculous that last shot looks.

7. rogers / 2 December 2006 / 12:26 PM

   Explain to me. Did she have him shot? Was she dead? Why were the two women in the hall avoiding him as he came home.

8. Adam B. / 2 December 2006 / 1:07 PM / URL

   When you say “she,” I assume you’re referencing Vera Farmiga’s character, Madolyn.

   The answer is no. Costigan probably sent Dignam a copy of the same CD he sent Madolyn. As for the women in the hallway, I can only assume they were tacken aback by Matt Damon’s boyish features. Of course, I could be wrong.

9. Chiranjit / 2 December 2006 / 1:34 PM / URL

   I’ve heard some people hypothesize that the envelope Madolyn received from Costigan asked her to contact Dignam. So she might have played a part in his murder, though this doesn’t really matter that much so long as we know Dignam found out about Sullivan in some manner. I don’t believe we have much reason to suspect that Madolyn died, but no one can deny Damon’s boyish features.

10. leo / 2 December 2006 / 1:59 PM / URL

    My interpretation of the two women avoiding Damon’s character in the hallway is that finally the golden boy had lost all of his magic. Pretty girls avoid him, his fiancée leaves him, his colleagues mistrust him, dogs bark at him on the street. This makes his final, resigned line quite hilarious, though maybe it provides no logical explanation for the women avoiding him. Unless, perhaps, pheromones are involved.

    As for the last shot, it would seem to require an unreasonable amount of faith to believe that Scorsese is sharing a laugh with us at how bad the shot is, but as a counterweight to the near-universal condemnation of the rat on the railing, cf. John Waters’ Top Ten Films of 2006 in the new issue of Artforum:

    5. The Departed (Martin Scorsese) The best-acted film of the year from America’s coolest director. The final shot is beyond perfection.

    The badness of the final shot takes on a new, strangely pleasurable tinge when you put it in the context of John Waters’ badness.

11. rogers / 2 December 2006 / 6:31 PM

    I didn’t realize it was Dignam who shot Damon’s character. That makes sense.