Review of Departed, The: Two-Disc Special Edition

Introduction

After again failing to secure a `Best Director` Oscar for `The Aviator`, Martin Scorsese returned to the genre that he is most associated with, directing a loose remake of the Hong Kong gangster classic `Infernal Affairs`. Penned by William Monahan, who wrote the Ridley Scott epic `Kingdom of Heaven`, the events take place in Boston and involve the Irish gangsters, instead of Triads in Hong Kong. I`m always wary of remakes and when I heard about the mooted remake of `Infernal Affairs`, I was dead against it, but then thought `If anyone can do it, Scorsese can`.

The premise of the film remains the same, a mob boss places a mole inside the police, whilst the police have a mole inside his gang; it`s only a matter of time before one uncovers the other`s identity. Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the latest in a long line of losers and criminals in his family and, wanting to be a policeman, agrees to use his roots and infiltrate the gang headed by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) almost grew up under the tutelage of Costello and now a high flying policeman, he uses his position to aid Costello and thwart the authorities.

Video

Perhaps the greatest director/editor partnership in the history of cinema, Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker have formed such an understanding that the technical aspects of `The Departed``s visuals are a joy to watch. The camerawork is on top form, with each shot appearing to be painstakingly framed and beautifully cut together by Schoonmaker. The 2.40:1 anamorphic transfer is flawless, showing off the brilliant visuals.

Audio

Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, the sound is beautifully clear. Scorsese knows his music and the soundtracks are always a major part of his films; with original music from the likes of The Rolling Stones and The Band, together with Howard Shore`s superb score, the audio element of `The Departed` is integral to the film and similar in many ways to that of `Goodfellas`.

Features

On disc one, trailers for `The Painted Veil`, `The Reaping`, `300` and `Blood Diamond` precede the menu although they can be skipped. The only feature on this disc is the theatrical trailer.

Disc two contains:
`Stranger Than Fiction: The True Story of Whitey Bulger, Southie and The Departed` - running at about 20 minutes, this explores the real criminal elements in South Boston (`Southie`) and the gangster James `Whitey` Bulger, a man I hadn`t heard of, which is surprising considering he is #2 on the FBI`s Most Wanted list behind Osama Bin Laden! The feature is very interesting and sheds light on a little-known area of American gangsterism. French subtitles are available.

The `Scorsese On Scorsese` documentary is, as the title suggests, the East Coast auteur talking about his life and career through the films he made, starting with `Who`s That Knocking at My Door?` and finishing with `The Aviator`. The last chapter is about a commercial he made for American Express, which is very funny. Scorsese is a captivating speaker and he narrates this 85 minute feature very well, making it a fascinating insight and a pleasure to watch.

`Crossing Criminal Cultures` is a 24 minute featurette concentrating on Martin Scorsese`s gangster pictures and their influences, with expert input from the Rolling Stone film critic, Peter Travers and Scorsese himself. This is also very interesting and a fine addition to the DVD package and also has French subtitles available.

Rounding off the supplementary material are nine extended or deleted scenes from `The Departed`; Scorsese provides a main introduction to the scenes and then explains why each one was omitted/shortened before it is shown.

Conclusion

One of the finest living directors, Martin Scorsese has built up such a body of work that almost every film he makes will be described as `not as good as `Raging Bull` or `Taxi Driver`` and this is no exception. Make no mistake, `The Departed` is a superb film and, although many may find this sacrilegious, I think this is a far better film than `Infernal Affairs`, a film of which I am a big fan. However, largely due to William Monahan`s excellent and Oscar-winning screenplay, `The Departed` is a more intricate thriller, with more layers and more complex characters.

With his performances in `The Aviator`, `Blood Diamond` and `The Departed`, DiCaprio has finally made amends for `Titanic` and is living up to the promise he showed in his first couple of features. Similarly, Matt Damon is now a fine screen actor and both are well supported by Alec Baldwin, Ray Winstone, Martin Sheen and especially Mark Wahlberg, who puts in a career best performance. Although his screen presence is undeniable, Jack Nicholson is almost on auto-pilot and acts as if Scorsese had said `Jack, you`re playing a Boston Irish gangster with a larger than life personality` and Nicholson is such a fine actor that he plays the character brilliantly almost without breaking a sweat. His hedonistic and almost delusional mob boss is far removed from the typical depiction of a gangster.

One aspect that separates `The Departed` from Scorsese`s best work is the absence of a charismatic and dominating main character, in the vein of Johnny Boy (`Mean Streets`), Jake La Motta (`Raging Bull`), Travis Bickle (`Taxi Driver`) or Henry Hill (`Goodfellas`), as the film requires the two leads to suppress their emotions to protect their true identities. Furthermore, the female lead, the psychiatrist Madolyn (Vera Farmiga), is atypically for Scorsese, an uninteresting peripheral character who is only marginally involved in the narrative. It also seems strange for Scorsese to make a gangster picture that in no way involves either New York or mobsters of Italian extraction. Being a born and bred New Yorker, it`s strange that he decided to set the film in Massachusetts with Irish gangsters - maybe he`s trying to expand his repertoire in his old age!

Despite some niggles, `The Departed` is a mazy and brilliantly constructed film and one that lives up to repeated viewings. It may not be Scorsese`s finest hour, but this was still easily one of the best films of 2006 and a worthy winner of the Best Editor, Best Picture and Best Director Oscars. Although there is no commentary, I can`t think of much that a commentary would have added above what is already covered in the special features - a fine package for an excellent film.