Review: The Departed

When "The Departed" was first released in the theatre, I wasn't really interested. By the time the DVD came out, though, the Oscar predictors had convinced me I had to see it. They were right. This movie is worthy of all the Oscar buzz it has received. It's a Martin Scorsese film. In the Scorsese tradition, it's high drama. The cast includes some of the best actors of our time: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson. I guess it's a no-brainer that this film is great drama. The jacket compares it to "Goodfellas" and I think that's a fair comparison. Nicholson gives an Oscar-worthy potrayal of a Boston mob boss. Dicaprio is a rookie cop given the role of getting inside the boss' organized crime family. Matt Damon does an incredible job playing a detective whose job it is to track down the mole. The biggest twist is that Damon is the mole. I'm not giving the film away with this detail...it's obvious from the first of the movie. Most of the movie is spent as Dicaprio and Damon try to outwit each other in a wierd cat-and-dog chase. Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg do a great job in supporting roles as detectives. Eventually, they collide. I was doing laundry while I was watching this movie. That's not unusual. What is unusual is that I asked my husband to hit pause everytime I had to go to the laundry room. Usually, I can follow a movie just by listening. With "The Departed," I didn't want to miss anything. It's that good, it's that gripping. While it might be hard to find a script strong enough for three major stars, this one showcases all of their talents. The cast fits the story. You realize why all of these guys have reputations as being Hollywood's best. I purchased the two-disc special edition for my husband as a Valentine's Day gift. (Hey...he loves mob films, okay?) The special features include additional scenes that are introduced by Scorsese, a documentary about Scorsese, a documentary about the true inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character, and a documentary about how the Italian mafia have influenced Scorsese's film. This is an adult film. It's rated R. There's plenty of violence and adult situations.