The Departed

The Departed - Trailer

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Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: It would be easier to list who ISN'T in it.

It's not very often life grants us a "mulligan" (aka: a "do-over" for the non-golfers out there). How many of us wouldn't love to go back and take another shot at things like prom, the big job interview or that night you convinced your girlfriend that it was better without a condom? Well, thanks to this year's Academy Award nominations, I have had the rare opportunity to see a movie that I missed out on last year, and have been crying myself to sleep over ever since. That movie is, of course, The Departed which is now in limited re-release to build Oscar buzz for its run at the best picture prize.

Scorsese is intimately familiar with this type of filmmaking having given us testosterone-fueled mob epics like Goodfella's, Casino, and most recently, Gangs of New York. The scenes are raw, quick-cut vignettes that form a sort of tapestry of events rather than a straight-forward narrative. I found this method of storytelling a little jarring at first until I realized this was an incredibly effective way to convey the passage of time. It beats the hell out of the old "One year later...." cop-out employed by lesser directors. Bravo Mr. Scorsese! Well played sir.

In a huge ensemble cast that includes Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg, its gotta' be tough for any one performance to outshine the rest. But Leonardo DiCaprio bitch-slaps them all with his brilliant turn as the sunken-eyed, deeply conflicted Billy Costigan. All you Leo haters out there who love to bring up Titanic (which was actually a really GOOD movie, damnit! What the hell is wrong with you people?!?) better get ready to have your misguided opinion changed forever. Leo is all growed-up now and if this movie doesn't validate him as a serious player than nothing will.

The Onion once claimed that Scorsese's next film would be three hours of begging for an Oscar. If by "begging" they mean "deserving" then yeah, I'd say that's EXACTLY what The Departed is.

Score: 10/12 monkeys