Martin Scorsese can’t deny it: audiences have been lukewarm toward recent pet projects like The Aviator and Kundun. They want to see a bloody, three-hour profanity-laced crime drama that shows no mercy — the kind of film he does better than anyone in Hollywood. For his return to hard-hitting drama, Scorsese moves to Boston and produces a dark, richly textured film, The Departed.
The movie, adapted from the Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, tells the story of two Irish cops, one working undercover to infiltrate the South Boston mob run by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), the other supplying information to the mafia from the inside. Like any good scheme, the threads begin to unravel and both cops end up chasing each other in the dark, literally and figuratively, before their respective bosses can get wise.
The two leads give raw, powerful performances. Matt Damon plays the crooked Colin Sullivan as Good Will Hunting-gone-bad, a cocky, ambitious cop caught between his badge and his old Southie loyalties. His carefree attitude during his rise makes Sullivan’s fall even more anticipated, as he realizes both Costello and the police are better manipulators than he could ever be. As the cop-turned-mob-infiltrator, Leonardo DiCaprio gives an edgy physical and emotional performance, showing he has earned Scorsese’s trust as the director’s leading man.
Nicholson, whose recent auto-pilot comedic roles have seen him coasting through screen time, is finally given a chance to act again as the sadistic Costello, a character loosely based on real-life Southie mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger. Like Whitey, Costello is an eccentric mix of criminal mastermind and community pillar, equally comfortable executing enemies and helping local kids. Nicholson has plenty of scenery to chew on, and is responsible for many of the film’s darkly funny moments.
The most integral cast member is the city itself. Scorsese captures Boston’s beautiful and ugly sides, from the Southie slums to Beacon Hill. Massachusetts natives Damon, Mark Wahlberg and screenwriter William Monahan add authenticity to the dialogue and characterization, and locals will appreciate the attention to detail.
While not quite as riveting as Goodfellas, the superb cast and script help Scorsese make this much-needed return to form his most engrossing and uncompromising drama in years.