“I don’t want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me.” – Jack Costello
‘The Departed’ is a 2006 Irish-American crime-thriller directed by Martin Scorsese.
It is considered by many to be one of his seminal, modern motion pictures. It’s a tour-de-force – incorporating the finer elements of filmmaking that Scorsese has acquired through a long and storied career. The acting, pacing, score, visuals, editing, and an expertly crafted narrative; all come together to form something truly riveting and roguishly romantic. With little touches of comedy and stylistic wit, that work to balance out the more somber moments — in my ardent opinion, ‘The Departed’ is among the most moving crime-capers put to screen, rivaled only by ‘Casino’ – one of Scorsese’s formerly oft lauded gangster epics.
Based in Boston (specifically South Boston), the plot revolves around the rather Shakespearean premise of two opposing leads caught in a whirlwind of juxtaposed forces; some criminal, some judiciary — and all competing for supremacy in the underworld of Boston’s inner-city. There’s a reference to Shakespeare early in the runtime, in an effort to inform the viewer that the structure is purposefully symmetrical: a trademark of the English bard’s style. Opposing forces and archetypes are a recurring theme in a number of Shakespeare’s plays. As it turns out — Scorsese borrowed some of the major plot points from a Hong Kong action-flick titled ‘Infernal Affairs’; it inspired the intricate web of lies and deceit that permeates ‘The Departed’.
The plot is very similar, nearly beat-for-beat. So, perhaps it is more of a “knock on effect” when it comes to the Shakespearean motifs that are present in Scorsese’s picture. Either way, this film is a wondrous reimagining of the feature directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak.
PREMISE
Billy Costigan (played by DiCaprio) is a South Boston born and raised State Trooper-trainee who is refused a position after acing his entrance exam, only to be offered a job to go deep undercover and gather info on a big-time Irish mob boss — by the name of Jack Costello. Costigan’s familial associations with underground crime is both a blessing and a curse; it’s why he is denied entry into the traditional police force, but it also allows him to come off as a legitimate small-time crook in an attempt to infiltrate Costello’s inner circle.
Costello (played by the legendary Jack Nicholson) is the type of man that few dare to confront.
Early in the film; we receive a narration in the form of a faceless monologue by Costello explaining the ins-and-outs of underground crime in Boston — and utilizing a slough of racial pejoratives in the process. This opening succeeds in setting the tone for the film and avoids wasting time on lengthy or convoluted world building. Most gangster-flicks contain a lot of…let’s say, colourful language, so trigger warnings for anyone who objects to this kind of language to illustrate a character’s rough upbringing.
Costello in particular must’ve had a considerably bad one — since the character is prone to spouting truly shocking expletives: Jack Nicholson delivers these lines in a sardonic, yet crass manner – which works well to disarm the subject matter — at least somewhat.
There are those who have accused him of “hamming it up” for this fictionalized take on Whitey Bulger (the infamous Irish mobster who served as inspiration for Costello) but I think if Nicholson had chose to play it more straight, the film may have suffered from a lack of contrasting tones. At least this way you get some levity, even if you’re watching Nicholson toss around a dismembered hand on a dinner table.
Some of the lines in this scene reminded me of the infamous “I think I see a wing” quote by Joe Pesci to Ray Liotta, in “Goodfellas”.
After all, comedic relief is priceless, especially when the acting by Leo DiCaprio and Vera Farmiga is unquestionably tear-jerking and emotionally taxing in nature.
Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) stands opposite to Costigan; his antithesis in almost every possible way. Sullivan grew up fatherless, mob-boss Frank Costello stepped in to provide a paternal figure for the boy while hatching a plan that involved his protege, one that takes years to bear fruit. While Billy Costigan is training to become a state trooper; his counterpart is surpassing him in the Massachusetts State Police Academy — going on to graduate and later becoming a police detective, studying law at Suffolk University. All this, is done at the behest of Costello: Colin Sullivan is now an unwavering informant within the Police Department for the Irish mob.
Sullivan is portrayed excellently by Matt Damon, and serves an integral role as the secondary antagonist AKA ‘contagonist’ of the story
(Bear with me, I will discuss his acting more in part II)
STAND-OUT MOMENTS
A certain scene in particular is a brilliant and transcendent example of acting; in my opinion it’s one of the most powerful displays of emotion put to film.
I’m of course, talking about the scene that pits the police department’s psychiatrist Madolyn Madden (played by Vera Farmiga) against Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) in a therapy session that goes off the rails in a very noticeable way. DiCaprio’s gradual descent into depression and anxiety in the film allows for a display of raw, unbridled rage at who he sees as an instrument of the system (his court appointed psychiatrist). Superb acting empowers the scene with intensity and weight it might otherwise not have.
Throughout the film DiCaprio switches from submissive to antagonistic in an instant, however in this scene there is a slow, methodical build up, which ends in a vicious diatribe that perturbs; and challenges, his counselor’s sensibilities.
Here’s an excerpt from the scene:
Madolyn : [during his counseling session] What do you expect coming in here?
Billy Costigan : I have to come here.
Madolyn : I know you have to come here, but now that you’re here, what do you want?
Billy Costigan : You want the truth? Valium.
Madolyn : You know if you lied, you would have an easier time getting what you wanted.
Billy Costigan : What does that say about what you do for a living?
Madolyn : I just think we should have a few more meetings before we even talk about prescriptions.
Billy Costigan : Look… look, I’m having panic attacks, alright? The other night I thought I was having a fucking heart attack. I puked in a trash barrel on the way over here. I haven’t slept for fucking weeks.
Madolyn : Is that true?
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[1]IMDb.com
Lead Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Vera Farmiga, Martin Sheen, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin,
Director: Martin Scorsese
Screenplay by William Monahan
Produced by Brad Pitt, Brad Gray, and Graham King.
Stay Tuned for Part II of my Review of Scorsese’s Masterpiece
‘The Departed’
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Sources:
[1]https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/characters/nm0267812
