'The Departed'--A movie review
Last weekend, I saw the film, The Departed, with Deirdre, my girlfriend, and my Aunt Gay. Both of them agreed, that while the movie was certainly riveting and complex, it was just too gruesome and dark for their tastes. They hadn't quite known what they were getting into. I hadn't either to tell the truth, but the movie's violence, to me, was quite satisfying. To me, it was just a sublimely excellent movie.
The Departed is a remake of an old Hong Kong film called Infernal Affairs. I never saw that movie, but if it was better than the remake, I definitely want to. The cast is full of A-grade actors including Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson. My first thought on the movie, seeing it advertised on television, was that it was a film that wanted to let a lot of famous people do a cameo, but when I saw it, I was like: 'Wow, these guys are really acting!'
The characters played by Matt Damon and Leonardo Dicaprio were portrayed as kindred spirits in a way, but one took the path of the dark side, while the other chose to be on the side of the good guys. Ironically, the good guy, Billy Costigan, went undercover pretending to be one of the bad guys, while Damon's character, Colin Sullivan, becomes a Massachusetts state trooper, but is in reality the semi-adopted son and right-hand man of Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), Boston's most wanted and most powerful gangster.
Both the police and the gangsters know a "rat" is in their midst, but neither side knows who the rat is. A horrific cat and mouse game ensues and in the end only the character played by Mark Wahlberg is left standing. Everyone else has 'departed' in pools of blood and bullets. It is a movie that has me still thinking about it a week since I saw it. Not many movies do that. I keep trying to figure out what its overriding theme is. It's something like:
How far can one depart from his true self and still remain themselves at all? What is loyalty and who should we be most loyal to: our father? Our family? To our society? Where does one cross the line between good and evil?
The film does not answer any of these questions, but puts them all out there quite blatantly to let the viewer reach his own conclusion.
The Departed is a 'guy film' and a half. No sentimentality lurking in the corners in this one. My only slight objection to the movie was the ending. There seemed to be no real resolution. All of this took place and nothing good seemed to come from it. There is no moral victory. But I think that's the point. Scorcese doesn't believe that good necessarily wins out in the end. 'The world is a dark place and it will continue to be, he seems to say.' There's not necessarily a silver lining to be found.
The movie's violence is satisfying in a very visceral way. It is not random killing, but thoughtful, calculated, intelligent, brutal violence portrayed so graphically and yet so artfully. The only movie I could really compare it to is The Godfather.
It was a movie that hit me in the gut and I definitely would love to go back to let it take another whack at me whenever it comes out on DVD.
The Departed is a remake of an old Hong Kong film called Infernal Affairs. I never saw that movie, but if it was better than the remake, I definitely want to. The cast is full of A-grade actors including Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson. My first thought on the movie, seeing it advertised on television, was that it was a film that wanted to let a lot of famous people do a cameo, but when I saw it, I was like: 'Wow, these guys are really acting!'
The characters played by Matt Damon and Leonardo Dicaprio were portrayed as kindred spirits in a way, but one took the path of the dark side, while the other chose to be on the side of the good guys. Ironically, the good guy, Billy Costigan, went undercover pretending to be one of the bad guys, while Damon's character, Colin Sullivan, becomes a Massachusetts state trooper, but is in reality the semi-adopted son and right-hand man of Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), Boston's most wanted and most powerful gangster.
Both the police and the gangsters know a "rat" is in their midst, but neither side knows who the rat is. A horrific cat and mouse game ensues and in the end only the character played by Mark Wahlberg is left standing. Everyone else has 'departed' in pools of blood and bullets. It is a movie that has me still thinking about it a week since I saw it. Not many movies do that. I keep trying to figure out what its overriding theme is. It's something like:
How far can one depart from his true self and still remain themselves at all? What is loyalty and who should we be most loyal to: our father? Our family? To our society? Where does one cross the line between good and evil?
The film does not answer any of these questions, but puts them all out there quite blatantly to let the viewer reach his own conclusion.
The Departed is a 'guy film' and a half. No sentimentality lurking in the corners in this one. My only slight objection to the movie was the ending. There seemed to be no real resolution. All of this took place and nothing good seemed to come from it. There is no moral victory. But I think that's the point. Scorcese doesn't believe that good necessarily wins out in the end. 'The world is a dark place and it will continue to be, he seems to say.' There's not necessarily a silver lining to be found.
The movie's violence is satisfying in a very visceral way. It is not random killing, but thoughtful, calculated, intelligent, brutal violence portrayed so graphically and yet so artfully. The only movie I could really compare it to is The Godfather.
It was a movie that hit me in the gut and I definitely would love to go back to let it take another whack at me whenever it comes out on DVD.
posted by Charlie at 10:39 AM
1 Comments:
I never thought I'd say this, but sometimes, violence is satisfying. I read a lot of murder mysteries, watch some boxing or extreme fighting, do martial arts (just started)... it is a great way to get out the frustrations of the day without actually hurting someone. Some days are more violent than others...
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