[The Departed ] - (2006) - [A Classic in the Making]

'The Departed' gyrates around a legal conflict between the Massachusetts Police Force and an Irish-American mob organization. A mobster affiliate has been chosen to infiltrate the police force, while a rookie police officer has been chosen to infiltrate the mob. This leads to a splendor of a story, as both endeavor to uncover the others identity...

This is a brilliant film.

The brilliance of this film is found all around. The acting is solid in every character. The direction is colossal. Plus, the story is captivating and engaging.

Each of the main actors are vivid in their portrayal.

DiCaprio as the police inside man Billy Costigan is riveting as he displays the suffering of having to fake who he is as a police undercover agent.

Damon plays detective Colin Sullivan with subtle brilliance. So well is his portion, that as a jerk he provokes you to hate him, for being such a scuzzy person.

Nicholson is highly entertaining as mob-boss Frank Costello. He balances evil wit and scare tactics, with great ease. His character was not the brutal 'scare in a bigger than life way'... but in small forms, he showed you how truly potent his violence could become.

Wahlberg who was detective Dignam was sharp, entertaining, a jerk, and fierce in his role. He reflects much of Tommy Corn a character he played in 'I (Heart) Huckabees'. Its the type of guy who has a smart mouth and a temper problem that leads him to act violently. In this film, he was highly entertaining.

Two of the smaller roles were played in a great big way. Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin hit the bull's eye, with each ones supporting role. They both played head's of the police.. but Sheen was mild mannered, while Baldwin was a sarcastic chatterbox of high comedic proportions. Each one delivered only what was need. You would image that big name actors like them would steal more light than they should.. but in this film they played the characters perfectly.

The story was solid and greatly entertaining. The best part about it, was the way it gave you solid dramatic portions.. while still including a healthy dose of comedy relief. In that way, the story never lingers around. It always serves something of delight. Every moment held something meaningful to absorb.

The direction was masterful. Martin Scorsese has created a splendor of a film. In directing this gangster flick based from the Hong Kong thriller 'Infernal Affairs', he has returned to what truly made him great. His shocking use of violence is great not because of the mutilating itself, but because of the artistic way in which he displays it. This time around it is certain that he has squeezed, the very best, out of his actors. Something that he has done lately, but not to the level that 'The Departed' and many of his early films held. In those earlier films he showed a masterful way to create gangster films. Then many other directors, went and flooded the scenes with ones of their own. Now Scorsese has returned and made "gangster" his own, once again, by showing a different side to it. He recreates new forms of bad guys and sheds a different light on what it means to be a good guy.

The most important aspect about 'The Departed' is how Scorsese has returned to proper form. His last two films gave you much to enjoy. I particularly LOVED hating Daniel Day Lewis in 'Gangs of New York' and felt that DiCaprio played Hughes with depth in 'The Aviator'. Yet, in neither of those two movies do you feel like you have watched something spectacular, that left you soaking with a feeling of "WoW". After I watched 'The Departed' I knew I had watched something special.

It gives you the grittiness of Mean Streets and adds a glamour-style to it, and even takes the violent ways, to another level.

The plot as a whole is riveting, and the ending is fantastic.

Watch it, so that you may feel... like once again you have been privileged to view a classic by Martin Scorsese.

- ZeN