2007 was a huge year for Martin Scorsese. Despite the prolific filmmaker making classics such as Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, and Goodfellas, Scorsese has never won the Academy Award for Best Picture or Best Director. The Oscars had a stacked category for Best Picture: Babel, Letters From Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Queen were the four other nominees for that year. The Departed has wasn’t Scorsese’s film venture into gangster territory, but that film had a different flavor than what he did with Goodfellas.
The followed Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), who went undercover to infiltrate the organization of Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). As Billy is trying to earn the trust of the dangerous gangster, career criminal (and untrusted snake) Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is busy infiltrating the police department to his boss Frank. When both organizations learn they have a mole within their ranks, Billy and Colin must figure out each other’s identities to save their own lives.
This remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Internal Affairs is highly regarded and even won several Golden Globes. It’s been nearly 20-years since Scorsese’s big film, did The Departed really deserve to walk out of the 2007 Academy Awards as the best movie of the year.
The Departed Is An Incredible And Complex Feature That Explores Both Sides Of The Law
The Departed isn’t just another gangster film. It’s a film that highlights the morals and values of not only Colin and Billy, but Frank as well. The reason this film works so well is the complexity of everyone involved. Billy Costigan may have grown up in the rough parts of his neighborhood but he’s a good kid caught up in a screwed up world. Sullivan’s mind was corrupted early on during his first meeting with Frank as a kid.
It’s fascinating how Scorsese is able to use these relationship dynamics masterfully. Just like Sullivan, Frank is a two-faced snake that was secretly working with the FBI. It’s amazing to understand that he didn’t fully trust Colin because he understood how much of a smooth liar he could be. Watching Sullivan and Costigan’s lives unravel as they try to sniff each other out is thoroughly entertaining.
Costigan is on the brink of suicide because of everything he’s done and seem under the nose of Frank. Sullivan sleeps like a baby despite a good portion of his life being a lie. The Departed is a no honor among thieves concept that showcases how corruption can influence an impressionable mind. In terms of directing, Scorsese’s style is top notch here. I loved that the X symbol was an indicator of someone meeting their death fairly soon. However, the filmmaker doesn’t rely on violent and gore to state it’s message, The Departed isn’t afraid to crawl into the darkest part of the criminal mentally, and then pull the trigger on something big.
The film still has one of the best three acts ever. After the gun show that saw the gruesome deaths of Costigan and a bunch of cops, having Sgt. Dignam to be the one to put an end to Sullivan was the perfect ending.
The Characters Are Incredible
There’s so many parallels between Colin Sullivan and Henry Hill it’s astonishing. The Departed says so much about his character without him having to say much at all. We don’t see Sullivan have any sleepless nights. Nor is he mentally battling an internal struggle over working with Frank. He wants to be a gangster. And the beauty of his career is that he’s the perfect charming thief. He’ll smile in your face one minute, but won’t hesitate to put a bullet in the next.
Leo should’ve gotten the Best Actor award here. The guy is simply tremendous at having a mental breakdown on trying to balance two worlds. He’s a cop, so naturally, he’s afraid that his secret will be expose. But he took the job because he wanted to show that’s he truly a changed man that wants to do some good in the world. It’s sad that his journey ended in death, but that carrot has been dangling over him since he opted to go undercover.
Jack Nicholson is a natural as Frank; he’s charisma, funny, a deeply layer being that isn’t just a stereotypical gangster. However, the supporting cast is what really brings out the set of this engaging performances. Martin Sheen’s Captain Queenan is perfect as the “good cop” to Sgt. Dignam douchebaggery.
Speaking of Dignam, I love the ending so much is because it showed that Dignam did truly care about Costigan and respected him deep down inside. He displays his honor by getting revenge on the man responsible for his death. Every character in The Departed plays a nice and crucial role within Billy and Colin’s story. Even though Vera Farmiga doesn’t have much of a role here, her part is she significant especially towards the end. An incredible cast that brings the life to this nicely developed character.
So, Does The Departed Deserve It’s Best Picture Oscar?
Big time. No other film in 2006 hit as hard as The Departed. Martin Scorsese managed to elevate the gangster genre by showcasing a different perspective of the criminal underbelly. The film is well shot, the acting is incredible, and the story never drags despite two hour plus run time.
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