"The Departed" by Martin Scorsese: a review

"The Departed" is Hollywood American film in 2006 that focuses between a war among state police against an Irish-American crime syndicate. It is a remake of Hongkong film "Internal Affairs" in 2002. It has been a big hit upon its release. It has won four Academy Awards at the 79th Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Starring hollywood greatest stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Ray Winstone and Alec Baldwin. Music by Howard Shore, Cinematography by Michael Ballhaus, Written by William Monahan, Produced by Graham King and Directed by Martin Scorsese. It was released on September 26, 2006 at New York City Premiere running for 151 minutest and with a $90 million budget which grows to $289,847,354 gross revenue.

This is a story about two different individual who have chosen different path to achieved a mission. As young active police academy students each has their own goal on mind. Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a police assigned undercover agent, force to drop from the academy he entered a notorious crime syndicate lead by notorious Irish-American Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). His task was to gain the trust of the organization and inform the police about their crime activities to in order to bring them down to arrest. Only Captain Queenan (Martin Sheen) and the staff Sergeant Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) knows his real identity. While on the other hand, Frank Costello has made a young criminal Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) to join the police academy and has made great effort to regain power in the Special Investigation Unit team. His orders was to act as an informer to the syndicate and to rise in power in the police force.

As both individuals have done their jobs well. Gathering information and counter action plans both were going well when the silence was broken when it becomes clear to both the crime syndicate and the state police about an informant in the organization. Billy Costigan and Colin Sullivan are suddenly in danger of being caught and be exposed to each enemy. Each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself.

While Billy was beginning to fear that he might loss his true identity because Captain Queenan has been kill in one of there meetings in an abandoned building. Collin has come up with a torn allegiance to his job and to the criminal mastermind that put him there. He ask Costello about the profiles of all his crime subordinates.

Using Queenan cellphone, Colin was able to contact Billy about the undercover and advise Billy the poor boy to continue the operation. Billy with no idea at all, agree with it. Colin then planned an operation where the three of them meet, killing Frank Costello by his own hands he was applauded by his actions by the state police. But later on, Billy has found out Colin true identity and fled from the building. Knowing he has been found out, Colin erase all data and records of Billy Costigan as a police agent from the police computer system. Billy Costigan leaves the envelope in the care of Madolyn, with whom he has had a love affair with. Billy sends Colin an audio CD with a note requesting him to contact him. At an empty building where Queenan died was there meeting place. Billy surprises Colin by pointing a gun and arresting him but an officer came in who was both a colleague and an academy friend of Colin. Billy was shot to head by Colin colleague Barrigan, who reveals himself as another informer from the crime syndicate. Colin doesn't want any more informer so he shoot and kill his colleague. After all the incidents happen, Colin blame all informer activity on his colleague Barrigan and has given Billy a reward with the Medal of Merit on his death burial. But after then, Colin was kill by Dignam in his house who was also an informer for the crime syndicate leaving no trace of evidence.

Martin Scorsese has again captured the movie screen full force with his new mob drama since the Good Fellas and Mean Streets — The Departed. Adapted from the Hongkong film Internal Affairs, The Departed is a movie filled with rage, brutal violence, drugs, sexual content, and superb performance of dream casts: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack, Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone and Vera Farmiga. Every scene of the movie is thrillingly superb and the actors never failed to catch the audience attention on their worthwhile performance. This is perhaps the best Thriller and suspense movie in 2006.

Set in South Boston, the movie illustrated an Irish American crime syndicate activities. Two police officers that graduated from Massachusetts State Police Academy went to pursue law on different directions. Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) was assigned in the Special Investigations Unit as an undercover agent by SIU captain Queenan (Sheen) and Sergeant Dignam (Wahlberg) to watch for Frank Costello, a powerful Irish Mafia boss and obtain evidences to pin him up. In order to obtain the man’s confidence, Costigan had to endure the brutal torture of Mr. French (Winstone) the trusted right hand man of Costello. When he was able to infiltrate the organization, information streamed up between the mafia and SIU.

Colin Sullivan (Damon) on the other hand is a rising police officer assigned in the Special Investigation Unit and is a pet of Costello. Sullivan is the Irish gang’s source of inside information in the Police department. As the film progresses, the SIU and Irish Mafia realized that they hold double agents because of the series of information gained between the two groups. Costello now required all his men to submit their personal data for Sullivan to check it on SIU’s records for background check and catch the rat in the gang. The game of “catch me if you can” began that brought confusion to both groups on the identity of the mole and the rat. The story ended with neither one victorious over the other.

The stand out performance of DiCaprio in portraying the role of Costigan has surprised many as he was searching for a business administration career. His conveying of a series of emotion from rage, despair, cruelty and paranoia is simply outstanding. He managed to emerged into a more mature and sophisticated actor with his acting skills intensifying every time. Damon also did his part into a whole new level of acting. His features would less likely lead him to play as the one siding with the “bad” but he handled each situation best and sent the viewers gripping their seats with their hairs rising on their skin. Jack Nicholson followed the lead roles of DiCaprio and Damon with his devilish performance as the untouchable mafia boss that makes a good reason for the trio lead roles to stand out making the movie an outstanding suspense.