Matt Damon Movie:

Editorial Review:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg star in Martin Scorsese's new crime drama "The Departed." "The Departed" is set in South Boston where the state police force is waging an all-out war to take down the city's top organized crime ring. The key is to end the reign of powerful mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) from the inside. A young rookie, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate Costello's mob. While Billy is working to gain Costello's trust, another young cop, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is among a handful of elite officers whose mission is to bring Costello down. But what his superiors don't know is that Colin is working for Costello, keeping the crimeboss one step ahead of the police. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operation he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the gangsters and the police that they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin find themselves in constant danger of being caught-and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself.

Description of The Departed (Widescreen Edition):
Martin Scorsese makes a welcome return to the mean streets (of Boston, in this case) with The Departed, hailed by many as Scorsese's best film since Casino. Since this crackling crime thriller is essentially a Scorsese-stamped remake of the acclaimed 2002 Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, the film was intensely scrutinized by devoted critics and cinephiles, and while Scorsese's intense filmmaking and all-star cast deserve ample acclaim, The Departed is also worthy of serious re-assessment, especially with regard to what some attentive viewers described as sloppy craftsmanship (!), notably in terms of mismatched shots and jagged continuity. But no matter where you fall on the Scorsese appreciation scale, there's no denying that The Departed is a signature piece of work from one of America's finest directors, designed for maximum impact with a breathtaking series of twists, turns, and violent surprises. It's an intricate cat-and-mouse game, but this time the cat and mouse are both moles: Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is an ambitious cop on the rise, planted in the Boston police force by criminal kingpin Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hot-tempered police cadet who's been artificially disgraced and then planted into Costello's crime operation as a seemingly trustworthy soldier. As the multilayered plot unfolds (courtesy of a scorching adaptation by Kingdom of Heaven screenwriter William Monahan), Costigan and Sullivan conduct a volatile search for each other (they're essentially looking for "themselves") while simultaneously wooing the psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga) assigned to treat their crime-driven anxieties.

Such convenient coincidences might sink a lesser film, but The Departed is so electrifying that you barely notice the plot-holes. And while Nicholson's profane swagger is too much "Jack" and not enough "Costello," he's still a joy to watch, especially in a film that's additionally energized by memorable (and frequently hilarious) supporting roles for Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, and a host of other big-name performers. The Departed also makes clever and plot-dependent use of cell-phones, to the extent that it couldn't exist without them. Powered by Scorsese's trademark use of well-chosen soundtrack songs (from vintage rock to Puccini's operas), The Departed may not be perfect, but it's one helluva ride for moviegoers, proving popular enough to become the biggest box-office hit of Scorsese's commercially rocky career. --Jeff Shannon

The Departed (Widescreen Edition) Reviews:
Terrible movie bad language in it
2009-11-06 - I did not watch more than 5 minutes as it had the "F" word every other word
mot something I would waste electricity on
had not seen it but bought it for Decapprio's acting
why put filth in your mind?
well that was wasted money
DO NOT BUY UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN IT I forgot my throey on that statement?
chfancier

An Instant Classic!!!
2009-11-05 - When I like a movie, people hate me. So grab your tomatos! Holy Crap it was good!! Departed is a crime drama directed by my main man Martin S. It's well acted and the pacing is incredible. If you are a crime buff, buy this movie. I loved the plot, I loved the tension, I loved the gore and I really loved the ending...However, what really struck me (and probably only me) is that this film presents us with one of the greatest battles between good and evil I've ever seen.

Matt Damon is the villain, here, and he's the most digusting person ever. Bred a criminal litterally from the age of 10 to his graduation of the Massachusetts State Police Department, he goes undercover as a police officer in the "Staties" to keep the fuzz off of the back of his boss Jack Nicholson, Boston's most notorious mobster. Meanwhile, head of Internal Affairs Martin Sheen and Marky-Mark have a man or two planted in Nicholson's outfit that Matt Damon doesn't quite know about...yet. Sheen hires "Statie" graduate DiCaprio under the table to go undercover as a muscle for Nicholson to gather evidence for an offical and legal coup. You see, DiCaprio was sort of a black sheep in his family, very innocent and benevolent. Since both his father and uncle once worked with Nicholson in previous years, it's implied that Nicholson just assumes the very smart and talented "kid" is trustworthy enough to resume his family's work in the mafia. The whole point of the film is DiCaprio's taking down Nicholson without being made by Damon.

Damon and DiCaprio are written perfectly into the movie. Damon is a slick smart-alec who can get anything and everything he wants acting like the "good guy"...while DiCaprio (the real good guy) suffers through beatings and murders, totally killing his spirit to fight crime. The movie gets good when an affair with woman brings these two guys together. You can see their true colors and really appreciate the excellent performances they put out. Nicholson is also very sinister in this movie. He was perfect for the role of a criminal that's getting old. Good lines and great expressions. This is definitely his best role as an older character. Sheen and Wahlberg play believable cops. Sheen is completely innocent and kind. Mark W. is a little harsh, but you periodically see him swallow his pride and show that he's a warmhearted guy deep down. Other cast members are great. Some are pretty funny, actually. If the plot sounds cool, check it out. This is a movie about murder, deception, loss and how pride really does come before the fall. A+

Martin Scorsese is back in a big way!
2009-10-23 - "The Departed" inspires many easy superlatives: the director's best since "Goodfellas"--maybe even better; his most entertaining film since "The Color of Money"--maybe even more; and the best story he has put to screen since "The Age of Innocence"--maybe even better. To throw some more hyperbolical praise its way, here goes: This is the best gangster film since "Pulp Fiction"--maybe even...well, you get the point.

Like Michael Mann ("Collateral," "Heat"), Scorsese has gone back to what he does best, yet integrates the filmmaking skills he picked up from his departures from his original genre. The result is a movie that fires on all pistons. The story of two rats--one a cop pretending to be a gangster (Leonardo DiCaprio), the other a loyal gangster who appears to be a cop (Matt Damon)--and the devilish boss they both serve (Jack Nicholson) is an intellectual roller-coaster ride that keeps viewers glued to their seats until the final frames. Working from a superb script by William Monaghan (Kingdom of Heaven), all the actors in the star-studded cast turn in exceptional performances. DiCaprio shines yet again in his third collaboration with Scorsese (the first two were Gangs of New York and The Aviator); beneath his poker-faced façade, Damon shows a greater range of emotional expression here than he ever has before; Mark Wahlberg, as an abrasive, in-your-face, hard-edged bulldog of a police sergeant, has stepped right back into the big time with his Oscar-worthy work here (his best ever and most memorable since Boogie Nights); as the lone lady in a boys' show, Vera Farmiga also holds the screen and provides the movie with some much needed heart; and in the limited screen time they have, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, and even Anthony Anderson manage to be memorable.

Simply stated, everything about this movie works (even Nicholson's reckless excesses): every detail, every plot twist, and every rockin' soundtrack choice. More than any other movie in recent memory, The Departed illustrates how most of us live double lives and how devastating the circumstances of doing so can be when they finally catch up to us.

Could have been so much better
2009-10-10 - A good story, a stellar cast performing brilliantly, the director of one of the greatest films of all time (The Godfather). . . What could go wrong. Well, a lot. If you love hearing the "F" word, this is your film. Its frequency of use was both unnecessary and boring. (Scorcese created The Godfather without using it and became a directorial legend.) If you love a film with fast, confusing cuts that bounce between time, then this is the one for you. If you love cops that act as bad as the criminals, buy this one today. The film improved as it went along, but the first half hour was slow and jumbled thanks to the cutting. It finally settled in only to end absurdly with almost everyone being revealed as a double agent and/or murderer. Mark Wahlburg's Sgt. Dingham character was over written and drastically over played. His character should have been first to die in the film. If it weren't for the performances, this film would rate a 2, although we've seen Nicholson in this type of role many times before.

Addendum: Of course I am wrong in saying that Scorsese directed The Godfather. That was Coppola, and I knew that. Brain cramp. The opposite of foul-mouthed movies is not Walt Disney, as one of my critics has noted. I might retort that, if you wish to hear that word in abundance, watch porno. As Alfred Hitchcock stated: If you portray a man entering a meeting carrying a briefcase that the audience knows contains a ticking time bomb, that is what builds the tension, not the explosion itself. Indeed, it is anti-climactic. Film makers have largely forgotten that principle, and audiences, now with shortened attention spans by feeding on a diet of such films, demand violence as an inevitable end. The Departed is still a poorly constructed film, and the police as portrayed were, to a man, as despicable as the criminals.


:)
2009-09-26 - one of the most amazing movies! if i could give it 6 stars, i would!