The Departed

I read that title and I want to say "Dearly Gathered", or maybe I want to pretend I understand the cadence, or rather the origins, of southern baptist churches full of hell fire and brimstone. I want to be able to say that phrase with the lilt and swing and dipthongs of a regular healer in a revival tent locked in summer heat all sweaty and such. But this isn't what I'm talking about right now, no, I'm talkin' about Southie, I'm talkin' about Provedance, I'm talkin' about Scorsese's latest offering, and probably his best since the phenomenal Goodfellahs. Yeah, its mean, the body count is high, the blood letting copious, the swearing absurd and uncaring, no group goes unmaligned, the characters are straight out of a handbook or manual on Boston PD stereotypes complete with bigotry and colorful gestures, yet it all works, brutally so.

To say I was pleased when I left the film isn't doing justice to exactly how pleased I was in the pacing and progress of the 2 1/2 hour train ride through a "Havahd Sqweah" you never want to be caught in. Nicholson's role is like taking the Joker, genetically splicing in Tony Montana, adding in Keasy's mad mad mad hatter from the flight ot he cuckoo, stirring well, shaking, and then amping it up 10 notches. Yeah, Nicholson is a sociopath, a glorious one, with deliciously quotable dialogue. Its a boys film, did ya hear that? It really is. The lovey story is completely disposable, the film will work just as well without it, actually perhaps even better, as it won't have to compromise or seme like it has a hand out for the female movie going audience. No offense ladies, but really, does that makeup up for all the headshots that this film has, over and over again?

So what makes this thing work? The fact that its over the top without letting the joke get old. It keeps reinventing the joke in quirky little ways and builds suspense very well. The story becomes a little preposterous as we get down the road a bit, and even contrived toward the very end, but the one thing I must say, besides the brilliant Jach Nicholson, is a glorious performance by Leonardo Di Caprio. Yeah, I said it here and now, he doesn't suck in this role. Normally I find him tired, and I was ready to write off Scorsese for making his third film with Leo, considering how awful he was in Gangs of New York, and only moderately interesting in The Aviator, but its as if he came of age in this film. He's exciting to watch, interesting, you want to see him on screen, and are at the same time repulsed by Matt Damon who also does a fabulous job, and probably doesn't have to fake the accent. Di Caprio brings with him, finally, a bit of weight (thanks John), to the role, which makes the experience of watching him play a tough guy not only believable, but enjoyable.

Before I end this, let me say, that the film has an absolutely brilliant sound track, that opens with The Rolling Stones Give me Shelter and has a brilliant cover of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb a la Country/Western. I don't know who did the latter, but as soon as I'll find out, I'll post it here... Go watch it... if for no other reason than to see Scorsese do what he does best: paint with a brutal brush.