The Departed review

Another mystery of Martin Scorsese's career, alongside the fact he took so long to receive an Oscar, is why he has never previously collaborated with Jack Nicholson. From the first moment Nicholson appears as ruthless Irish mob boss Frank Costello, the pairing seems a natural fit.

After the misfires of The Aviator and The Gangs Of New York, it's good to see Scorsese back on familiar ground and back on his best form. Since his emergence with Mean Streets in 1973, Scorsese has frequently turned to the violent and tight knit world of organized crime with varying degrees of success. It's an environment he's familiar with. He's proven fluent in the language of loyalty, trust and honor that govern mob life and lie at the core of the gripping and twisting The Departed.

Based on the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, The Departed revolves around Costello and his relationship with two young men who lead double lives in their conflicting objectives to serve and prosecute Costello who, as head of Boston's Irish mob, has enforced his protection racket and held power with a sadistically violent grip. Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) was befriended by Costello at a young age and has subsequently gone on to forge a successful career as a detective with the Massachusetts State Police Department. It's a position he uses to help Costello. Meanwhile, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), a young rookie cop who grew up on the tough streets of South Boston, has been given by his boss Queenan (Martin Sheen) the covert mission of infiltrating Costello's mob in an effort to nail its boss. With enemies in opposing camps, the stage is set for an intriguing and duplicitous battle.

William Monahan's script is bristling with snappy dialogue, with many of the best lines reserved for the abusive mouth of Queenan's colleague Dignam (Mark Wahlberg in yet another terrific performance). In the hands of such an esteemed cast, every line is delivered with panache and every performance imbued with the assurity of working with a great director. DiCaprio, who was too flimsy to convince in Gangs, has gained the strength and depth required to legitimize Costigan and underscore Scorsese's faith in him.

As welcome as it is to see Scorsese exhibiting so many of his good habits, there are still one or two bad ones he's unable to shake. At two and half hours, The Departed is unnecessarily long. A more severe use of the digital scalpel would have served the film's cause. The murderous finale assumes Shakespearian proportions in its body count, though Macbeth didn't possess the darkly humorous tinge of The Departed. Following Costello's earlier cry of "Fucking rats, it's wearing me thin," the inclusion of a real rodent in the final scene, as misguided as it is, at least shows Scorsese isn't altogether serious. Though he has made a seriously good film.

Kevin Murphy