Movie: The Departed

[Alexander]

I've never been that big of a Scorcese fan. Love Taxi Driver, but even that had jarring moments. And now I have trouble watching it because the young DeNiro looks exactly like Toby Maguire to me. I kep expecting him to throw down the gun and start shooting webbing...

I thought the same thing when I watched "Taxi Driver" at a midnight movie last weekend! I kept thinking that if someone remade "Taxi Driver" (a serious mistake, in my opinion) Toby Maguire would HAVE to play Travis...

No one could replace Jodi Foster, though...

Edited October 7, 2006 by Alexander

[Stefan Wood]

Just watched this today. Down in Williamsburg visiting my folks. Downpouring rain the past couple of days -- areas are going to get flooded. The theater is the place to be today! I think this is Scorcese's best film in years, possibly since Raging Bull. Even knowing it is an American remake, the plot is well written. You get a feel for Boston's seedy underbelly, the old Irish Catholics whose mob presence is still pervasive, and the scuzziness of some of the old neighborhoods. There is so much testoserone and foul language being tossed around it borders on cariacture. Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, even Alec Baldwin are all fine in their roles. Leonardo DeCaprio is outstanding -- and this comes from someone who dislikes his acting. I would be shocked if he doesn't get nominated for an Academy. Marc Wahlberg is over the top, and is meant to be -- he has some of the funniest lines in the film. The best thing about this film is it lacks the trademark Scorcese style; he eshews his "style" in favor of a clean, no nonsense look that just delivers a story. No "look I am a film genius" here. I'm wondering on some level he has grown tired of the gangster world that he romanticized so much, like in Goodfellas. There is no glamour in the gangster world -- Nicholson is a nut job, a murderer who leads other killers in maintaining control over Boston. My dad made an interesting remark that this builds on a prior film, Gangs of New York, in dealing with the Irish mob. I agree to some extent. 2 1/2 hours long, but solid. Recommended!

Edited October 7, 2006 by Stefan Wood

[BruceH]

The odd thing to me about Nicholson is that the crappier the movie, the better he is.

I don't know...he was damn good in Chinatown, and I've never counted that as a crappy movie.

Although I agree that he rapidly descended into self-parody after Cuckoo's Nest.

[BruceH]

I'm one of those who thought Casino was a terrible botch of a movie. And I've never been that thrilled with Raging Bull, either. (I always suspected it got the "classic" lable largely due to De Niro's weight gain for the role, which was unusual at the time and impressed people out of all, uhm, proportion.) On the plus side, I still think King Of Comedy is a damn good, perhaps great, film, and it's still my favorite Scorcese over all. (Hey, another "King"!) In short, Scorcese is too inconsistent a director to expect his latest to automatically be a keeper. One can hope though. I'll probably see The Departed one of these days, if only for the Boston location shooting.

[RDK]

The best thing about this film is it lacks the trademark Scorcese style; he eshews his "style" in favor of a clean, no nonsense look that just delivers a story. No "look I am a film genius" here.

Ah, but the mark of a true film genius is knowing when to be stylish and when not to be.

Regardless, I otherwise agree with Stefan - it's a terrific film. Saw it at a 2 pm matinee in a packed theater (was surprised by that!). Highly recommended.

[patricia]

Although I really liked "Gangs of New York", I think that Scorcese meant it to be a star vehicle for Leonardo di Caprio, who needed an adult role. Daniel Day Lewis' performance was head and shoulders above di Carprio's and I don't think that was Scorcese's intention. It was interesting to watch Day Lewis flesh out his character. Amazing performance, IMO.

[Kalo]

I'm one of those who thought Casino was a terrible botch of a movie. And I've never been that thrilled with Raging Bull, either. (I always suspected it got the "classic" lable largely due to De Niro's weight gain for the role, which was unusual at the time and impressed people out of all, uhm, proportion.) On the plus side, I still think King Of Comedy is a damn good, perhaps great, film, and it's still my favorite Scorcese over all. (Hey, another "King"!) In short, Scorcese is too inconsistent a director to expect his latest to automatically be a keeper. One can hope though. I'll probably see The Departed one of these days, if only for the Boston location shooting.

Hey B,

I read somewhere yesterday that much of the shooting was done in Brooklyn!

I'm a King of Comedy partisan, too. After that I'd put Mean Streets, Goodfellas, then Taxi Driver. I loved After Hours at the time, though I wonder how it holds up. I have to admit that I've skipped a lot of the Scorcese flicks over the years since then. And the ones I have seen, such as Casino and The Age of Innocence were less than successful, I thought.

I'll probably check the new one out, though Nicholson is a deterrent. He's been such a ridiculous caricature for so long that I'm almost afraid to go back to movies I once liked, such as Chinatown, for fear that they've been spoiled retroactively. I had hopes for About Schmidt, but found Nicholson to be unable to escape the straightJACKet of his persona even when actively trying to deny it.

Edited October 9, 2006 by Kalo

[BruceH]

Hey B,

I read somewhere yesterday that much of the shooting was done in Brooklyn!

That figures.

[Kalo]

Hey B,

I read somewhere yesterday that much of the shooting was done in Brooklyn!

That figures.

At least he didn't shoot it in Toronto!

[Kalo]

I read somewhere yesterday that much of the shooting was done in Brooklyn!

as far as i know... fuck no! HOWEVER-- yes, interior scenes were shot here on a soundstage, which is to say they could have been done anywhere. while i believe ya'll who enjoyed this film on its own terms, the more i think about it Scorcese's career of last 20+ years, the less impressed i am. he's just NOT that bright a guy & while fully capable of crafting entertainments, the limits of his vision are ever more apparent. doesn't change past accomplishment but i propose he's more like a rock guy (more goddamn tiresome Stones music pls, my how creative) with relatively limited peak than Duke.

side Q1: can any Bostonians or Boston people say where ('hoods i mean) the exteriors were done?

side Q2: are there are George V. Higgins readers here?

unless i missed something, last Scorcese outside scene shot in Brooklyn was DeNiro near end of "Goodfellas"

(Henry Hill's wife visits him at warehouse?) a fine film DESPITE his presence.

make mine DON SIEGEL, gracias,

c

I share your esteem for Don Siegel, Clem.

I just looked at some of the articles about The Departed and they contain references to the interiors mostly being shot in New York. I was misled by the headlines of tha articles, all of which said something like "Scorcese Boston film shot in New York."

You mean I have to actually read the articles, too?

[Stereojack]

I just came home from seeing the film and I'm gonna give it a very enthusiastic thumbs up! The 2 1/2 hours fly by, Damon & DiCaprio are outstanding, the plot is just convoluted enough to hold one's interest without confusion. Personally, I love Jack Nicholson's quirks, and he is wonderful as the crime boss. I admire Scorsese enough to check out each new film, and this is his best in at least a decade.

And I won't even get started on the last 10 minutes!

[sal]

And I won't even get started on the last 10 minutes!

That was definitely a roller coaster.

[Soulstation1]

i'm gonna see this movie today

fingers crossed

[Big Wheel]

I read somewhere yesterday that much of the shooting was done in Brooklyn!

side Q1: can any Bostonians or Boston people say where ('hoods i mean) the exteriors were done?

There are some shots of City Hall Plaza downtown, and a skyline shot of downtown that was taken from across the channel in South Boston. Other than that I didn't recognize much - the river/harbor scenes mostly take place at night and it was hard to tell where exactly they take place. I think I remember seeing one daytime shot around the Longfellow Bridge near the Hatch Shell, but it might have been a different bridge.

[BruceH]

Finally saw this today. Overall a good effort, I'd say, with a distinct samorai feel about it, which makes sense regarding the source material. Kalo's concerns about Nicholson are well taken, but while there's a lot of JACK in this performance, it actually works because the role seems to call for it. I now see what they mean about cell phones becoming a major character in the plot toward the end. I liked the location shots, especially the tracking shot of them driving over the new Tobin bridge, though the over-obvious symbolism of the final shot was a bit of a groaner.

[Soulstation1]

anyone pick up this on dvd?

[sal]

anyone pick up this on dvd?

I got it. Sprung for the two disc special edition which has the TCM special "Scorsese on Scorsese", which is very cool.

The film itself looks great on DVD. If I remember correctly, the multichannel sound was pretty aggressive in the theater, and a bit of that seems to be lost on the DVD, but no big deal. This is a film that really rewards multiple viewings. When I watched the DVD (my third viewing overall of the film), I suddenly noticed a few parallels between Martin Sheen's character and Jesus Christ. You can't take the Catholic out of Scorsese!

[mikelz777]

I still don't get Mark Wahlberg's nomination for an Academy award. That wasn't an Oscar winning performance. IMO, it was an over-written part that was over-performed.

[jazzypaul]

I still don't get Mark Wahlberg's nomination for an Academy award. That wasn't an Oscar winning performance. IMO, it was an over-written part that was over-performed.

Actually, I think Wahlberg's part in the movie was too small to be worth an Oscar. Overall, I thought it was a great movie, but not an oscar-worthy one. Nor one which I would want to buy so I could watch something so depressing over and over and over again.

[gslade]

Watched the DVD

I really did not care for this film

only 1 or 2 interesting visuals, script sucked

the score gave me a headache

last good M.S. Movie was Good Fellas

[zen archer]

this must be one helluva popular movie , the dvd sold out at local Best Buys and

newbury comics.

also the name of the movie is The Depahted !

[patricia]

last good M.S. Movie was Good Fellas

I disagree. I think that Socrcese's "Gangs of New York" was amazing, aside from the casting miscalculation.

Daniel Day Lewis totally overshadowed the star, Leonardo di Caprio, which I believe was unintended.

Edited February 16, 2007 by patricia

[Quincy]

I saw this in the theater for a buck the other day. I loved it. My head snapped back due to one of the surprises near the end. And lay off Leo, or at least I promise to. I thought he did a good job in "Catch Me If You Can" (the fake pilot movie with Hanks), and he was good in this as well. Johnny Depp had to suffer with being a pretty boy early on too. I've never really cared much for Damon either but again, thought he shined here too. Glad I saw it on the big screen.

[gslade]

last good M.S. Movie was Good Fellas

I disagree. I think that Socrcese's "Gangs of New York" was amazing, aside from the casting miscalculation.

Daniel Day Lewis totally overshadowed the star, Leonardo di Caprio, which I believe was unintended.

DD was good in Gangs

however, movie was not as compelling

as some of his better efforts

glad to disagree with you

and many others as you see on this thread

who like the Departed, I thought it stunk

[Shawn]

Finally got around to watching this yesterday. I really enjoyed it, not a jaw-dropper..but good solid entertainment with above-average performances. The pacing was excellent, not often that a near 3 hour film cruises by this quickly. I like most of Marty's films, so I'm not sure where I would rank it in the grand scheme of things. I definitely enjoyed it more than most of his post-Good Fellas films. I thought DiCaprio was impressive.