The Departed

EPIC. That's the word that best sums up Martin Scorcese's latest huge gangster thriller. A cop acts as a criminal, a criminal acts as a cop, a mob boss is an informant, and they all discover the truth about each other and must race to disprove everyone else . . . in a nutshell. However, so much more goes into this complicated labyrinth of "rats," investigations, loyalty, and deception. Arguably, there are three main stars to the film: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson. However, the supporting cast of Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, and Martin Sheen, among others, provide fine comic relief and stellar performances.
The best qualities of The Departed are fairly vague and unspecific--excellent acting; sharp, humorous dialogue; interesting, well-shot cinematography--but the fact that they are all in the same film and that they complement each other so well is the real triumph. Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio continue to blow me away. While both actors are extremely enjoyable to watch in lighter or sweeter roles (such as Damon as the adorable and hilarious Linus in Ocean's 11, Ocean's 12, and Ocean's 13, or DiCaprio as the incredibly romantic, exciting, and selfless Jack in Titanic) I think their real strength and potential are in the angrier, more complicated roles that they attack with such force and passion. This has been seen in DiCaprio's earlier work in films such as This Boy's Life, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Marvin's Room, Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, and most recently, Blood Diamond. Damon's body of work is equally impressive, showcasing his talent in films including School Ties, Courage Under Fire, The Rainmaker, Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Bourne series, Syriana, and most recently The Good Shepherd. I think it is interesting and all the more impressive that these actors can very convincingly portray these types of characters when they themselves do emit rather nice boy vibes and images with their baby-faced looks.
Other enjoyable aspects of the film are certainly the surprises, and also the violence. I mean, of course the violence isn't enjoyable to watch, but what I mean to say is that I don't think there is a gratuitous or ridiculous amount, as there can be in many films of this type. Well done, Marty!