Rating: A
Unlike "Infernal Affairs" the movie upon which this film is based, "The Departed" seems one part drama and one part black comedy. Maybe this is an unfair characterization for a movie that is so loaded with violence and profanity. Maybe the gangster wise cracking from his past films, "Casino" and "Goodfellas" has become so commonplace on television, in shows like "The Sopranos" among others, that it has become an accepted notion that this is perhaps part of the culture of Italian mobsters rather than a movie writer's attempt at humor. And maybe I'm completely off the mark and this even comes off sounding a little racist. But I tell you, from my point of view, hearing the Irish thugs (and even police officers) speak in this obscene manner to one another came off sounding a lot funnier than the typical "wiseguy."
Perhaps the most over-the-top character in this respect is Mark Wahlberg's Dignam, who seems to have a knack for getting under people's skin and provoking some to even punch him in the face. Thankfully, playing opposite Wahlberg most of the time, is Martin Sheen who's character is less a characiture and helps anchor both performances with a bit of realism.
For as much amusing dialogue as you'll find peppered throughout this entire film, there are also some terrific dramatic performances here as well. I've heard some say that Jack Nicholson's performance is a little over-acted, in this film, but I didn't really find that to be the case. Certainly if this was true at all, it would have more to do with how the character was written rather than how Nicholson portrayed him. After all, when you play a villain so dispicable that he is constantly shown murdering someone or having just murdered someone, it would seem at odds with the story to tone him down very much. At any rate, Nicholson seems to have fun playing this character, and it's part of what makes this character so much fun to watch.
The plot, for those who don't know, is right out of "Infernal Affairs." Basically, the bad guys have a spy who's working as a state police officer. And the good guys have a police officer who's posing as a bad guy. Of course, this is a lot more problematic for the good guy, because he can only pretend to be so bad. The bad guy, on the other hand, has a lot more leeway. As long as he doesn't do anything that would lead to Frank Costello's capture, he can act just about as good as he wants.
Part of the fun of this movie, aside from the usual Scorsese fare, is that even though the two main characters have a tremendous impact on each other's lives, they never really meet, until near the end of the film. In-between, we get a lot of stuff involving how they both have to interact with everyone else. Madolyn (Vera Farmiga) is an example of one character that greatly impacts them both. This is also an example of hollywood adding something to the remake that was not in the original. But this is one embellishment that I find adds an extra dimension to the dynamic between Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Damon). And I guess that is to the writers' credit, as this could have easily become a distraction.
Though it possibly doesn't achieve the "classic" status of a "Raging Bull" or a "Goodfellas," "The Departed" is a great film. There is some great action, brilliant dialogue, and for this type of film, a surprising amount of humor. While, owing a lot to it's Hong Kong counterpart, it is still a separate movie, all it's own.