Scorsese has done some stellar films in the past decade since Casino. Gangs of New York was good and I loved The Aviator. They were visually rich and compelling as stories. Yet, I could never really love them. They were good, for sure, but they didn't captivate me as Goodfellas, Casino or Raging Bull had done. The Departed is truly a return to form. The way the camera moves, the way the film was cut, was pure Scorsese. You can really tell he got his team to tighten this film up; the tension is finely wrought, the story never rushed. Technically, the camera moves are brilliant, though it is a departure from his mob flick days.
The acting is superb. Nicholson, DiCaprio, Damon, Ray Winstone and Martin Sheen all give stellar performances; DiCaprio and Damon were completely believable, especially Damon, who made the role humorous and serious at the same time. Wahlberg was utterly hilarious in this film - one of my fave roles of his since Boogie Nights. Rest assured, the acting in this film is up to scratch - the female role, Madolyn (Vera Farminga), is also brilliant.
The music, whilst not as eclectic as Goodfellas, is still good. There are only a few songs here, mostly in the background, but it works and that's all that counts. The score used was tense, and never did this film seem like a conventional thriller. The music held it together.
As directing goes, this film was a more than a solid thriller. The whole film felt tight and polished. Maybe this is a bad point in some ways. It lacks some of the energy of Scorsese's earlier films, and probably could have benefited from some more of it.
Though don't let that very MINOR negative point sway you. This film is one of the best I have seen in the cinema for some time now. It is a great story, told well. The violence is brutal, but never drawn out. The energy, whilst lacking for a Scorsese film, is still much more visceral than any other film out there on the market.
Watch this film, you will enjoy every minute of it. Funny, un-predictable, violent and super freaking cool. |
