The Departed

The Departed (Martin Scorsese, US, 2006) ★★★★

Departing, it’s a checkpoint that everyone has to face in each one’s life. Passing it needs to get through a series of tests and struggles. But the most important is not the moment of departing but the self-forging before it.

Adapted from the well-raved and box office hit Hong Kong cop-mob drama “Infernal Affairs,” since Martin Scorsese accepted the job of directing, it seemed to be forecasted that this is going to be an incredibly engaging movie. Scorsese does prove his ability of riding mob subjects again with this film. Besides the structure of the original story, the background set in Boston gives it a more realistic atmosphere. The identities of Italian and Irish reinforce the conflict of the characters and cohere the tension of the film.

Because of suffering from the conflict of double identities, Billy Costigan is signed to take treatment from a psychiatrist. While having no command over himself, he starts to have a way to get comforts. On the contrary, Colin Sullivan gets everything he has ever dreamed of because of his double identities but also sells his soul gradually without getting aware of it. The same fate causes different lives, the one seems tragic knows the importance of being who he is more while the other who gets everything loses his own position.

The excellent performance by the ensemble cast makes this film more worth-seeing. Especially the inner conflict of Leonardo DiCaprio, and the gangster chief role practically designed for Jack Nicholson also does great side by side. Hasn’t played a villain for a long time, Matt Damon also played this more introverted role successfully.

Someone said don’t compare this to the original version, but the entire tension of it is way higher than the original. Delete the details that have a little affectations and increase the tension of the plots. Scorsese’ supreme skill clothes the story a neat and tidy new look. The unexpected ending also sets a more perfect conclusion for the theme “departed.”