*** Official The Departed Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Nick Martin]

Looks like I'll finally have something good to watch every weekend for a while.

Thanks for the recommendations

 

[Ray H]

Watch:

Mean Streets
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Goodfellas

NOW!

 

[Gabriel>P]

Add Casino, The King of Comedy, and After Hours to that list. And if while it isn't for everyone Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and Age of Innocence are two of his very best.

 

[Ray H]

I'd say The Last Temptation of Christ as well, but I think he's got enough for now. He can start up the second wave later.

 

[Sam Davatchi]

Saw the movie on BD today and it was great. I had two problems with the movie. One was Nicholson’s character being an FBI informant. I mean what the…? Why he worked for the FBI, why all that crime?

And the second problem for me was the second mole and all that killings at the end! It was just too much. I mean it didn't do anything to me. It left me cold, it wasn't that dramatic! I’m of the opinion that having shock after shock or having multiple twists doesn’t make a movie more exciting. A more simple and focused human story is more dramatic. I “think” the story would have been more powerful with Nicholson’s character not being an FBI informant, no second mole and seeing fewer people get killed and some arrested! For example Damon's character getting arrested would have been better.

 

[JediFonger]

sam, jack wasn't working for FBI, he was feeding them false info to throw them off the trail.

secondly, try Infernal Affairs (the HK version) and things will become more clear =D. it's all about cat&mouse game, on the mob side there are 2 moles, on the cop side, there are 2 moles. the HK version is a bit diff. from remake in who dies/lives but i leave it upto you to watch it =D.

 

[Sam Davatchi]

Wouldn't FBI say something is wrong here? He is chopping people's heads off!

 

[Haggai]

I don't think he's necessarily giving them false info. As they mention in the featurette on the DVD, the real Boston mob leader (Whitey Bulger) was giving the FBI some info on other criminal activities around town in exchange for them looking the other way with regards to what he was involved with.

 

[Brandon_T]

I didn't want Damon's character arrested. He got exactly what I needed to make me feel less horrible about Leo getting whacked.

 

[Todd H]

Amen.

 

[Cees Alons]

Finally saw the movie (with my wife and son) in (indeed) glorious HD. What a brilliant movie!

I don't think it's fair to the Academy to say that Scorsese got the Oscar for the wrong movie in his career (and perhaps, some might disagree ), because Oscars aren't administered "vertically", in time, for your own work, but "horizontally", in a comparison with works of others during the same year.

Of course one can still disagree with a particular Oscar ( ), but it's quite possible and all in the system that a brilliant movie could lose the Oscar to an even better one, while a slightly lesser movie of the same director wins in another year.

Anyway, I think this year's Oscars were rightfully granted to The Departed.

About some of the above critique: Jack's character was an FBI-informant indeed, but as he told Leo he only fed (pun intended) guys to them who were about to go down anyway. So he really provided them with serious looking information sometimes, from their point of view, but rather inconsequential from the mob's, or at least his own, view.

Also, I think Billy's death was in line with the story. Part of the message is about the way you get contaminated with the side you're in as a mole. Your hands will get dirty, and your may get corrupted when you're in the mob and you may arrest some thugs or even kill one of the bosses if you're in the police.
There's no doubt, IMO, that Billy was willing and going to kill the guy who almost blew his cover. It only didn't happen because the man died on him first.

Note the tiny parallel: a "second" inactive mole in the gang (at least it's more than hinted at that the guy was indeed perhaps a police plant, although that may also have been a distraction only) saves him, and Billy was ready to kill him, while later another "second" inactive mole (in the police team) indeed finished his life for an equivalent reason.
And in both cases the sleeping moles play a bit of a deus ex machina.

This is a typical Scorsese movie indeed. Hardly any likeable characters (only some more "innocent" ones) and it keeps you thinking it over a lot afterwards.
And, once more, brilliant!
I think I will go and see this film a second time soon.


Cees

 

[Patrick Sun]

So, anyone going to see the Dignam follow-up, "Shooter"?

(For some reason, that's what I thought when I saw Wahlberg in the title role after having seen "The Departed" a few months ago.)

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Saw The Departed this past Friday. The more I watch it, the more I like it. A few thoughts:

- Marty does an excellent job with music. As with the Layla coda in Goodfellas, I love the use of "Gimme Shelter" and "I'm Shipping Up To Boston".

- Why is it that Frank Costello only has a Boston/faux Irish accent when he's singing that song after meeting Costigan for the first time?

- Is the redhead girl at the beginning the same girl Frank ends up with later?

- Nice hospital scrub shoes on Dignam. His character was hilarious.

 

[4fit?]

I agree about the Gimme Shelter song placement. The score of the film is great overall.

 

[Dave_Brown]

So was the guy from Costello's crew another cop mole? And if so, what was the point of giving Bill the wrong address? I picked it up right away "314 Washington" instead of "344 Wash" but couldn't understand why, just before he died, he made sure Bill knew he gave him the wrong address and he showed up anyway, and why he would give it to him. If he was a cop mole, was he trying to protect Bill by not having him show up, only to find out he was already there?

 

[Haggai]

I sort of thought so at first as well, but their character names are different. The one in the grocery store at the beginning is Carmen, but the one he's with later is named Gwen.

 

[Tim Glover]

Does look like familiar territory but I think it looks cool too. Walhberg is really making his way.

 

[WillG]

I don't believe he was really a cop. I think that the department had the media report that he was a cop make Costello believe that he was the mole in his crew.

 

[Sam Davatchi]

He was a cop. Before dying he specifically says he knew Leo was the mole but didn't tell, and he asks why is that do you think?

 

[Cees Alons]

Weren't that girl and her father the ones that were shot by Frank in that little playback scene?


Cees