The Departed

I wanted to avoid comparisons with the Asian smash Infernal Affairs, of which The Departed is a remake. But if you know the original, in which the given story is filmed more briskly and more clearly, not a single character in it is a superficial poser (Jack Nicholson), and the Asian visuals are more exotic for a European than the worn-out “gritty America”, there is absolutely nothing stunning about the The Departed. Of course – Martin Scorsese and his court cinematographer are masters at what they do, so the film is never boring for even a second and we get to spend time in the company of the world’s acting elite, from whose characters the director gets maximum psychological enjoyment. But the film as a whole gives the impression that its makers didn’t approach it with as much love as they did The Aviator. Leonardo DiCaprio is the only one who gave his full commitment to the project and put his soul into it. With a few more roles in this vein, I will rank him among my personal top five actors. Otherwise, however, The Departed is merely a solid cops-and-mafia drama that leaves American audiences startled thanks to its ending, which is not what they’re used to from a Hollywood flick. The Departed deserves four stars in the context of current American productions, but definitely not in the context of the director’s filmography. I will gladly watch it again, but I can’t hide my slight disappointment. (10/27/2006)

I am not familiar with the Asian film Infernal Affairs, which forms a precursor to The Departed, and given my relationship with Asian productions, I am skeptical about the idea that it could interest me more. However, I don't have to address the lack of originality of the subject matter and how Scorsese dealt with it. Nonetheless, it is an interesting film that fully satisfies me on an emotional level. The duel of two professionals who infiltrate the enemy camp to gather information is full of tension and twists. A clever film with excellent casting, led by Leonardo DiCaprio. Overall impression: 90%. (11/19/2009)

At the blessed age of sixty-four, Martin Scorsese delivers a gangster flick so precise that his colleagues a generation younger can only be quietly envious. The 150-minute trip amongst the highest police and mafia brass is told with incredible ease, the utmost sense of the perversity of both worlds (conveyed through the fatal love of one woman), and an absolutely divine dose of chilling black humor. You won't find an unnecessary movie window in this work, let alone a scene. Scorsese once again stylizes violence as a normal routine aspect of life, which he breaks at the very end only to play lightly with the viewer and show that even he doesn't have to take himself deadly seriously. The cast of the greatest actors is interspersed here, from the riveting DiCaprio to the relaxed Damon (any talk of overacting is bullshit!), the diabolical Nicholson, and to the absolutely brilliant Mark Wahlberg. Everything is underlined by stylish musical accompaniment, starting with Pink Floyd and ending with the thrilling punk blast of Dropkick Murphys. After finishing the film, I had only one desire: to watch this concentration of perfection again! (11/12/2006)

This arrogant, self-absorbed mainstream ride is supposed to be the best film of this year that has won so many Oscars and other awards? I can't believe it. Martin Scorsese should wake up to the reality of today's world after those beautiful years and understand that “American” stories of tough guys are no longer in fashion and he should stop trying to replicate or hint at the unattainable pieces of his past work. The quality of The Departed, whether it is a good or a bad remake, can only be judged by someone who has seen both films, which I am not, so I take this film as a separate compact entity without any comparisons or regret about how it should have been. However, as a crime story, it is insufficient. There is an excessive amount of vulgarity, with a good half of it being unnecessary. The plot is far-fetched – tough guys, tough lines, shootings every day – just a normal day in the big city. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but this is really overdone and off-putting. For fans, it may be an entertaining film that shows Scorsese makes movies for fun and doesn't worry too much about it, but for the overwhelming majority of rational-minded laypeople, it's just a typical American hyped-up ride without a trace of real subtext. And the Oscar “for merits” is quite laughable considering the previous works of the famous film connoisseur. (07/28/2007)

I was really looking forward to this. Power. But maybe too much. The Departed is certainly not a bad film, but from beginning to end I couldn’t get rid of the impression that it's primarily a film that drags on and is unnecessarily long. Yet the number of minutes (the great Casino is even longer, whilst the absolutely fantastic The Irishman is even longer than Casino) is not the problem, but rather what they are filled with. I don't know the original, but it's three quarters of an hour shorter, and I wouldn't be surprised if all that seemed boring or unnecessary here was the work of William Monahan and Martin Scorsese. (02/26/2021)