Martin Scorsese’s The Departed is knock-out entertainment. Yes, he’s made better movies. But this one is just terrific on so many levels. William Monahan’s flamboyantly vulgar screenplay popped in every scene, and the performances from the deep cast were all wild and crazy and unhinged and robust. Maybe too robust in the Jack Nicholson department, but hey, if he wants to bring a bag of sex-toys to the set why not let him!? I love the violence in this movie, the cynical nature of the narrative, the final beats with Whlberg and Damon, that fucking rat scurrying over the window sill, but what really keeps bringing me back to this movie whenever I pass it by on the HD movie channels is the salty, profane dialogue that feels like masculine poetry when put into context with the cop genre. A sly and smart updating of 2002’s Infernal Affairs, The Departed allowed Scorsese to just sit back and have a ball with a bloody, nasty genre piece, made without epic pretense, instead focusing on the intimate nature of a criminal organization and undercover cops, while also allowing for smart character moments to shine through. Vera Farmiga was super sharp and oh-so-sexy in this film, and I love her pointed scenes with an impotent Damon — hilarious! Craft contributions from Howard Shore, Michael Ballhaus, and Thelma Schoonmacher were all ace. Wahlberg doing a zipper-mouth-fart on Sheen’s desk in response to Leo’s reference of Hawthorne POWER, Baldwin Patriot Act POWER, and James Badge Dale outta nowhere at the end POWER.
Podcasting Them Softly 