Movie Review - The Departed

Martin Scorsese has amassed an unmatched legacy in the pantheon of great film directors. Arguably the greatest living director, Scorsese has continued to churn out great films for four decades. The last film of his to hit the big screen, "The Departed", was the one that finally nabbed Scorsese his much coveted Oscar. And for good reason: it is one of the best movies of the past decade.

The film, a remake of Japan's "Infernal Affairs" trilogy, centers on the cat-and-mouse game between the Boston Police Department and the Irish Mob, run by the ruthless Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Costello plants a mole, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), in the SIU of the Boston PD. Meanwhile, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is sent deep undercover in Costello's mob in hopes of ultimately bringing him down. The two rats are then instructed to find each other, leading to a stunning and violent conclusion for all involved.

Scorsese has always been a master storyteller, and "The Departed" is no exception, taking the claim as his most entertaining film to date. Under his expert hand the film rolls at a visceral pace. The editing is sublimely quick and hostile in the streets, but there is no loss of tender moments as well. These may be morally corrupt characters, but that doesn't make you invested in them. Once scene between Costigan and his psychiatrist stands out as a beautifully edited sequence of outer violence and inner pain. Like many Scorsese pictures, "The Departed" also boasts an excellent soundtrack. Howard Shore's light guitar melodies are mixed in with Scorsese's finest songs, with the customary Rolling Stones leading the way. Aided greatly by William Monaghan's Oscar-winning screenplay, "The Departed" is a genuine street movie that packs both an entertainment and narrative punch unmatched by most films.

"The Departed" is one of the best acted films of the decade. Boasting an A-list cast, Scorsese, as he has done numerous times in the past, gets the best out of all of his actors. Jack Nicholson may be accused of over-acting, but I disagree completely. Costello is devious, loopy, unpredictable, and most of all evil, and Nicholson has a ball playing him. Damon gives one of the best performances of his career as the morally ambiguous Sullivan, a man whose strong allegiance to Costello conflicts with his love to Madelyn (Vera Farmiga). Mark Wahlberg, the films only Oscar nominee for acting, is exceptional as the foul-mouthed, tough guy cop who steals every scene he's in. However, the best performance of the film is given by DiCaprio. Arguably his best performance, he gives Costigan a tough exterior surrounding a wounded and fragile center. He is a man who wants nothing more than his own identity but works day by day on a tightrope operating as someone else. His loneliness and isolation are devastating when compared to work he does for Costello. Had it not been for his excellent performance in "Blood Diamond" that same year this performance would have been a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination. Other performances by Ray Winstone, Alec Baldwin, and Martin Sheen only add to the spoil of riches that "The Departed" boasts.

"The Departed" is one of Scorsese's best - though his best is a toss-up between Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, and Goodfellas - and is a worthy entry into the acclaimed director's resume. It is a triumphant return to the streets where his now grandiose reputation was built. Don't miss this film: it is a true example of an artist at his best.

Movie Review - The Conversation

Lost amidst the greatness created by the release of both "The Godfather Part II" and "Chinatown" the same year, Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation" is an equally fascinating piece of cinema that showcases the dangers of surveillance and the threat to privacy, even if we are unaware of it. For this reason alone the film still finds a place in today's society. Not to mention that it is an excellent movie.

The film centers on Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), a surveillance expert assigned to a job involving two young people meeting in a park. Caul is the best in the business, but this comes with a price: his profession has stripped him of any true socialization. His secrets have become his life, and as such his connections have become limited. In the act of reviewing the tapes that he is reluctant to turn over to their intended party, Caul believes that the young people he taped may be in danger of being murdered. Increasingly paranoid, he does not give up the tapes until he himself is watched. However, he still fears for the safety of the couple due to a past event that still haunts him, and his growing paranoia culminates in the tense climax.

In a film where sound is a dominant theme, "The Conversation" contains a wonderfully constructed collection of sounds. Sound quality in the film is excellent, and there are many instances of Caul's surveillance equipment being heard as it would be if we were there ourselves reviewing the tapes. The tension created through superb editing adds more emphasis on the sounds we do hear. The phone ringingly mysteriously in Caul's apartment, the tapes rewinding furiously, songs being played in a park - all add to the life and ultimately increasing confusion that Caul must face on the job. The score, nothing more than a piano, is simple yet eerily disconcerting. It plays brilliantly to the isolation that we see Caul in during the beginning of the film, but adds to the sense that something may in fact be awry as the film progresses.

As for the editing, Coppola creates an atmosphere of tension brought upon by uncertainty. Like, Caul, we do not know the truth, and by prying deeper in the matter we begin to feel uncertain about whether things will end up OK. The camera work is well done, visually reminding us of the distance that Caul has put between himself and the people he refuses to get close to. The opening scene itself is a masterwork: slowly zooming in on a crowd in the park, we only see Caul minutes after the film has started, a small figure seemingly undifferentiated from any other, just as he wants to be.

The acting in the film is dominated by the central performance of Gene Hackman. Showing off the versatility that has garnered him the label of one of his generation's best actors, Hackman strips himself of the machismo that won him an Oscar three years prior for "The French Connection". He is quiet, secretive, and reluctant to let others in on his life. His strength comes from his work, and when that is thrown into question Hackman's paranoia and vulnerability are put on full display. It is an excellent bit of underplaying by a very talented actor.

"The Conversation" is a taut, intelligent thriller that leaves its viewers guessing both during and after the film. It is engaging and suspenseful and was rightly nominated for Best Picture in 1974. Definitely a film worth seeing.

Movie Reviews

Ever since my freshman year of college I have become a fan of cinema. The number of movies I've watched in the years since has gone up dramatically and I have amassed a large collection of DVD's. I will admit, I prefer the more critically acclaimed films to the general fare that most of the public enjoys. While this skews my outlook on certain films I am still willing to see as many films as I can. Since I enjoy watching films and analyzing them I will review certain films in upcoming posts. I'm not a professional at this, just an amateur like so many of you who is doing the best I can while doing something I enjoy.

Welcome!

To all interested readers,

Welcome to my blog! This is not meant to be an important site or something with meaningful information. It is simply a place for me to express my opinions on things that I like and am happy to talk about. I hope that you will enjoy what I have to say and find it interesting.

- Bennick