by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
Last Sunday was the 79th Annual Academy Awards and one of the biggest highlights was Martin Scorsese’s long overdue win for Best Director. His latest film, The Departed, also went on to win Best Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, and the big one - Best Picture. The critically acclaimed crime drama is available on two-disc special edition DVD.
Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a mostly good guy from the mostly screwed up family. The Boston-bred Irishman grew up knowing most of the men in his family were “connected” and has worked hard to stay out of that life in honor of his father, who managed to resist the lure of the mob as well. Costigan thinks he’s getting as far away from his mob roots as possible when he joins the State Police but is soon thrown right back into that seedy world when his superiors Captain Queenan (Marin Sheen) and Staff Sgt. Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) ask him to infiltrate the Irish mob and get the goods on boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), a well-known gangster who has long eluded prosecution.
Meanwhile, Costello has a mole of his own working in the police department. Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) was groomed to be Costello’s inside man from the time he was very young and has steadily moved up the ranks, landing himself a primo position in the department’s Special Investigation Unit. For a year Sullivan feeds Costello intel and Costigan, who has now wormed his way into the crew, reports the mob boss’ comings and goings to the department. But, things get tricky for both the moles when they find out about each other. In order to save their own necks, both men strive to figure out the identity of the other all while carefully maintaining their covers.
The Departed is based on the 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs, which many consider a masterpiece. This latest version borrows elements from all three of the Infernal Affairs films, a move that has been met with grumbles from die-hard fans and Andrew Lau, the co-director of the original. Despite this, The Departed was originally released last October to overwhelmingly positive reviews. The film received a 93% fresh rating at RottenTomatoes.com, one of the highest for any movie of 2006. After earning five Oscar nominations, Warner Brothers re-released The Departed in more than 1,300 screens nationwide. As of February 22, 2007, the movie has grossed $131,591,084 domestically and $278,291,084 worldwide, making it the highest grossing Scorsese picture to date. The Departed was released on DVD on February 13th and was the number one rental in the US its first week on the shelves.
Two DVD editions of The Departed are now available, one being a standard single disc version, the other a two-disc release with a handful of bonus features. Unfortunately, both of these releases lack an audio commentary, but the two-disc special edition does have some extras that are well worth watching. The first is a short featurette entitled “Stranger then Fiction,” which clocks in at around twenty minutes. Here, screenplay writer William Monahan, Scorsese and Boston natives Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon discuss South Boston (or “Southie” if you’re in the area and don’t want to look like a tourist) and real life baddie Whitey Bulger, a famous mob boss who ruled the neighborhood and is currently on the lam, sitting pretty at number two on the FBI’s most wanted list. Next is a terrific documentary called “Scorsese on Scorsese,” which originally aired on TCM in 2004. In this 90-minute look at Marty’s career, the beloved director discusses his childhood, his influences and the motivation behind some of his most well-known films. More behind-the-scenes goodies can be seen in “Crossing Criminal Cultures,” a 25-minute long look at how the actors prepared for their roles and a bit about Scorsese’s use of violence in film. Finally, nine deleted scenes appear on the disc with introductions and explanations as to why they were cut by Marty himself.
There’s no question that The Departed is a great movie. It’s got a terrific storyline that keeps you glued to your seat from the very start. This combined with the stellar performances from each and every actor made the film a shoo-in for the Oscar nods it received. Was it Marty’s best work? Personally, I don’t think so. But, after snubbing one of the most respected filmmakers in Hollywood time and time again, I can see why the Academy would choose Scorsese this time around. While it’s no Raging Bull, The Departed is a highly entertaining film that is well worth seeing and even owning. The two-disc special edition is worth the price for the “Scorsese on Scorsese” documentary alone.
Any fan of Martin Scorsese must see The Departed. While I certainly think that Scorsese has made films that are superior to this one, it is a great film that deserves a spot in any DVD collection.
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