No matter how many times we’ve seen Matt Damon smooth and undercover (“”The Bourne Identity/Supremacy,”” “”Oceans Eleven/Twelve””), Leonardo DiCaprio’s on-and-off accent and ever-deepening middle forehead crease (“”The Aviator,”” “”Gangs of New York””) or Jack Nicholson as a crazed sexual predator-slash-villain (“”The Shining,”” “”Batman”” and in reality), it in no way prepares us for their dynamite compilation by street-crime guru and pioneering “”movie brat”” Martin Scorsese. The director pulls fresh violence from each member of the stacked cast, avoiding what could have ended up as a commercial yawn with today’s celebrities playing dress up as Scorsese OGs like Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta.
De Niro actually refused the part of Frank Costello (reigning king of Boston’s Irish mob scene) — which Nicholson later took — a turn-down that undoubtedly transformed the project from a “”Goodfellas”” wannabe into the landmark piece of modern thrill and invigorated entertainment that it is. Nicholson wears his leopard-print ties and rodent Joker grins with a flair that seasoned crime boss De Niro would not, and never could, approach. It’s a performance that’s necessary in order to avoid too close a resemblance to Scorsese’s past work — not to mention the stale world of pedestrian cop/criminal flicks into which “”The Departed”” is released. Nicholson’s Costello, drowning in plastic-wrapped bricks of cocaine (which he throws to his young mistresses like his “”Batman”” character threw dollars), introduces the “”bad guy”” like we’ve never seen him. Though a newly fit DiCaprio and authentic Bostonian Damon deliver top-notch performances as well, their cool would be nothing new without Nicholson’s bushy-browed growl down the backs of two pretty boy necks.
Scorsese’s signature is all over his latest: Howard Shore’s raging, sudden-cut rock ‘n’ roll from the Stones, Van Morrison covering Pink Floyd and the Dropkick Murphys, heavy jumpy-action editing by longtime collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker and chilling camera angles of the down-the-barrel variety. “”The Departed”” leaves no room for viewer disconnect, even at two and a half hours, with a storyline (based on “”Infernal Affairs,”” a Hong Kong thriller that could ask for nothing greater than the attention of Scorsese, an idol of Asian cinema) that doesn’t stray far from its simplistic formula.
Two cell phone-upgraded moles (guess who), one planted inside the mob and the other inside the law — unaware of each other’s identity despite screwing the same hot cop psychiatrist — are caught in a race not to be the first rat discovered. It’s a wonder Scorsese could keep such a predictable screenplay on high intensity for so long. The feat undoes any droopy eyes we might have felt in “”Gangs of New York”” or “”The Aviator,”” and ensures him hip to the low attention-span crowd that such star-studded action flicks tend to draw.
How does a filmmaker wrap up a conflict with so many strong players and underlying alliances? Apparently this wasn’t an important enough issue on which to spend much valuable Hollywood time, because the film’s conclusion is even simpler than its premise: kill off everyone involved in a blinding bloodbath that conveniently ties up all complex loose ends by eliminating them completely. Another perk is that all morals and messages seemingly raised or hinted at are suddenly irrelevant, and the marketing department instantly has one easy catch-phrase to slap on the posters: “”Cops or criminals. When you’re facing a loaded gun, what’s the difference?””
But a cop-out finale can’t erase the film’s triumph as an offering of concentrated entertainment — in fact, the thrills only run steeper uphill all the way to the loaded credits. Unfortunately for Scorsese, though, this is probably not Oscar’s cup of tea. Looks like Three Six Mafia will still be ahead for a while longer.
