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List Price: $14.98 |
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Our Price: $8.49 |
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Customer Ratings: 4.0 (from 465 reviews) |
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| Editorial
Reviews |
Description
Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg star in Martin Scorsese's new crime drama "The Departed." "The Departed" is set in South Boston where the state police force is waging an all-out war to take down the city's top organized crime ring. The key is to end the reign of powerful mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) from the inside. A young rookie, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate Costello's mob. While Billy is working to gain Costello's trust, another young cop, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is among a handful of elite officers whose mission is to bring Costello down. But what his superiors don't know is that Colin is working for Costello, keeping the crimeboss one step ahead of the police. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operation he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the gangsters and the police that they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin find themselves in constant danger of being caught-and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself. |
Amazon.com
Martin Scorsese makes a welcome return to the mean streets (of Boston, in this case) with The Departed, hailed by many as Scorsese's best film since Casino. Since this crackling crime thriller is essentially a Scorsese-stamped remake of the acclaimed 2002 Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, the film was intensely scrutinized by devoted critics and cinephiles, and while Scorsese's intense filmmaking and all-star cast deserve ample acclaim, The Departed is also worthy of serious re-assessment, especially with regard to what some attentive viewers described as sloppy craftsmanship (!), notably in terms of mismatched shots and jagged continuity. But no matter where you fall on the Scorsese appreciation scale, there's no denying that The Departed is a signature piece of work from one of America's finest directors, designed for maximum impact with a breathtaking series of twists, turns, and violent surprises. It's an intricate cat-and-mouse game, but this time the cat and mouse are both moles: Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is an ambitious cop on the rise, planted in the Boston police force by criminal kingpin Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hot-tempered police cadet who's been artificially disgraced and then planted into Costello's crime operation as a seemingly trustworthy soldier. As the multilayered plot unfolds (courtesy of a scorching adaptation by Kingdom of Heaven screenwriter William Monahan), Costigan and Sullivan conduct a volatile search for each other (they're essentially looking for "themselves") while simultaneously wooing the psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga) assigned to treat their crime-driven anxieties. Such convenient coincidences might sink a lesser film, but The Departed is so electrifying that you barely notice the plot-holes. And while Nicholson's profane swagger is too much "Jack" and not enough "Costello," he's still a joy to watch, especially in a film that's additionally energized by memorable (and frequently hilarious) supporting roles for Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, and a host of other big-name performers. The Departed also makes clever and plot-dependent use of cell-phones, to the extent that it couldn't exist without them. Powered by Scorsese's trademark use of well-chosen soundtrack songs (from vintage rock to Puccini's operas), The Departed may not be perfect, but it's one helluva ride for moviegoers, proving popular enough to become the biggest box-office hit of Scorsese's commercially rocky career. --Jeff Shannon |
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| Product Details |
| Actor: |
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Matt Damon
- Jack Nicholson
- Mark Wahlberg
- Martin Sheen
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| Aspect Ratio: |
2.35:1 |
| Audience Rating: |
R (Restricted) |
| Binding: |
DVD |
| Brand: |
WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Creator: |
- Brad Grey
- Brad Pitt
- Dan Lin
- Doug Davison
- Felix Chong
- Siu Fai Mak
- William Monahan
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| Director: |
Martin Scorsese |
| EAN: |
0012569736740 |
| Format: |
- AC-3
- Color
- Dolby
- Dubbed
- DVD
- Subtitled
- Widescreen
- NTSC
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| Item Dimensions: |
|
| Label: |
Warner Home Video |
| Languages: |
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| List Price: |
| Amount: |
1498 |
| Currency Code: |
USD |
| Formatted Price: |
$14.98 |
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| Manufacturer: |
Warner Home Video |
| Number Of Items: |
1 |
| Package Dimensions: |
| Height: |
60 |
| Length: |
750 |
| Weight: |
20 |
| Width: |
540 |
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| Product Group: |
DVD |
| Publisher: |
Warner Home Video |
| Region Code: |
1 |
| Release Date: |
2007-02-13 |
| Running Time: |
151 |
| Studio: |
Warner Home Video |
| Theatrical Release Date: |
2006-10-06 |
| Title: |
The Departed (Widescreen Edition) |
| UPC: |
012569736740 |
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| Customer Reviews |
Customer Rating: 3
Review Date: 2009-06-14
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Summary: Entertaining, but overrated
I was very excited to see this movie and had to wait a week before renting it because the video store was sold out. After seeing it I was dissapointed with it. The movie keeps your interest with a great cast and a story about an investigation into an Irish mobster in Boston.
Performances by Nicholson, Sheen and DiCaprio are great. However Wahlberg did not deserve an Oscar nomination and the female lead generates no chemistry with Damon or DiCaprio. The storyline keeps the movie moving well enough, but there are too many cliches in it. And seriously, how could Nicholson's character not figure out who the rat in his crew is when the police investigation doesn't seem to gain any ground until after DiCaprio starts working for him? Even The Simpsons made fun of that.
Overall the movie is entertaining to see once or twice, but did not deserve Best Picture. |
Customer Rating: 4
Review Date: 2009-06-10
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Summary: Sure, it gets a little sloppy in the end, but it still delivers a major wallop...
Martin Scorsese finally won the Oscar the whole world felt he was owed in 2006 when he made this new age crime thriller. I have never been a huge follower of Scorsese, but I must admit that in recent years I've come to appreciate some of his finer works and have come to see him for far more than just a `gangster' movie maker. Scorsese actually has a slick resume filled with much more than `GoodFellas' and `Casino'. While I don't think `The Departed' is his best work (neither is `GoodFellas' or `Casino' for that matter) I can say that I understand why he finally won that directing Oscar and can actually say that his win is justified, despite the fact that sympathy played heavily in his favor.
Now, when I sat back to finally review this film I came to a major roadblock. One of the most rewarding things about `The Departed' is that it is so unpredictable. Its one biggest flaw (that sloppy ending) is also the films biggest selling point (totally mind blowing in the way it just sneaks up on you) and so reviewing the plot seemed almost pointless.
I mean, what can I say without saying too much?
Billy Costigan is a cop being placed undercover into crime boss Costello's mob. Colin is one of Costello's men being placed undercover into the Boston police force. Neither knows of the other's existence yet almost simultaneously become aware of the other and begin trying to sniff the other out.
Along the way lots of people die.
Instead of trying to analyze the plot (which I'm sure a lot of you who have yet to see this will thank me for in the long run) I'm going to tell you why this film is worth your time. Martin Scorsese is a master of the lens and crafts a genuinely intriguing and breakneck paced thriller that never runs too long and never loses you. Despite everything that gets thrown your way, the film is actually very easy to follow. It also sports one of the best ensemble casts of that particular year (forget `Little Miss Sunshine'). Everyone involved is really at the top of their game. Leonardo DiCaprio is stellar here, truly phenomenal, and delivers what may be his finest performance to date. He is completely aware of what makes Billy so essential to the audience, creating a likable, understandable and identifiable character who is also exciting. Matt Damon, an actor I am not always sold on, is flawless here. He doesn't have the same energetic draw that DiCaprio has, but he manages to make his character just as engaging. Jack Nicholson is `Jack', plain and simple, but who better to play `Jack' than Jack? As far as the supporting players are concerned, you have wonderfully fleshed out performances from Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone and Alec Baldwin; not to mention the glorious Vera Farmiga.
Everyone is great.
So this brings me to the films drawback; the ending. I'm not going to divulge anything vital, I promise, but I can't not write about why I can't stand behind this film all the way. It's a great movie, don't get me wrong. It's exciting and interesting and engaging, but it lacks something crucial as it draws to a close. The film just kind of falls apart very quickly. There was so much time spent really fleshing out the films core that little to no attention was spent on fleshing out the films finale. It just kind of...ends. The ending appears almost thrown together haphazardly, and then the obviousness of the final shot was cringe inducing (why oh why did you do that Scorsese). Up until the last ten minutes or so I was actually thinking this Oscar win was deserved, but there was so much more that could have and should have been done with the ending.
It's rather sad really.
Anyways, I cannot fault the film too much. It succeeds in doing so much, and like I said, even though the films ending can be rendered a `flaw' it is also a HUGE selling point (you'll never see this one coming) so in the wise words of Benicio Del Toro, "take the good." |
Customer Rating: 5
Review Date: 2009-06-05
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Summary: Finally a movie worthy of its Oscars
Everything under the moon is already written about this fantastic movie..I envy those who are going to be watching it for the 1st time! |
Customer Rating: 5
Review Date: 2009-05-25
1 out of 1 found this review helpful.
Summary: DiCaprio finally comes of age under the direction of a worthy father.
I've seen the film only once, which is not quite enough to catch some crucial details about the father at the beginning. But the film is essentially a frantic gangster send-up like "Goodfellas" plus Hamlet with a theological twist: it's the search for identity and for the father, which are essentially the same thing. It's also a film in which DiCaprio is no longer seen as a mere teenager or, recalling Spielberg's leaden caper film, where Sheen is more caricature than believable character.
There's a scene in the film between DiCaprio and Nicholson during which I was conscious for the first time that the former could hold his own--as a mature, believable, adult actor--and with the very best of them. And what a crucial scene that turns out to be. In this modern-day "Hamlet" tale about a young man's desperate search for identity, he gains it--threefold--and just at the moment we're convinced he's lost everything. In the film's last incredibly tense, headspinning moments, we learn that 1. DiCaprio rather than Matt Damon is the trusted "son" of the mafia father figure played by Nicholson (Damon's character rejects outright the sentimental notion of being a "son" to Nicholson); 2. we are assured that DiCapio's identity is not lost when Mark Wahlberg's character, as a surrogate for Martin Sheen's character which, in turn, is a surrogate father to DiCaprio's, shows up to dispose of the imposter; 3.finally, the deal is triply "clinched" at our realization that the father of the baby being borne by Madolyn is not Damon's but DiCaprio's.
The line from "Hamlet" that's recited is "Readiness is all." But life, Scorsese, seems to be saying, is far more unpredictable and ludicrous, far more messy than this: none of us is ever ready (Nicholson's line to the effect that "we're all dying" suggests as much), and DiCaprio's character seems the least ready of all. Yet in the midst of all the violence and bloodshed, and despite all the lunacy and confusion, justice and clarity win out after all. This is, in many respects, the film befitting a mature, or "senior," director, who is moreover a man of faith. Unlike Coppola's fascination with the "humanness" of mafia families, Scorsese seems more interested in the "humanity" of these unsaintly, fallen prodigals who come to symbolize us all: they represent the universal human condition in all its absurdity and hope for redemption. For Scorsese they, no less than all of us, must not be consigned outright to the circle of the eternally damned. Even in their twisted, misguided, and confused relations, fathers and sons manage to find one another, mothers produce the sons by the fathers they truly love, the identity that is at once so elusive and questionable emerges after all--there's no question about its being a human identity and there's even a possibility that it retains much that is holy, emanating from a supreme father who ultimately pilots this ship of violent fools to a peaceful end. |
Customer Rating: 2
Review Date: 2009-05-17
1 out of 2 found this review helpful.
Summary: Not great Scorcese
I would give this 2 1/2 stars actually.
Scorsese has stunk up the place recently--see 'Gangs of New York', making him, along with Woody Allen, one of America's most over-rated directors (and both are identified with NYC!). This is something like a return to form, but no where near the quality of 'Casino' (which if Scorsese had stopped there would have made him a much-appreciated director).
First, neither DiCaprio nor Damon inhabit very believable characters. When you take unbelievable characters and add unbelievable actions and events, you get bad plot, among other things. Second, it's tiring seeing Nicholson in the role of criminal arch villain. What is most memorable about the depiction is the comedy. Third, an elaborate and unbelievable plot based around the idea that Irish and Italians (from Providence) battle it out for the 'mean streets' of Boston but with the main prize being the ability to sell computer chips to Chinese government officials was just way too much.
Since TV provides us with cop dramas like 'Homicide', the 'Shield' and the 'Wire', why would anyone need a film like this?
Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg turn in the most credible performances in supporting roles--the sort of characters that could be fleshed out and inhabit some of the plot in a longer TV drama. Here they get very little screen time actually.
One other dubious distinction: this has to be the most over-acclaimed, most over-rated Boston-based crime movie since Eastwood's, which was also flawed by an unbelievable plot. Neither DiCaprio nor Damon over-act in the Sean Penn way here, but neither of them are very believable as white tough guys from the mean streets either. There is supposed to be some sort of irony in that the DiCaprio character is judged by veteran cops to be incapable of being one, while the Damon character is supposed to the veteran cops' choice as a departmental golden boy. I kept thinking if Damon's slightly better acting skills were put to use in the DiCaprio character (the undercover cop), which is a slightly more important character than the undercover criminal in the police department, the results might have been somewhat more engaging. However, Scorsese seems to be enamored of DiCaprio.
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