1. The only Oscar Best Director award for Martin Scorsese
When good films are so scarce today, it's a good idea to enjoy old movies.
Is Martin Scorsese a top director? 99% of fans would agree. But which is his best movie? Different answers will appear. After being nominated numerous times for Best Director, it was "The Departed", an adapted film, that finally let him win the Oscar.
"The Departed" is a pulse-pounding 2006 crime thriller helmed by the legendary Martin Scorsese and starring A-listers Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson. This flick was a critical and box-office triumph, earning it four well-deserved Oscars, including Best Director for Scorsese, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
2. High-speed and information-intensive storytelling
"The Departed" differs from the original Hong Kong version in terms of its realism. To make the film more realistic and complex, Martin Scorsese was able to create a film that was both thought-provoking and entertaining.
Scorsese makes characters more complex in "The Departed" by exploring their backgrounds and personal lives with greater details, which were conveyed through complex dialogue and montage. This creates an immersive viewing experience, where the audience's brain remains actively engaged.
For example， In "The Departed", the event of Billy discovers Colin as a mole in the police department, being followed by Billy and then discovered, Colin uses street cameras to find his tracker, and finally, Colin finds Billy through the police computer was masterfully portrayed in only three shots and ten seconds. This efficient storytelling showcases the film's expertise in effectively conveying complex information through camera.
In addition to its clean editing, its storytelling is also efficient.
The four death scenes in the movie that left a deep impression on me come from four different characters, including the two main characters. They are the death of police captain Queenan, the death of mafia boss Frank Costello, the death of Billy, and the death of Colin Sullivan.
The death of Police Captain Queenan is the most brutal. He sacrifices himself to allow Billy to escape and is beaten to death by the gangsters. The movie does not show the details of the beating, instead showing him falling from the sky, with blood splattering everywhere near Billy who was escaping.
Queenan's death, although brutal and emotional, is portrayed simply and directly by Martin Scorsese. Billy sees his body, full of shock, and has no time to grieve as the gangsters arrive and escape after a brief firefight with the police. As an audience, my emotions are similarly swept up by the story's development, with little time to mourn Queenan's passing before being pulled into the next emotional stage. I believe this is intentional on the part of the director, who wants the audience to experience Billy's feelings - have no time to grieve, but instead need to quickly prepare for the next stage.
The death of the gang leader Frank Costello is the most poignant. Surrounded by the police, all of his henchmen have died in battle. He can only seek refuge with Colin. However, he is shot dead by the person he trusts the most, Colin, who fires many shots.
Billy's death is the most unexpected. After finally catching on to Colin's weakness and successfully capturing him on the roof of a building, he is unexpectedly shot while handing him over to the police.
Finally, Colin Sullivan's death is the simplest. When he thinks he has defeated all of his enemies and can finally rest easy, he forgets about a police officer named Dignam, who left the movie scene early on because he quit. Dignam ambushes Colin at his home and easily kills him when he returns.
The deaths of these key characters all occur in the latter half hour. Their concentrated passing leads the story to its climax while also making the audience feel the fragility of life.
The main characters in the movie all die, except the psychologist Madolyn. She is the only female among the main characters in the film.
3. The change in Madolyn reflects the high level of screenwriters
Screenwriter William Monahan made major changes to the character of Madolyn. In the Hong Kong version, Madolyn was comprised of two characters, one as Billy's psychologist and the other as Colin Sullivan's writer girlfriend. In the US version, these two characters were combined into one, with Madolyn being both Colin Sullivan's girlfriend and Billy's psychologist.
This clever change makes her more complex while reducing the number of characters, and also contrasts Billy and Colin Sullivan's personalities.
For example, in the movie, when faced with the childhood photos that Madolyn placed at home, Billy and Colin Sullivan makes different reactions. Billy hangs them on the wall, while Colin Sullivan puts them away. This shows Billy's gentle side and Colin Sullivan's selfishness.
As a movie reviewer, I must say the American version of "The Departed" boasts numerous improvements over the original. There is not much space to list all of them. The film kept me on the edge of my seat with its constant revelations, but this level of information overload might not be ideal for those who looking for a relaxing movie experience after a long day at work.
Rating A
Share your thoughts!
Be the first to start the conversation.