THE DEPARTED

April 15, 2007

Director:Martin Scorsese
With:Leonardo Di Caprio,Jack Nicholson,Matt Damon,Mark Whalberg,Martin Sheen,Alec Baldwin.
Writers:William Monahan
Siu Fai Mak(2002 Screenplay)
Plot: Two men from opposite sides of the law are undercover within the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia, but violence and bloodshed boil when discoveries are made, and the moles are dispatched to find out their enemy’s identities.
Awards: Won 4 Oscars. Another 40 wins & 35 nominations.
Trivia: (DON’T READ UNLESS YOU’VE SEEN THE MOVIE)
* The film’s technical adviser was Thomas B. Duffy, a retired detective who worked out of Boston for nearly thirty years and specialized in organized crime. He was particularly involved in the case against notorious South Boston gangster Whitey Bulger, whom Jack Nicholson’s Frank Costello is partly based on. Duffy appears as the official who delivers a speech to the graduating police cadets.
* Martin Scorsese wanted to shoot the film in Boston, where the story is set. But due to concerns on setting up production and politics, the producers chose New York City to double for Boston because of the state’s 15% tax credit. The bulk of the movie was shot in New York City while a six week shooting schedule was split in two for Boston, shooting the first half in June and the second half in August.
* Martin Scorsese called this film his “B-Movie.”
* Mark Wahlberg based his performance on the police officers who’d arrested him about two dozen times in his youth, and the reactions of his parents who had to come bail him out with their grocery money
* It is the second remake to win the Oscar for Best Picture. The first was “Ben-Hur” (1959).
* The comic book that Frank Costello gives young Collin Sullivan in the beginning of the movie is an issue of the “Wolverine” series, which began in 1988.
* Robert De Niro was asked to participate, but ultimately did not because of his work on The Good Shepherd (2006).
* Body count: 22
* The phones used in the movie were Sprint phones.
* This is the movie with the most uses of the word “fuck” (237) to win the Best Picture Oscar.
* Warner Brothers bought the remake rights to the film for US$1.75 million in 2003.
* When receiving the top award from the Director’s Guild of America for this film, Martin Scorsese said that this “is the first movie I have ever done with a plot.”
* Martin Scorsese said that he made this film to honor crime genre directors such as Robert Aldrich, Samuel Fuller and Don Siegel.
* This is Martin Scorsese’s highest grossing film to date - even adjusting for inflation.
* RZA was offered Anthony Anderson’s role, but turned it down because of scheduling conflicts.
* Many scenes with Jack Nicholson were improvised. Nicholson was given the opportunity to do whatever he wanted, to add the character’s fear. The scene where Billy and Frank are talking, was loosely scripted, and many surprises happened in it, including Frank pulling out the gun.
* The rat at the end is completely digital.
* The movie one of the gangsters is watching before being shot in the knee by Costigan is The Informer (1935).
* The CD that Costigan mails to Colin is mailed in the cover for the Rolling Stones album “Exile on Mainstreet”.
* Ray Liotta was the original choice for the role of Dignam but had to reluctantly decline due to other commitments.
* Martin Scorsese sent the script to Mel Gibson, offering him an unspecified role. Gibson thought the script was fantastic, but was unable to accept the part because he was starting production on Apocalypto (2006) at the time.
* Denis Leary was offered the role of Dignam in this film, but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with his television show, “Rescue Me” (2004).
* Gerard McSorley was originally slated to play Queenan but had to drop out of the project.
* As research for his character’s occupation, Matt Damon worked with a Massachusetts State Police unit out of Boston. He accompanied them on routine patrols, participated in a drug raid and was taught proper police procedures like how to pat down a suspect.
* Originally, Jack Nicholson turned down his role in the movie, but after a meeting with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, he was finally convinced to play the role of Frank Costello. The main reason he joined the production was because he had previously done a few comedies, and wanted to play a villain again, and he considered the character of Costello to be the ultimate incarnation of evil.
* Leonardo DiCaprio was cast in the title role in The Good Shepherd (2006), but he dropped out to play Billy Costigan in this movie. Matt Damon then took the role.
* Martin Scorsese had originally wanted to cast a known actress, either Kate Winslet or Hilary Swank, for the part of Madolyn. But he later decided to go with someone new instead (Vera Farmiga).
* Because Martin Scorsese was so pleased with technical advisor Tom Duffy, he let him appear on-screen as the Governor of Massachusetts swearing in the new Police Academy graduates.
* While shooting on location in Boston, Massachusetts, Martin Scorsese viewed the film’s dailies at Emerson College.
* The word “fuck” and its derivatives are said 237 times throughout the film.
* Jack Nicholson refused to wear a Boston Red Sox hat during filming and instead wore his New York Yankees hat.
* Martin Scorsese put the finishing touches on this film a week before its theatrical release.
* New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was the former tenant of Colin Sullivan’s (Matt Damon) apartment.
* Originally Brad Pitt was cast as Colin Sullivan, but later dropped out. He continued to produce the film under his (and his then wife Jennifer Aniston’s) production company, Plan B.
* The newscaster seen reporting the news story detailing the dumped body by Costello’s gang was a real Boston area newscaster at the time of filming. He reported for Boston’s Warner Brother’s affiliate station WB56.
* When the main characters are shown in a police academy ballistics lecture at the beginning, the large flip chart illustrations seen in the background are Warren Commission exhibits of President John F. Kennedy’s head wounds, prepared by medical illustrator H.A. Rydberg under the direction of Dr. James Humes, the chief examiner of Kennedy’s autopsy.
* After completing The Aviator (2004), Martin Scorsese kept Alec Baldwin in mind for future collaboration and ultimately decided to cast him in the role of Ellerby (which was offered to Mel Gibson first).
· The scene where Frank Costello throws cocaine on hookers was one of many bizarre ideas contributed by Jack Nicholson, who also suggested wearing a strap-on for the scene with Matt Damon in the porn theater.

Soundtrack: # “Gimme Shelter”
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Performed by The Rolling Stones
By Arrangement with ABKCO Music & Records, Inc.
# “Minstrel Boy”
Performed by the NYPD Emerald Society Pipes and Drums
# “Scotland The Brave”
Performed by the NYPD Emerald Society Pipes and Drums
# “I’m Shipping Up To Boston”
Written by Alexander Barr, Kenneth Casey, Matthew Kelly, James Lynch,
Marc Orrell and Woody Guthrie
Performed by Dropkick Murphys (as The Dropkick Murphys)
Courtesy of Hellcat Records
# “Thief’s Theme”
Written by Salaam Remi, Douglas Ingle and Nas (as Nasir Jones)
Performed by Nas
Courtesy of Sony Urban Music / Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Contains a sample of “In A Gadda Da Vida”
Performed by Michael Viner’s Incredible Bongo Band
Courtesy of Phoenix Audio
# “One Way Out”
Written by Elmore James, Marshall Sehorn and Sonny Boy Williamson
Performed by Allman Brothers Band (as The Allman Brothers Band)
Courtesy of Universal Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
# “Nobody But Me”
Written by Rudolph Isley, Ronald Isley and O’Kelly Isley
Performed by The Human Beinz
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music
# “Let It Loose”
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Performed by The Rolling Stones
Courtesy of Promotone B.V.
# “Sweet Dreams”
Written by Don Gibson
Performed by Patsy Cline
Courtesy of MCA Nashville
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
# “Well Well Well”
Written by John Lennon
Performed by John Lennon
Courtesy of EMI Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music
# “Bang Bang”
Written by Joe Cuba and Jimmy Sabater
Performed by Joe Cuba
Courtesy of Emusica Records, LLC
# “Sail On, Sailor”
Written by Tandyn Almer, Raymond Kennedy, Van Dyke Parks, John Rieley and Brian Wilson
Performed by The Beach Boys
Courtesy of Brother Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music
# “Sancta Maria”
From the film The Informer (1935)
Written by Max Steiner
# “Baby Blue”
Written by Pete Ham
Performed by Badfinger
Courtesy of Apple Corps Ltd.
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music
# “Chi Mi Frena (Sextet, Act 2)”
From “Lucia Di Lammermoor”
Written by Gaetano Donizetti
Performed by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra;
Roberto Paternostro, Conductor
Sung by Daniela Lojarro, Gisella Pasino, Giuseppe Sabbatini, Michael Knapp, Michele Pertusi,
Marcho Chingari
Courtesy of LaserLight
By arrangement of Source/Q
# “Comfortably Numb”
Written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters
Performed by Roger Waters, Van Morrison, The Band
Courtesy of Universal Music International (GB)
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
# “Tweedle Dee”
Written by Winfield Scott
Performed by LaVern Baker
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
# “Lucia Di Lammermoor: Act 1: Preludio - Percorrete Le Spiaggie Vicine”
Written by Gaetano Donizetti
Performed by the Santa Cecilia Academy Orchestra;
Sir John Pritchard, Conductor
Courtesy of Decca Music Group Limited
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
# “Theme from Symphony No. 5 in E Minor”
Written by Antonín Dvorák (as Antonin Dvorak)
Performed by the NYPD Emerald Society Pipes and Drums
# “Sweet Dreams”
Written by Don Gibson
Performed by Roy Buchanan
Courtesy of Universal Records
By Arrangement with Universal Music Enterprises

*Not all the songs appear on the Soundtrack CD.
Review:The latest masterpiece that got out of mr Scorsese’s hands,”The Departed”,has finally brought the well known genius an Oscar.Although it’s not exactly an “original” movie,”The Departed” is based on the 2002 Hong Kong thriller “Internal Affairs”,due to the director’s view,the new mind blowing thriller comes to the attention of both the critics as well as the public.Of course,the first “to blame” for this might be the famous cast,for which Scorsese is also known for,it’s not the first time he choses great names for his movie,so, having Jack Nicholson,Matt Damon,Mark Whalberg and Leo Di Caprio in the first line of this production,already sets the film on a shiny road.
Second one to blame for the movie’s success has to be Monahan’s script,which the director knows so well how to handle.The story is apparently simple,and not a first sight for Scorsese’s movies,we have the bad cop (Matt Damon) and the good cop(Di Caprio),the big mob boss(Jack Nicholson),the justice servants(Mark Whalberg and Charlie Sheen),the love triangle(Damon-Vera Fermiga-Di Caprio) and the suspense keeping us glued to every scene.Frank Costello(Nicholson) runs a very strong mob organization and has on his side the young and ambitious policeman Colin Sullivan(Damon).Unfortunately for them Billy Costigan (Di Caprio) steps in as an infiltrator in Costello’s gang,who gives daily reports to the cops,Dignam(Whalberg) and Queenan(Martin Sheen) helping them in theyr efforts to uncover the mob operation and reminding us a bit about Johnny Depp’s struggle in “Donnie Brasco”.Apart from the obvious good and evil and moral conscience battles in the story,there’s also an interesting love story involved,which makes it all even more spicy.Both Di Caprio’s and Damon’s character fall in love with Madolyn(Vera Fermiga) ,a police psychiatrist who Costigan is supposed to visit frequently as a part of his agreement with the police,as an undercover agent,and who is Sullivan’s girlfriend at the same time.So,not only she is torn between two men,but she also keeps them somehow connected and gives us revelations about both of them’s troubled psyches.
The plot is complex and as a spectator one might find oneself in a daze trying to figure out which story to follow closely,but one is surely to fall in love of all of them at the same time,just as they reveal to one’s eyes.
So,we just established that the director and the screenwriter did their job tremendously well,then what about the actors?Well…that’s easy….We have Nicholson who needs no introduction and probably no help to create his evil and conspicuous character,he’s a delight to our eyes,appearing again as the villain,but with a little bit of a human side.Then there’s Di Caprio,who has matured a little since “Titanic” and “ Romeo and Juliet” and is now ready to give us a real man,one who is capable of love (for Madolyn)as well as betrayal(to Costello) and as an actor he succeeds in showing us both sides of the story ,as we are almost able to feel his every torment in the double part he is playing as an informer and a gangster ,in love with a woman he is supposed to keep secrets from but also tell her what goes on in his mind by detail.A nice surprise comes from Matt Damon who doesn’t exactly fit the profile of the “bad guy” but does his job remarkably,as he is ruthless in helping the huge mafia mogul,and has no scruple whatsoever in achieving his goals.And the amazing part is that he manages to do that while being very vulnerable in his relationship with Madolyn.So,the new arrived Vera Fermiga,finds herself in the middle of dangerously charming men cast and luckily for her,the character’s job is to hesitate between two of them.Although not the director’s first choice,I think Fermiga didn’t disappoint mr Scorsese,as she is delicate,but strong when she has to reply to Damon’s character and vulnerable in front of Di Caprio’s disturbed undercover policeman.
Martin Scorsese does it again,as he brings us this suspense thriller,spicing it up with some good 70’s music,as Mick Jagger,and some classics as Dvorak,and letting them all complete his job in the back while the main action goes on in the foreground.Along with the talented cast and the memorable songs,the director also brings a clean but dynamic image,as we see each character’s move although their actions are sometimes very fast,cutting the scenes just in time to make us get the point but to leave us with some questions as well.

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