The Departed

My former classmates and I played hookie from work and watched The Departed this afternoon. The verdict: this movie ranks as one of the best movies I've watched this year, hands down [and believe me, I've watched several totally awesome movies/DVDs this year alone]. Superbly written and masterfully crafted, Martin Scorsese carefully weaves all the violence and gore with the personal conflicts between, amongst and within each of the characters. The movie is a modern day tragedy, where each of the characters struggle, albeit in vain, to find meaning and survive in an environment wherein their true natures do not actually fit into. In a sense, they are, each of them, departed from lives that they had envisioned for themselves, and forced away from lives that "should have been". Indeed, the movie can be likened to a grand comedy of errors, the consequences of which, however, prove fatal to each and every character.

The cast was solid gold. Each cast member was perfect for the role he/she played. Particularly impressive was the acting of Leonardo di Caprio. His torture, angst and depression at being forced into a life he had tried so hard to run away from deserves critical acclaim. He had indeed graduated from the role he played in the towering fiasco that was Titanic. Matt Damon was a shoe-in, too. His role in this movie is reminiscent of the role he played in The Talented Mr. Ripley--that of a guy who tried so hard to fit in and find himself that in the end, he finds nothing and loses everything. Jack Nicholson is, well, Jack Nicholson. Need I say more?

This movie is a must-see. We were literally at the edge of our seats during the entire movie, which was 2 hours and 40 minutes long. You will never notice how long the movie was. There was nary a boring scene. Though there were a few loose ends [i.e., what was in the envelope?], these loose-ends are just minor details taken from context of the entire movie.

This move is sure to be another masterpiece of crime cinema. Few movies have ever affected me after watching it, including Seven, Deer Hunter, Usual Suspects, Reservoir Dogs, and recently, Old Boy. The Departed outruns all of them. Jesus Christ.

My officemates and I sure didn't regret playing hookie from the office.