Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this film is not for kids -- but many will want to see it due to the incredibly heavy promotion during TV shows popular with kids. It's far too graphically violent for those under 17, including images of heads being shot and spurting blood, limbs being broken, bodies sprawled and bloody, and expressions of pain by victims of shootings and beatings. Sexual imagery includes a scene in a porn theater that cuts to the screen (the actors are engaged in sexual activity, but no X-rated shots are visible) and frequent sexual slang (some of which is homophobic). Characters smoke in almost every scene, and drink occasionally, and Billy takes pills throughout the film, indicating his increasing paranoia and depression.
Families can discuss the difficulties posed by loyalties and lies. In order to do their job, the two moles have to lie to their friends, associates, and family. What emotional difficulties does that situation create? What kind of stress would that put on your life over a long period of time? How would you feel if you found out someone you cared about was living a double life? Also, what function does Madolyn serve as the protagonists' therapist and lover? And how are both moles' "father figures" -- Frank the gangster and Captain Queenan -- similar?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Cynthia Fuchs
A densely layered, lively saga of betrayal and revenge, THE DEPARTED features powerhouse performances and virtuoso profanity. The plot centers on two moles working at cross purposes while using similar methods -- that is, tipping off their superiors to their opponents' plans via cell phones. Directed by Martin Scorsese and scripted by William Monahan, the movie is brutal and brainy, with speedy plot twists and deceptions layered on top of deceptions.
The structural complexities are compounded by the fact that the two moles resemble each other, to the point that when they both don baseball caps and lean back into the shadows, they're hard to tell apart. Still, they take on very different appearances to play their parts: "straight-arrow" Colin (Matt Damon) makes his way through the ranks of the Massachusetts State Troopers while spying for flamboyant Irish mobster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). In turn, Captain Queenan (Martin Sheen) and pugnacious Sergeant Dignam (a very entertaining Mark Wahlberg) recruit their own mole, Billy (Leonardo DiCaprio) -- whose family background is filled with gangsters and crooks -- to infiltrate Frank's crew.
Both Colin and Billy might be described as belonging to "gangs" -- the cops and the criminals -- where charismatic leaders (Queenan and Frank) inspire loyalty as well as fear. Both sides are populated by colorful, manly men, including foul-mouthed, mostly disgruntled Captain Ellerby (Alec Baldwin) and Frank's ferociously enthusiastic primary assassin, French (Ray Winstone). Billy and Colin are the next generation, each troubled in his own way (Billy becomes increasingly paranoid after living for years undercover and wondering when the job will end, while Colin grows increasingly freakish about his faltering self-control). Neither quite wants to "run things," but both are ambitious enough not to quit amid perpetual crisis.
As if to underline their similarities, both Billy and Colin are drawn to sad-eyed police department therapist, Madolyn ( Vera Farmiga). But her perspective also calls attention to their differences: She's charmed by fiancé Colin's wit (from a crime scene, he calls her to say, "I saw a dead guy. I think I'm having post-traumatic stress. Can I see you for lunch?"), but also troubled by his deceit and occasional displays of aggression (he yells at her), and she's touched by Billy's vulnerability and moral integrity.
Still, Madolyn's role is schematic at best and is more plot-pointy than convincing. Her sympathies tend to stand in for the viewer's, as the movie doesn't trust in the ethical and political ambiguities it inherited from its inspiration, Andrew Lau and Andy Mak's brilliant Infernal Affairs.
Less elegant, rowdier, and more neatly resolved than the original, THE DEPARTED loves its excesses. Scorsese grants Nicholson a wide berth, and his antics provide plenty of "color" (especially his rat imitation, as he worries out loud about finding the spy). Doubled and different at the same time, both Billy and Colin struggle with their "identities," cleverly illustrated by both the surveillance and communications technology (cell phones, wires, lost signals) they use and the film's editing, which emphasizes their parallel tracks and near collisions.
Fans should also see Scorsese's other gangster movies -- including Mean Streets, GoodFellas, and Gangs of New York -- and the Coen brothers' Miller's Crossing.
Rate It!
| Content | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS | adults | kids | ||
Sexual ContentA couple of sex scenes show nudity (bodies in bed); Frank's girlfriend appears in underwear and they share sexual banter; recurrent sexual slang ("d--k," "c-nt," "screw," "whore," etc.); scene in porn theater includes brief shots of nude bodies and moaning sounds; Frank accuses priests of sexual abuse (using explicit language, like "p--ker"); Madolyn alludes to Colin's inabilty to perform sexually ("Do you want to talk about last night?"); Frank harasses teenager by asking if she's "started [her] period yet." |
 |
|
|
|
ViolenceExplicit, bloody, frequent violence: shooting (blood sprayed on surfaces), stabbing, head-bashing, shoot-out, suicide, car crash, kicking, exploding; a body thrown off a roof bleeds on impact; cops joke about bloody corpse/crime scenes and photos; a thug pounds on Billy's broken arm to ensure that there's no listening device in the cast; Frank fiddles with a bloody hand in a plastic bag while discussing plans; crooks burn down their hideout to avoid discovery; Billy worries about his coolness while working with a "mass murderer." |
 |
|
|
|
LanguageFrequent use of "f--k" (200+ instances); derogatory uses of "queen," "homo," "guinea," "mick" other profanity ("douchebag," "ass," "s--t," "hell," etc.). |
|
|
|
|
Message |
|
|
|
|
Social BehaviorBoth cops and criminals lie and abuse one another as a matter of course; men's bonding and competing are similarly violent. |
 |
|
 |
|
CommercialismBackground imagery in bars (for example, Coca Cola or beer logos). |
 |
|
|
|
Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoFrequent cigarette-smoking; drinking in bars (sometimes leading to drunkenness); Billy asks for Valium, then takes prescription anti-depressants repeatedly. |
|
|
|
|
