The Departed: A symphony between the mafia and police

Everyone loves a good mafia story, especially if it is done well. For a mafia based film, this requires a well written script which is matched with a great representation on film. We have seen many good mafia stories in the past but quite often they fall short of hitting the benchmark of being truly spectacular. This may be due to the fact that most people automatically put a gangster-mafia film on a pedestal, when in actual fact, it needs to be made well to become one of the ‘greats’.

The Departed is a mafia based drama film which covers two sides of a coin by portraying the atmosphere in both camps; the cops and the gangsters. Frank Costello is the kingpin of the Irish Mafia in Boston. He is feared in the city and receives tribute from every small and big business which helps him keep his reputation intact and run his side business of drug peddling. He takes Colin Sullivan under his wing as a kid and trains him to be an important asset for him. Colin eventually graduates from the police academy and joins the Massachusetts State Police to become an informant to Frank about how the police are running their investigations which helps Frank stay away from their radar. On the other side of the tracks, Billy Costigan also attempts to join the Massachusetts State Police on graduating from policy academy. Unfortunately for him, his family history is riddled with the who’s who of the city’s mafia which is known to his commanders. He is given the option of becoming an undercover officer in the mafia to work as an informant for the police about the mafia’s plans. Frank and the police both become increasingly aware of informants in their ranks and both try to smoke them out. The situation becomes grave for Colin and Billy as both try to keep their cover while exposing the other.

The Departed is a great film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay written by William Monahan. This film which was released in 2006 was based on a 2002 Hong Kong film called Infernal Affairs. The Departed is a gem of a film which shows all sides of the coin of law enforcement. It goes into depth for the three main characters and shows their development as the story progresses with the police informant getting unhinged, the mafia informant becoming increasingly paranoid and the head of the mafia being calm and collected. It shrouds the character of Madolyn in mystery, the psychiatrist who carries on relationships with both the informants while being unaware of who they really are until the end of the film.

The film has a certain sweet symphony to it, especially during the main action sequence which sees a standoff between the police and the mafia. It shows both the emotions and the mental state of the characters as they chase down each other being entirely unaware of who they are but the audience knowing their true identities. Every close call for the characters in the film is a skipped heartbeat for the audience. The title of the film comes from the death of a subsidiary character and in hindsight, there is a bittersweet way in which it ties to the end of the film.

Scorsese has also taken the opportunity to pay tribute and show his audience what influences and drives him. The multiple mentions of Sigmund Freud and his theories show that Scorsese has respect for his ideas and put them in the film. He has also used a quotation by John Lennon which shows his background and interest in music. This is also reflected in the background music which involves music from Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, and others. The music was selected in collaboration with a close friend of his, Robbie Robertson, a member of the band called The Band and the use of the song I’m Shipping Up to Boston by Dropkick Murphys features heavily in the film.

Scorsese brings impeccable style to all his films. Although he does not have a particular recurring style in every one of his films, each film has a unique identity to set it apart. The use of music to coincide with the events of the film and the edits to go along with the music are a part of Scorsese’s style and can be seen evidently in this film.

The Departed is one of Scorsese’s best works. It is a must watch film for lovers of mafia-themed films and those who enjoy good cinema.

Gangs of New York: A son’s revenge and the birth of a metropolitan

Heading into a movie directed by one of Hollywood’s contemporary greats like Martin Scorsese is usually an assurance of an enjoyable experience filled in with certain measures of thought provoking style and ideologies, and Gangs of New York almost lives up to the same. But all the same, it isn’t among the greatest created by the master. Sure, it does spin a good tale of underworld mafia rule in pre-civilised New York with the impeccable style that Scorsese brings to the table and a few intelligently crafted dialogues; but overall it doesn’t live up to the hype that is Scorsese.

Starting with the death of the protagonist’s father amid a battle of the ‘tribes’ in New York, the film follows Amsterdam Vallon 16 years down the line upon his return to Five Points having been raised in a home for reforms by Christian Missionaries. Amsterdam returns to find that Five Points is run by the Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting, the head of the gang called the Confederation of the American Natives, the very man who killed his father. While the gangs continue to squabble over everyday issues and the folk of Five Points continue to live in fear, The Butcher unceremoniously collects a tribute to allow the small gangs to operate and uphold the corruption among police and politicians which allow him to enjoy his endeared way of life. Amsterdam plots revenge on his father’s killer but is tied down by matters of racism, casteism, friendship, loyalty and love as he rises through the ranks to raise his own army to take down the gang lord.

This film goes down as another well stylised piece of art by Scorsese, adapted from a nonfiction book of the same title. While the plot divulges from actual facts at certain points, the film set in 1862 New York manages to closely represent most of the true events of the time. The costumes, sets and dated language are a credit to the historically placed film. However, the loose plot and constant flurry of characters leave the film as an awry final product. Certain historical inaccuracies and production errors also prove detrimental to the overall film.

Notwithstanding the few letdowns of the production, Gangs of New York circles around important issues which were rampant during the time including racism, slavery, gang wars, class divisions, the American Civil Wars, and more. As a whole, the film ties down important topics of discussion, whether for the right or the wrong reasons.