The Departed: The Review
February 23, 2007 by leora
If you have not yet seen Martin Scorsese’s Oscar Nominated thriller, The Departed, get out of the house and rent it today! This is truly Scorsese at his best and the academy must agree considering his nomination for Achievement in Directing. Set in the streets of Boston, we see a complex story unfold of crime, deceit, and corruption from the heart of the Massachusetts State Police to the dirty inner workings of the Irish Mafia. Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon burst through the screen in their action-packed and suspense filled roles. I’m not sure why Mark Wahlberg in particular was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor, as he has a much smaller part in the movie than these other folks. In particular, I would have handed the nomination to Jack Nicholson, who plays quite the convincing crime boss, or Martin Sheen, who plays the director the secret operations, or even Alec Baldwin as the chief of police. Each of these actors deserve recognition for their fantastic roles in this movie. To say anything about the plot of the movie is to give too much away!
Go rent it yourself before Sunday! You will not be disappointed. This is definitely my husband’s pick for best picture at the Oscars.
Tags: the departed, oscar, nomination, mark wahlberg, best picture, scorsese, leonardo dicaprio
First off what is the deal with little Martin s calling black people n***** in every one of his films. I’m a huge fan of his work but after a while i began to wonder why the need to use racial slurrs in every film. I have seen the original film and since it was an Asian film there was need to go and add the word n***** to this film. Sure I have heard the rumors of his wife having an affair with a black man. but does that one incident give him the right to constantly use the forum of cinema to disrespect black people. since he is Italian he is part black right? Thanks to the Moors he is part black maybe its some type of self hate trip. I’m not sure who is worse little Martin S. or dumbs ass Quentin T. You know the guy that envies black people and culture so much he has to hate it. At what point do these types of filmmakers atleast show their minority fans some respect bu having some cultural sensitivity. About a week I went to a screening of a film by Marquette Williams in Los Angeles. I saw a great independent film by a passionate and charismatic filmmaker that told an engaging story about child molestation and the social service system in a unique way. The film is a dark thriller focusing on a masked man who takes a family hostage. The reason I was there is because I work in development at a major studio. My boss who was with me decided to pass on the film. Stating it was not black enough, there were no stars and who wants to hear about this type of. For me it was an amazing film. I stated this fact and he scuffed me off. As a black man I wonder how so many black films that make our men and women look bad get made. Honestly I know why because we will go see any film with our folks on the screen. But we need more directors like Marquette Williams that are making film about black people without telling the world what African-American culture is or is not. We as a people are much deeper than the entertainment products we sell at this time and point. We need diverse story lines and diverse points of view of our culture. Please support UNSPEAKABLE and other small films like this. Why don’t Martin S. and Quentin T. contacting black men who want to create change in cinema. Or are they the racist pigs they appear to be? Here are a few links I have found on the web.
UNSPEAKABLE on you tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrCBziXs3S4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sbPkL6yH6c