2008 Woodie Awards
Burchard Movie: The Departed
Bruce Jordan
Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: Opinion
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The Departed is an extremely thrilling and action-packed gangster movie. The movie has an excellent cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio (Billy Costigan), Matt Damon (Colin Sullivan), and Jack Nicholson (Frank Costello). The music is phenomenal, and really adds to the entire cinematic experience. Finally, and most importantly, the plot itself is gripping and keeps the viewer entranced for the entire film.
The movie revolves around a young police officer's role in bringing down the Irish Mob in Massachusetts. Costigan, played by DiCaprio, is in this precarious role, treading the fine line between playing a fellow gangster and maintaining his oath to protect and serve. While this is going on, the police are also infiltrated by a member of the Irish Mob, and as a result both the police and the Mob sense that something is amiss.
This movie is more than just a simple good guys versus bad guys film. Rather, the lines between good and bad become blurred, until it is all a shade of gray. The heroes are not as pristine as they normally are, and the villains aren't nearly as sinister either. Rather, one can empathize with nearly every character.
In total, this movie is superb. It draws the viewer in and does not let go for the entire 151 minutes. Though it feels a little long at the end, there is a good deal of closure that could not come in a shorter runtime. This movie can be seen in Burchard this Sunday February 25, at 8:30pm and Monday and Tuesday at 9m. Final Score: 8.5
The movie revolves around a young police officer's role in bringing down the Irish Mob in Massachusetts. Costigan, played by DiCaprio, is in this precarious role, treading the fine line between playing a fellow gangster and maintaining his oath to protect and serve. While this is going on, the police are also infiltrated by a member of the Irish Mob, and as a result both the police and the Mob sense that something is amiss.
This movie is more than just a simple good guys versus bad guys film. Rather, the lines between good and bad become blurred, until it is all a shade of gray. The heroes are not as pristine as they normally are, and the villains aren't nearly as sinister either. Rather, one can empathize with nearly every character.
In total, this movie is superb. It draws the viewer in and does not let go for the entire 151 minutes. Though it feels a little long at the end, there is a good deal of closure that could not come in a shorter runtime. This movie can be seen in Burchard this Sunday February 25, at 8:30pm and Monday and Tuesday at 9m. Final Score: 8.5