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Originally printed 10.12.06 in the Eureka, California newspaper The Times-Standard.
The Departed
Faulk: If you happen to think the human head has too few holes in it, you'll like this movie. Scorsese sets about putting holes in heads in a way I haven't seen since, well, the last Scorsese gangster movie.
This movie was fantastic. It was complex, character driven, and full of what used to be young Hollywood talent. Now it's middle-aged Hollywood talent, but the stars -- DiCaprio, Damon, Wahlberg -- act as if their careers depended on their performance. How refreshing.
Jack Nicholson was all that he's known to be. The New York Times said that he's fallen into the trap of acting like a caricature of himself, always gesticulating with that "Here's Johnny" sneer on his face. But given the context in this movie, and the nature of the villain, Nicholson plays himself just perfectly.
One problem I noticed: Like cigarette product placements of old, leaving the theater it was very hard not to prank call some old seamstress on my flip phone, just because all those cool actors had phones glued to their faces for the duration of the movie. Calling, dialing, texting, talking -- it was like a short walk on the quad at HSU, the characters were so wired into the cellular generation.
Excellent movie. I said that already, but what the heck. It really was good, and should easily compete for one of those golden action figures at the end of the year.
Rating: XXL
Durant: YESSSSSSSSS! This is what I'm talking about! That motherf****r Scorsese is a f***ing genius when he does what he's f***ing good at doing. Gangster flicks. Not the old gangsters from the turn of the century, but the gangsters of today. Not biographies of the Dalai Lama, not biographies of crazy rich guys, not an in-depth ambulance driver movie -- but gangster flicks.
Nicholson, (Alec) Baldwin, (Mark and John) Wahlberg, DiCaprio, (Martin) Sheen, Damon, the fat guy from "Kangaroo Jack" and a Matt Dillon spotting. With set up like this, I went in expecting it to severely disappoint. It did not.
Alec Baldwin was surprising to me, not a huge role but when he was on the screen he was funny -- I guess hosting Saturday Night Live 56 times has paid off.
I used to be an anti-heartthrob guy too, but DiCaprio and Damon kick much butt.
It started the classic Scorsese way, sweeping urban shots to an old Rolling Stones song. Once I saw that I got the feeling I get every time I watch "Goodfellas" or "Casino."
The movie jumped around a little, but I never got too lost and was I thankful when the movie didn't drag.
And yes, to touch on something my portly partner said, there was so much cell phone usage that I think the entire cast should get cat scans.
The microchip stuff was a little cheesy, but didn't detract.
It wasn't the typical Scorsese gangster flick -- it took place in Boston, not New York, and it was the Irish mob, not Italians.
Also, the Massachusetts State Police must have the best marksmen in the country. I swear, everyone gets shot once in the forehead, well mostly everyone.
Rating: XXL
The man who twists the knobs for the Fat Guys radio segment (Saturday's at 3 p.m., 94.1 KSLG-FM), Jessemyn Reid, will be filling on air in this week as Faulk's on vacation so he's dropping his Knowledge on the film too.
Reid:
What's up North Coast?
Look ma they let me speak ...
So I got to tag along on this jaunt to the theater since Faulk is out of town for the radio portion and they said OK, you can write a piece too. Just shut up already. So here it goes.
Let me start out by saying I'm not up to date on my Scorsese films. I'm not a big fan of gangster movies. However, this film is making me rethink that stance. The film was great and one of those types of films one can study in a film class. Just tearing every scene apart and reconstructing it into some overly meaningful way to the point that the film loses any meaning at all ... sorry I just had a bad film instructor once.
Nevertheless the cinematography was astounding with each shot meticulous in meaning. The direction was good. There were a couple continuity mistakes, but nothing glaring or detracting from the story, like how did that picture of the psychologist as a child get back to her place (Watch for the scene when DiCaprio is in the rain). And of course the acting. All around, everything was there for a great movie. This is how a film should be made, with a good script, story boards, and competent actors.
And speaking of competent actors, as my cohorts had mentioned, the star watching was part of the experience. The characters were all cast well and not just with a sprinkle of DiCaprio for the ladies and dash of Nicholson's crazy for the fellas. No sir, this was a straight-up shot of kick-ass story telling and kick-ass acting mixed with some bad-ass directing. I'll take mine shaken, not stirred.
Rating: XXL
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