the departed...

Just back from the movies with J&J, after having dinner at the L&N Seafood in Pentagon City, after an afternoon at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson watching UMass roll up to a 35-0 lead with 4-1/2 minutes to go in the game.

Anybody know the final?

Okay... Simply, Scorsese's "The Departed" is a superior film. No, it's great!

This is a great great film!

Alright, I may break the levee with the gush of Katrina here but I loved this movie.

Start with an all-star cast, each and every with sublime performances: Jack Nicholson as a fictionalized Whitey Bulger (Funny, I didn't know Costello was an Irish name). It has been years since I've really enjoyed Nicholson. It may've been me, but it also eemed he'd been mailing it in with campy imperfection since he made the likes of "Easy Rider", "Carnal Knowledge", "Five Easy Pieces", "Chinatown" or "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest". You can now add this one to the mix.

(Update: Okay, strike that! "About Schmidt" was a very understated performance, and which actually triggered my empathy for the character. Oh, wait! I also loved "Prizzi's Honor". Agh! Respect!)

Of course Leonardo DiCaprio, as an undercover state trooper, was powerful in this role, and, no, I'm not one usually given to swooning over them baby blues. Having said that, I've been reading the IMDb reviews. Apparently there are some who don't think of him even as a talented actor. To them I say, you're nuts! For example, in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", the first time I saw DiCaprio, in this case a younger teen, I thought they actually cast a brain-damaged actor essentially playing himself, and not so much what Kate Winslet mused on HBO's "Extras" as a sure way to an easy oscar: "playing a mental". Later on, I found him quite entertaining, and convincing, in "The Quick & The Dead" as a paternally deprived teenaged gunslinger. DiCaprio ain't just a pretty boy, people; he's got some real chops. And he can cry & die on camera with the best of 'em.

I confess to always having liked Matt Damon; his "Bourne", "Rainmaker" and "Good Will Hunting" characters being my immediate faves. Here, he plays the dirty cop affectingly.

Alec Baldwin, the only Baldwin brother with talent and charm, always pleases with his performance (his best performance in "The Cooler"). Mark Wahlberg, meanwhile, has come a long way from the 80s era underwear model. And Martin Sheen, although no longer the president, still carries gravitas with ease. All enjoyable, all very watchable.

And introducing Vera Farmiga (she's been around according to her bio, but I only just discovered her). She is stunning yet approachable, bright and definitely sexy. Heck! I'm in love with her. Now her baby blues, I just might swoon.

I wont spoil this thing by even providing a cursory description of the story outline, i.e., for those who've seen the trailer and thought they might go see it -- and by all means, do! -- because there are some surprises that brought significant and palpable gasps & "Oh!"s from the audience. I think I may've muttered "Jesus Christ!" myself.

I will add, however, I've seen a lot of Scorsese movies: the best of the lot being "Raging Bull", "Taxi Driver", "Good Fellas" and "Casino"... "The Pretender" could be his best yet, if you can believe that. Come to think of it, that DeNiro and Pesci *weren't* in it may be the reason it wasn't just a good movie but a GREAT movie. Scorsese was in a rut with those dudes. Anybody who saw Good Fellahs and then Casino can see that. New blood, it seems then, does wonders for a rut. (Update: Right! DiCaprio starred in "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator", both lavish Scorsese productions but both overlong and overwrought).

It says here that Scorsese's back.

Oh, and one more thing: This picture was filmed on location in Boston.

Love that dirty water.

Footnote: Closing credits with this cast? Who would you think?

Here it was: 1) Leonardo DiCaprio; 2) Matt Damon; 3) Jack Nicholson; 4) Alec Baldwin; 5) The Departed; 6) Martin Sheen...

Interesting...