Cat and Mouse games run commonly in most Hollywood Crime genre movies where the Cats(Cops) chase down the Rats(mobsters). Scorsese(My personal favourite for his Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and the Goodfellas) comes with another edge of the seat thriller in this Cat and Mouse Game where he plots two moles and brings in so much connivance & deception to both the characters that it forms central to the various episodes that unfold the plot which calls for shear mastery and craftsmanship.
Scorcese sets the ball rolling with the rolling stones music of Gimme shelter as Frank Costello(Jack Nicholson) entices the boy Sullivan at the grocery.
A rat in the Cat’s territory- Colin Sullivan(Matt Damon)** picked up in his childhood by the inimitable and mercurial Frank Costello and groomed to raise the tat pole in Massachusetts state police force.
A Cat in the Rat’s territory-Billy Costigan(Leonardo DiCaprio)– The conflict of character caught into playing the mole in rat’s territory because of his antecedent. He has to wield his arm as well as play the traumatic role requiring tranquiliser in the form of Madolyn(Vera Farmiga), the psychiatrist & the valium.
The moles infiltrate into the other territories with uncanny ease which is beautifully interlaced, edited and cinematized. The two have nothing in common( except that they are trained cops) and do not find each other until the chase down from the Porn studio(Where Michael Ballhaus skillfully hides their identity) Their roles as informers on the wrong sides makes them fragile and highly poignant. As the pot boils, the two moles need to identify the other or be departed.
It all starts in the failed attempt to close the Costello gang during the Processor deal. The detail to identifying Bill’s phone was impeccable but not the pocket smsing “No cameras” from Colin amidst the intelligence unit.
Cat follows Rat
Costello smells the mole and picks the SS and bank accounts of his rat community
Captain Queenan(Martin Sheen) and Sergeant Dignam(Mark Wahlberg) the lead of the Cats have to identify the rat in their domain and Colin(Rat in Cat’s domain) is asked to follow Costello to fetch the mole. Colin instructs his cop to follow the lead Cat himself to identify the Cat in the Rat(Bill). Costello’s men track down Queenan in 344 Wash. When the Cat(Bill) makes the escape through fire exit, he gets the thud of Queenan.(Only Delahunt knew that he told him 314 and not 344, what a shot?!)
Dignam is indignantly pushed out as Rat takes control for having taken the life of the Kingpin Costello.
Rat calls the Cat from Queenen’s phone.
Rat sees the Cat and Cat identifies the Bad Citizen in rat as well. Another Rat kills the Cat and the Rat takes the honours.
So Who kills the Rat which was belling the Cat?
*Who is the departed-the Cat or the Rat?
The Cast-Outstanding
The Cat, Leonardo DiCaprio, my boy, he has become a man from the days of Titanic and all the credit goes to Scorsese for reposing faith in him again and moulding him so well for a delirious & energetic role.
The Rat, Matt Damon, truly another memorable role full of deceit, suspicion and canny intentions. In fact both have reversed their roles from their original capabilities.
The Boston Ka Boss-Jack Frankie Nicholson-magnetic, theatrical, charismatic, ratty, impregnable multi dimensional Boss-very likeable kingpin who drools out blood and calm. Looks like Scorcese has tailor made the meaty role for the electrifying Nichols.
Mark Wahlberg as Sgt with full dose of aggressive and intent behaviour simply rocks till the last scene
Sheen a last minute replacement for Nero remains coarse but stands out with his deceptive intro with Bill.*
Vera Farmiga** gets caught between the two and delivers the Valium effect.
*The Technical side-Building an environment
Frank Costello:** "I don’t want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me."
The movie is the product of Scorcese and you can find Scorcese building the environment with wonderful screenplay-William Monahan recreating Bostons” providence with superb Cinematography-Michael Ballhaus, wonderful editing- Thelma Scoonmaker, that interlaces the two leads and the scintillating back score-Thelma Schoonmaker which combines the rolling stones to Opera to match every scene. In all it’s a bundled package of High Quality Cinema made possible from the remake of a Hit flick "Infernal Affairs". When its William Monahan recreating the Irish mobcentric Bostonite, its bloody guaranteed to be a big time hit script.( Profanus Valgarus ultimatus is acceptable but not with kids-they will rip the school apart). Monahon still insists that the screenplay was not picked from Internal affairs and was inspired from gangster Whitey Bulger’s story.
Scorsese fails to answer a very trivial question.
Should Billy Costegan have to face social stigma because of family background, get oppressed by Dignam and loose identity in life?
Should Colin Sullivan who gains his identity face social stigma and get oppressed by the old lady with the dog in the final scene of the movie?
For that matter, Scorsese asks us these questions.
Departed for one departs from the mundane of Hollywood and makes you think from Scene one with intrigue and dilemma as Cops appear to be Cops and Rats appear to be not one and the Kingpin appears to be the Kingmaker.
The climax scene of Dignam taking the Rat in the apartment leaves you spellbound when you see a small rat(after eating those croissants) moving off the window frame meaning what-It is bloody Scorcese movie man, as good as the Goodfellas.
"Heaven holds the Faithful Departed"
“May the Souls of departed Cats and Rats rest in peace which could not live in .”
Thanks for reading.