The Departed (2006)

Directed by Martin Scorsese
Written by William Monahan
Based on the film Internal Affairs written by Siu Fai Mak & Felix Chong

Rating: 9.25/10.00 or ****

Martin Scorsese has filmed many biographies, several of which are considered masterpieces. His films typically have tragic elements, even his comedies. Scorsese has said many times that his films contain autobiographical material. I'm sure that's true. Scorsese is a devout Catholic, one wrought with guilt. I often think his movies are penance for what he considers his sins. A director with emotion is one destined for greatness. Scorsese proves yet again with this film that he is the greatest of our time.

With The Departed, Scorsese has broadened his skill. He has crafted a suspense with the themes of guilt, self-deception, and vengeance. But this time, he has brought to the screen two men. Two men who must fake their lives until they make it. But, as Scorsese shows, the result is a strange mix of Socratic and Skakespearean justice. These men have destinies defined but tragedies yet to be seen.

The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan. He's an undercover detective who is sent to investigate Boston crime lord Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Costello, meanwhile, has recruited Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) to be his mole in the police force. In essence, the movie depicts the rise, culmination, betrayal, and fall of these two men.

But it's not that simple. Scorsese frequently concentrates on Costigan's and Sullivan's emotions, which cannot be seen at the surface but are broiling underneath. This requires tour-de-force acting from the two leads, and both deliver. Damon makes Sullivan look like a rock but clearly depicts Sullivan as a character on edge and with a short fuse. DiCaprio, meanwhile, gives his character a more mentally beaten appearance but wisely uses this to appease and to convey his desires. There is a key scene between Costigan and police psychologist Madolyn Madden (Vera Farmiga) where he explains that his hand doesn't shake while he's talking to members of the mob or observing them committing crimes. DiCaprio gives this scene plenty of adrenaline as he depicts Costigan as a man about to break. However, he uses this to get to know Madolyn better.

Madolyn may very well be my favorite character of the movie. She herself is leading a double life, involving the two men. She is in a relationship with Sullivan. She says to Costigan that it is serious. Costigan then asks her what she would do if he came in right then and saw them. "I would lie," she says. She then gives her reason. Madolyn's character is the thesis of the movie. People lie generally to calm things down, to make things easier to deal with. And, in essence, they do it because the truth does not always set you free.

There are other key characters of the film. Martin Sheen plays Captain Queenan, who becomes somewhat of a father figure to Costigan. There is a key scene between Sheen and DiCaprio that is at once touching and horrifying. Queenan's right-hand man is Dignam (Mark Wahlberg), who has a particular knack for being blunt and hating everybody. But Dignam is smart and honest, and these are assets that prove essential in the film. Sullivan's superior in the force is Captain Ellerby (Alec Baldwin), who is devoted and straightforward. Finally, Costello's right-hand man is Mr. French (Ray Winstone). From a screenplay by William Monahan, these characters are brought to life by fresh and eager dialogue and extremely capable actors.

Many of Scorsese's touches are prevalent in the film. His frequent use of chronological disjointedness is especially useful here, as it gives the movie added tension. Scorsese makes sweeping camera motions that show all angles of the characters' faces. Scorsese implements loud noises in moments of relative silence, adding another element of surprise and tension. Finally, lighting and sets are pristine and loyal to the relevant locations.

Scorsese also gives the movie brilliant touches. He gives Jack Nicholson much leeway in his scenes, and it shows. Nicholson frequently adds depth to a scene by making up much of it, keeping the rest of the actors on edge. Nicholson plays Costello with a scary reserve. He is cold and calculated, and his scariest moments are when silence is prevalent. Nicholson's last scene is brilliantly performed.

The look at the State House from Sullivan's apartment is clever symbolism here. Its eerily similar look to the Golden Dome in Notre Dame is important, as Captain Queenan talks about his son's acceptance to the school. The ending scene helps to comprehend the intended symbolism by adding a new one.

The Departed is an intense look at loyalty, self-deception, and betrayal. The characters are placed in situations that are nearly uncontrollable. As Costigan and Sullivan grow and age in their double lives, they become so entrenched in their fake life that they lose grasp of their real one. So when they each betray their original loyalty, are they really betraying them? Are they betraying themselves? What do these characters really believe? Scorsese's final sequences give light to possible answers and one overwhelming unanswerable. These characters were placed in situations that soon became out of their hands, and the tragedy is that their fights to keep both lives afloat ultimately lead to carnage all around.

Sullivan begs Costigan at one point to just kill him. "I am killing you," Costigan says. Clever. Because the death of these characters is the loss of their double life. In the end, the characters fooled themselves. The movie quotes scripture at one point: "Heaven holds the faithful departed." Maybe so, but Scorsese ponders the question: "But what if we aren't faithful to ourselves?"

Barton Fink (1991)

Directed by Joel Coen
Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Rating: 8.25/10.00 or *** 1/2

Ever since Fargo, the Coen brothers' Barton Fink seems to be overlooked. That's too bad. This is a quality motion picture with layers of symbolism and loads of visual emotion that provide a most interesting insight into isolation and self-deception.

Barton Fink is hard to classify, very typical of a Coen brothers' film. While it is probably best decribed as a dark comedy, it seems to me its real categorization is horror. Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is similar in purpose and in uniqueness. While both films could be labeled as horror films, they defy the standard and succeed overwhelmingly as a result. The Coens' distinct touch is evident throughout, in terms of symbolism, character quirks, and a looming sense of literary purpose. Every Coen brothers' film is a piece of literature brought to life on film. Barton Fink is one of their more successful examples.

Barton Fink stars John Turturro as the title character. Fink is a successful writer in New York's world of theater. He is encouraged by higher-ups to go to Hollywood and work on "pictures". Fink is hesitant, maybe because of his comfortable success in New York, maybe because, as he tries to convince everybody, he works "for the common man", or maybe because Hollywood is a curse of a lack of imagination. But Fink decides to move out to Hollywood. He stays in a lonesome hotel with brown and orange walls, long hallways, and many empty shoes in need of shining. This is where the film seems most similar to The Shining. The long corridors are eerily reminiscent of Kubrick's settings, and the isolation is as haunting in this film as it is pervasive in Kubrick's.

The hotel walls sweat from the heat. After a while, we come to understand the meaning of this feature. The Coens have many long, stationary shots of Fink's hotel room, often with the desk fan creaking back and forth. There is a picture above Fink's desk where he is writing his first film. The picture is of a beautiful woman looking at an ocean. Fink often looks at this, perhaps for inspiration. But he is faced with a severe case of writer's block.

Fink has many counselors. He works for Jack Lipnick (Michael Lerner) and his associate Lou (Joe Polito). Lipnick is the Coens' "man behind the desk", a common character in their films. Lipnick is almighty, powerful, and vindictive. But he appears to be a fan of Fink, which producer Ben Geisler (Tony Shalhoub) finds ominous. Geisler suggests finding another writer to look to for guidance. He says this while in a restaurant where "you can throw a rock and hit one". "Throw it hard," he says. Fink soon finds W.P. Mayhew (John Mahoney), a first-class drunk whose latest writings appear to be from his secretary Audrey Taylor (Judy Davis). When Fink meets the two of them for lunch, Mayhew becomes outrageously drunk and walks off screaming gibberish. It is here that Fink realizes Audrey's real talent and Mayhew's real identity. Fink and Taylor grow close as a result.

Finally, the hotel's only other visible client is Charlie Meadows (John Goodman), an insurance salesman with "many stories". It is important to note the subtlety with the interaction Fink and Meadows have. Watch as Meadows tries to introduce his stories; Fink frequently interrupts or is not interested. All this while Fink promises to represent the common man. In truth, Fink has no interest, something which Meadows seems to be keenly aware. However, Charlie is Fink's only ally, and when he says he is about to leave, Fink becomes depressed.

All of this is a set-up for the film's very different second half. There is a key moment when we realize the film is one of horror, and the dominoes begin to fall after this. It is during this time when we become aware of the complex symbolism this film is using. The key to all of this is noting the timeframe of the film: 1944. Barton Fink appears to be a tale of appeasement and its horrific results, isolationism and its inherent derailment, and the disparity between literature and reality. How can a writer represent the common man without having any interaction with the common man? Why is appeasement out of fear or self-preservation a formula for disaster? These questions become the forefront of the film's final sequences.

It is here the Coens cleverly use style over substance. A key scene that could be horrific if realistically visualized is instead symbolic because it is exaggerated, seen through the eyes of a writer detached from reality. Lipnick's ultimate refusal to use Fink's work is a harsh reality from the angry man behind the desk. Fink is in a world he cannot create nor control. Fink's appeasement and isolation have resulted in a world that has overtaken him.

Perhaps the brilliance of the Coens can be seen in the last sequence of the film. Fink is now sitting on the beach, with a package he refuses to open. A beautiful woman sits down and stares at the water. He asks her if she's in the pictures. Astonished, she quickly says no. And then she stares outward again. Fink sees the common man in his way. In an almost Shakespearean manner, the Coens tell us that Fink doesn't have a clue.

Blood Diamond (2006)

Directed by Edward Zwick
Screenplay by Charles Leavitt
Story by Charles Leavitt & C. Gaby Mitchell

Rating: 6.00/10.00 or ** 1/2

Blood Diamond is a disappointment in so many ways. Perhaps the biggest problem is its length, which amplifies the film's many flaws. The film is marred in mainstream cliches, features several plot devices and one-dimensional characters, and contains a resolution that is more fuzzy than warm. Directed by Edward Zwick, whose resume includes the terrific Glory and Courage Under Fire, the film contains many amateur mistakes, something that is surprising for a director of this caliber.

Blood Diamond stars Sierra Leone in a bloody civil war in 1999. I say this because it is the visual aspect of this film that supersedes all else. Zwick shows a bloody, ravaged, inhumane landscape that is also beautiful, gargantuan, and eerily calming. So when we see scenes of the government of Sierra Leone fighting its rebels, children firing weapons at other children, farmers and villagers screaming from the ground-to-air missiles about to strike them, and homes decrepit from poverty and violence, it is a haunting shock to the system. "TIA", many of the characters of the film say. "This is Africa."

This is what the film gets right. It knows how to show the setting, make the conflict feel real. It shows all sides in a bloodbath of mostly wrong. There is no good side here except for the villagers, who happen to be cursed to live in the wrong place at the worst of times. Amidst a civil war with little point anymore, business is rampant. At the forefront is the diamond industry, and we are introduced to its players. Leonardo DiCaprio plays South African Danny Archer, who is in it for the money and for the ticket out of Africa. Danny meets Solomon (Djimon Hounsou), a villager who is torn away from his family in one ruthless attack by the rebels. He finds a large pink diamond, hides it from the rebels, and later buries it. Danny discovers that Solomon has found this so-called blood diamond. Therefore, a deal is struck. Solomon is to find the diamond, and Danny will re-unite him with his family. Along the way we meet Maddy (Jennifer Connelly), a journalist who wants to expose the diamond market for its "dirty dealings" in Africa. It is important to note here that each of the character's motives requires something from the others.

As the movie evolves, morals and ethics begin to congeal for all three. Danny begins to learn just what kind of world he is living in and (for the most part) ignoring. Maddy remains idealistic but sympathetic to the other two. And while Solomon is focused on his family, he begins to understand how important his story is.

This is all well and good, but this is where the movie also unravels. The character of Maddy is a complete stereotype and fundamentally unimportant except in what she can do to help the other two. The "love story" between her and Danny is brief, horribly undeveloped, and ineffective. Solomon is also one-dimensional, but Hounsou acts the hell out of it. Each scene he is in is elevated to a level the rest of the film cannot match. This, of course, harms the characters of Danny and Maddy, especially in their important last scene, which is much too long and at times unbearably melodramatic.

Another problem with the film is its "anvil symbolism", something which annoys me to tears. Consider Danny's grasping of the African soil in his last scene. And while "TIA" is certainly apropos when it is first used, its repeated use in one key climactic scene seems manipulative and convenient.

And finally, the storyline itself is predictable and loses much of its momentum because of the film's tireless efforts to bring the war to the forefront. While this is commendable in terms of notifying a generally apathetic public, it also begins to conflict with the film's plot. Therefore, Blood Diamond becomes somewhat mired in its own setting. Perhaps if the film were shortened by about a half hour, this problem would be eradicated. However, as it is, Blood Diamond is a lackluster epic.

Election (1999)

Directed by Alexander Payne
Written by Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor
Based on the novel by Tom Perrotta

Rating: 8.25/10.00 or *** 1/2

I am fond of Alexander Payne's work. His only movie I have not seen is Citizen Ruth, of which I have also heard very good things. I thought About Schmidt (starring Jack Nicholson) showed a stunning interplay of comedy and tragedy. His latest film, the quirky but heartfelt Sideways, was more dramatic than tragic. Again, the drama of this film was amplified by its frequent injections of humor. I have often found that humor works best when combined with another genre, whether drama, tragedy, horror, or science fiction.

In Payne's Election, there is much less of this "other element". The film is clearly a comedy, more appropriately labeled a satire. However, even here, his comedy works because he is so consistent with his characters. Moreover, he cares about his characters, a great deal in fact. While several jokes poke fun at the characters, there is no malice in the jokes. Payne does not take sides here. He provides complexity and reality to each of his creations, and the result is a film we can all believe in, laugh at (or with), and admire.

Payne's humor is multi-faceted. Often, his humor is visual. His interesting camera movements, scene transitions, and freeze frames are all perfectly timed and enhanced to provoke as much humor from the scene as possible. One scene in particular, where a particular malt is thrown at a car, is perfectly filmed and hysterical because the camera refuses to move while the malt is in mid-air. This scene would not have worked without this important shot, and it is credit to Payne for knowing exactly how to shoot the scene to its fullest potential.

Voiceover is prevalent, especially at the beginning. While this is often a negative, the use of it at the beginning is especially beneficial since it provides one character's viewpoint of himself/herself or somebody else. Often, these viewpoints are critically important to determine character motives, which drive the rest of the film. However, voiceover becomes a bit of a nuisance toward the end of the film, but its usefulness returns with the film's final minutes.

But Payne's mastery is in the characters. The film stars Matthew Broderick as high school teacher Jim McAllister, a teacher who has tired of do-it-all Tracy Flick (the underrated Reese Witherspoon). Tracy plans to run for president of the student government at George Washington Carver High School in Omaha. Because Flick prepares for everything well in advance, gives 200% for everything, and maybe because she had a troublesome relationship with best friend and fellow teacher Dave Novotny (Mark Harelik), McAllister begins to fight against Flick. He encourages school jock and popular extraordinaire Paul Metzler (Chris Klein) to join the race. Paul injured his leg and can no longer play football. He needs encouragement, and McAllister uses this as motivation for him to run for president. However, Paul's recent interest in Lisa (Frankie Ingrassia) leads his sister Tammy (Jessica Campbell) to run as well. Paul runs with honesty in mind; Tammy runs with indifference in mind. You can imagine the popularity of each of the candidates at the "town hall meeting", amusingly held at the school gym.

Payne pokes fun at the characters and their interactions, which are numerous, complicated, and completely realistic. Payne makes sexuality explicit (compared to the "aw, shucks" methodology of most lesser teen flicks). Payne's mastery is in his realism, but he also adds a tinge of exaggeration to both enhance the storytelling and promote emphasis. He gives all characters flaws and all reasonable motivations. Never has a high school movie been so honest in its universe.

While portions of the movie are a bit of a drag, overall the film is well-paced and thoroughly entertaining. Payne's portrayal of high school life and his stinging questions regarding elections of all kinds with people of all kinds are remarkable and telling. I imagine we will all be nodding our heads at the end of the film, perhaps due to a mixture of recognition and incredulity.