Sprint to the Oscars - The Departed

The Sneaky Cheetah continues his quest to see every nominated film before the Academy Awards!

The Departed

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actor (Mark Wahlberg)

This is it folks. I don't even have to see Babel or the Queen. The Departed is the Best Picture of the Year. And the reason is the best cast in a crime drama since Heat. Jack Nicholson has his juiciest role in years here, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon are two of the best actors of their generation, but the supporting cast of Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, and especially Alec Baldwin almost steal the show. This film is electric. It may be a tad long, but it zips along at a frantic pace, accompanied by a great soundtrack and score. (Bonus points for using Comfortably Numb during a sex scene, and a live Roger Waters/Van Morrison version at that!) Some have said they were confused by it, or there were a couple of loose strings that were never explained, but I was totally engrossed in the plot and found it extremely smart and comprehendable. As for the loose strings (mainly The Envelope) well, the shit hits the fan when people start dying. And if you haven't seen this yet, 4 of the 6 actors mentioned above meet their maker. This film is infinitely rewatchable and takes it's place as one of the greatest modern crime dramas. A

Martin Scorsese and the Oscars have become such a joke, it seems almost inevitable that he's gonna win one for this film. And he deserves it. It's a masterwork. But if the Best Director statue goes to Paul Greengrass for United 93, you won't hear a cry of outrage from me. The screenplay is strong, especially the filthy dialogue between the state troopers which is why Wahlberg got his nomination and Balwin should have also. Wahlberg was great, and I will finally stop calling him Marky Mark. Now he shall be known as Marky Mar..uh..Oscar-Nominated Actor Mark Wahlberg. But he's a long shot to actually win Sunday. The film has great editing that could easily win, but could also easily be beaten by United 93.

If the Departed wins best picture, producer Graham King (nominated for the Aviator in 2005) will hit the stage.

Director Martin Scorsese is the Dan Marino of the Academy. Great QB, never won the Super Bowl. He was nominated as Best Director 5 times previously, for 1981's Raging Bull, 1989's The Last Temptation of Christ, 1991's Goodfellas, 2003's Gangs of New York, and 2005's The Aviator.

Scorsese's longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker has won two Oscars, for Raging Bull and The Aviator, and also been nominated for 1971's Woodstock, Goodfellas, and Gangs of New York.

This is the first nomination for screenwriter William Monahan and Marky Mar..uh..Oscar-Nominated Actor Mark Wahlberg.

IMHO: Besides a Supporting Actor nod to Baldwin, There should have been a Best Music (Score) nomination. That Irish themed music with the pounding drums is still stuck in my head. And it actually propels the film along.