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The Departed

“The Departed” is not at all a departure from film fans’ Martin Scorsese faves (unlike, say, “The Age of Innocence” or “The Aviator”, which are great but his typical fare)—it’s a gritty look at crime, deception, and going deep undercover—but it’s not as good as “Goodfellas”, “Gangs of New York”, or “Casino”. Of course, even Scorcese’s worst is a masterpiece compared to 90% of other directors’ output.

Actually, I loved “The Departed”. It’s definitely deserving of its numerous Academy Award nominations and is a refreshingly complex film (one moments’ inattention will have your thumb on the rewind button). The absorbing 2+ hour film follows two young men from opposite sides of the law who are deep undercover within the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia. Brutal violence and bloodshed come to a boil when discoveries are made, and moles are dispatched to uncover the rats’ identities.

Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio portray the two main characters, both manipulated marionette-style by kingpin Frank Costello (a scenery-noshing Jack Nicholson), and they are beyond reproach in their roles. (The movie is flawlessly cast throughout.)

Upon reading some of the reviews of the theatrical release—both positive and negative reviews—quite a few critics singled out what they considered to be a disappointing ending. I could not disagree more! I can’t reveal it of course, but to me (while, yes, it was far-fethced) it is wholly appropriate. (And the very, very last frame is fiendishly fitting!)

The two disk special edition DVD offers up some tantalizing featurettes, including additional scenes with introductions by Martin Scorsese; feature-length TCM profile “Scorsese on Scorsese”; The Story of the Boston Mob: the real-life gangster behind Jack Nicholson’s character; Crossing Criminal Cultures: How Little Italy’s crime and violence influence Scorsese’s work; and more.

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Infamous

I saw 2005’s “Capote”, the more lauded film retelling the true events that surrounded the celebrated author’s novel, In Cold Blood. For “Capote”, actor Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Oscar for his acting—and his excellent acting was indeed broadcast loud and clear throughout that film.

In 2006’s “Infamous”, starring relatively little-known British actor Toby Jones, the character is embodied so seamlessly, you almost forget you aren’t watching the real Truman Capote. He’s a marvel and a pleasure to watch.

I found both movies too slow-moving overall, yet absorbing and interesting in their own ways. “Infamous” is lighter and more theatrical but doesn’t skimp on the darkness involving the murder and subsequent deaths of the Kansas killers, Dick Hickok and Perry Smith (Lee Pace, Daniel Craig). Writer-director Douglas McGrath (who says, to this day, he hasn’t seen the other Capote movie) has an obvious love of the story and its characters.

Sandra Bullock, Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels, Peter Bogdanovich, and Isabella Rossellini round out the co-starring cast.

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Pelts

From the Masters of Horror series on Showtime comes “Pelts”, directed by Italian maestro, Dario Argento.

This over-the-top but thoroughly engaging grand guignol tale follows a furrier, Jake Feldman (Meat Loaf Aday), who’s obsessed with bagging the flawless body of a local stripper, Shanna (Ellen Ewusie), and finding the perfect pelts for a fur coat to enter in an upcoming prestigious fashion show. He eventually gets both, but at a terrible price.

The tale is bolstered by a top-notch score from longtime Argento collaborator Claudio Simonetti and gorgeous, lush cinematography by Attila Szalay. K.N.B EFX, the effects makeup and special effects virtuosos, have outdone themselves with this episode, which includes some rather elaborate death and aftermath scenes.

In fact, all of the murder set pieces are cringe-inducing. Animal lovers will be enchanted by the adorable raccoons used in “Pelts” (real ones and dummies, and what looks to be a little CGI), but will surely shield their gaze from a particularly brutal trapping and bludgeoning scene (however, rest assured that those bad guys get their comeuppance in spades!).

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