The Departed - starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, Ray Winstone and Anthony Anderson (Directed by Martin Scorsese)

     Leo is all grown up!  He carries this film, with an Oscar nominee-type performance.  Unfortunately, the script wanders endlessly, with too many twists, turns and double-crosses, making it sometimes difficult to follow, although the deceipt and violence may make you not care who knows what about whom.  No one walked out of our almost empty theatre, but there were many laughs when there should have been tension and terror!

     The film is a combination of The Godfather, Serpico, and Scarface, so it is always riveting - but Jack Nicholson never seems to be any different in any of his roles anymore!  He was good, but good at being Jack - not a mob boss!

     I am also, however, bored with Matt Damon and his Beantown adventures - it is time that he moved to another city.  Anthony Anderson does not belong cast as a detective, and Alec Baldwin just doesn't belong anywhere except hosting SNL these days!

     But, back to Leo - he does a great characterization of an undercover detective, infiltrating the Boston mob culture, and the psychological stress that I imagine would come with the territory.  Critics have already declared this film as having elite status, but once word gets around, it will become just another in a long line of mobster movie wannabe's.  After almost two-and-one-half hours, I was glad that I departed!