Cast

Principal Cast & Characters
Leonardo DiCaprio	as Billy Costigan
Matt Damon	as Colin Sullivan
Jack Nicholson	as Frank Costello
Mark Wahlberg	as Dignam
Martin Sheen	as Queenan
Alec Baldwin	as Ellerby
Vera Farmiga	as Madelyn
Anthony Anderson	as Brown
Ray Winstone	as Mr French
James Badge Dale	as Barrigan
Robert Wahlberg	as FBI Agent Joyce
David O'Hara	as Fitzy

Summary

The Departed is set in South Boston, where the Massachusetts State Police is waging war on the Irish Mob. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Frank Costello (Nicholson). While Costigan quickly gains Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan (Damon), a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the police department as an informant for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the mob and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly in danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy—and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Departed)

Review:

We live in a society with the following characteristics -- constant change, animalistic behavior, paradoxical antagonism and interpersonal conflicts.

Constant change.  What we set as a standard more today could be the basis of deviance tomorrow.

Animalistic behavior. We could appear as good as how we want we should be, but we can be as cunning as a fox and as wise as a lion. So goes the Machiavellian principle, it's always  true that seeming is not necessarily thinking.  What appears that we seem to be may completely be a total deception.

Paradoxical antagonism. We tend to do what we say is not supposed to be done. Why? Because the forces that govern us in our relationships toward nature are undaunted and intangible.  Consciously, we know that something needs to be undertaken to eliminate or control errors, but as we try doing so, we unconsciously do the things that bring the errors in their height.  What we get in the end is a stupid variance -- our personality being the so-called 'articulates,' the variables that distract the measures set within our movements.

Interpersonal conflicts. What we see in ourselves may not be what it is that others see.  Or we may be conceiving situations irrelevant to the issue. Or we may be seeing factors that are totally non-existent in the situation. Or as the rotten cliche goes, we are blinded by the things that we see -- pretending that soething does not exist when actually, it can be a door in our face.

And so it goes, we tend to be departed. Departed from the truth, justice, decency, malice and above all, our own personality.  The movie, The Departed is one good taste of not just an action but of revealing the commonalities of human nature and savagery. 

We play the games of our lives. We are the main actors of our scenes. But will there be a script if there are no others who naturally butt in to act? And sometimes, we don't even realize -- our roles in our personal plays can be overshadowed by these 'others.'

The Departed is one good movie to see that we may be able to revisit what we had in the past or what our societal condiitons bring us.  This is a show, gathering the critics of our realities.  Billy Costigan's (DiCaprio) role, the young undercover, reels the life of an individual who has the determination to go through high waters just to be on the right side of the law, but ends up being broken because of indecent certainties.  This happens to us. This happens everyday.  Did you ever see one good man trying to find for the owner of one's wallet he saw in a crowded street who gets beaten because two jeepney drivers wanted what's in the wallet? Not so funny.  And now I don't wonder why many of these jeepney drivers end up earning nothing.  It's called karma. Or worst, dellusional fate.  Too bad. 

Colin Sullivan's (Matt Damon) role, on the other hand, is a perfect picture of our bureaucracy. Cunning. Wise. Intangible. This is called the ability to underscore all relevant factors to keep the game running. Actual deceptions will have to be a part of our realities to keep the moves in check. One literal instance? We wage war against poverty when we actually do the reasons of poverty.

The Departed. Human nature. Let's not forget that while we are trying our best to give in to altruism, the devil in us will always find ways to devastate our purpose.  Keep in mind: the people we trust can't always be trusted. Again, I would say, seeming is not equated to being.  There's always the animal in us.

I would want to say more. But to sum it all, I give you my idea of what the world is: No one is a tabula rasa. Blank slates are non-existent. Beings are beings because they were intended to be, and animals are animals because they deserve to be. Oh, well, when the trend becomes like animals act more humanely than humans at a constant pace, may God save our world -- I don't want to be departed.

I'm serious.