The Departed

Unleaded : P39.57 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 50.04 Php

The opening minutes of The Departed may go down in film history as the best pre-title sequence ever. With Jack Nicholson in the shadows, the wailing strains of "Gimme Shelter", a flurry of face shots and dialogue, this movie grabs you by the short ones and never lets go. It's instantly clear that this is a villain's movie and you better hang on.

It's quite a thrill the way Scorsese never lets go of his initial grip. His movie is electric, relentless and fast. You take everything in, get information when you can and in brief moments when the action lets up, manage a hushed "wow". You also don't have time to think if the story makes sense or not (if you can catch up with it, that is) and if the many coincidences are too gratuitous for comfort. But who cares. This is Scorsese in a long-missed Mean Streets/Goodfellas mode.

There are fine performances all around. DiCarpio in particular is impressive in his maturity and restraint. Then there are bullets in the head and blood all over. In one scene three skulls are popped in a span of one minute. And then there's the music. Don't get me started on the music.

You don't want to miss this ride.


The Departed opened in Manila October 4th. It's one of those movies the Philippines gets to see a few days ahead of the US. Coolness.