The Departed

Day 52 - 2/21/09 - Movie #50

BEFORE: It's Oscar weekend, so it's time to think about crossing off an Oscar-winner or two from my list.

THE PLOT: Two men from opposite sides of the law are undercover within the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia.

AFTER: It's a GREAT concept for a movie. A decorated cop who's actually working for the mob, and an undercover cop who's placed within the very same mob. The mobster might be working for the FBI, and no one's actually who they appear to be. Stellar cast - Nicholson, Damon, DiCaprio, Baldwin, Sheen - it should have been a home run, but I dunno...
(SPOILERS AHEAD - stop reading now if you haven't seen this yet)
The story took a few too many twists, and there are a few too many astounding coincidences - how many licensed therapists are there in the Boston area? (She just happens to be the girlfriend of another character? Come on...) For that matter, how many mobsters are there in Boston? The two main characters both happen to have a personal relationship with the SAME mobster? The Irish mafia is just like, what, five guys?
We're expected to believe that as the moles try to uncover each other's identity, they fall JUST short every time - and then when identities are revealed, the bodies start piling up. Couldn't someone have survived?

RATING: 6 out of 10 processors