Was "The Departed" a worth Best Picture Movie?

Question

I can see Martin winning best director, because he has a great filmography.
However, what was great about The Departed?

I took nothing away from watching it. By logic of it winning, The 6th Sense is a best picture movie as well. It was well made with a suprise ending.

If you took something of value from The Departed, please tell me!

Answer 1

I personally loved The Departed and theought it was worthy of best picture. I de feel that when you get to the point of picking 4 movies from the past year, there a generally several that could have won and been justified in doing so.

For me, I think The Departed was the best picture primarily due to the character development, and the protrayal of the characters through the structure of the film. The greatest aspect of this film in particulat is the dichotomy between the protagonist and the antagonist. The protagonist (DeCaprio) is essentially a kid that came from a very bad family filled with criminals and people associated with organized crime, but was a really good kid and then took a job in the undercover unit where he had to pretend to be a criminal. On the other hand, the antagonist (Damon) came from a great family and became a police officer, all the while projecting the appearance of being the perfect police officer, moving up through the ranks, winning citiations, when, in fact, he was the true criminal as an insider to the local crime boss (Nicholson). And all the while, the other character toe the extremely thin line between good and evil, i.e., good cops doing bad things to make the bust or convict the criminal, the criminals making personal sacrifices in order to help their friends.

Basically, I thought it was a well-woven story about very complex characters having to make questioanble moral decisions throughout, and then having to personally deal with the consequences.

And, it was very Shakesperean in its affect, because, liek in every Shakespearean tragedy, the only way for a character to be "saved" from their own personal little prison was to die. Just as almost everyone in the film did...

Answer 2

I thought The Departed was spectacular. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Was DiCaprio going to be found out? Was Damon going to be found out? The violence was realistic and symbolic. The acting was absolutely superb. Camera angles and movement were great. The sound didn't fade in and out, but was clear throughout the film. The characters didn't take too long to develop; there were no needless, lenghty monologues, no side stories that led nowhere. I really liked the film. I'm really glad Scorsese finally won best director, and I think the movie was worthy of a Best Picture award.

Answer 3

the only reason that it won best picture is because scorsese has so long deserved the oscar that hollywood decided he just had to get it before he croaked.

he IS a great director. what's remarkable is that he was not awarded the oscar way back, when he made that really great movie, TAXI DRIVER, starring the then younger robert de niro.

did you ever notice that whatever "is supposed to happen" or is the current "fad" is going to be the entire theme of the awards night? do you recall the year that CHARIOTS OF FIRE ran away with absolutely every major oscar? it was then the "thing to do," to go running, it was the fad that simply had to be awarded! but the same year there was a much better, richer, and far more varied movie called RAGTIME.

what blew my mind, entirely, is that it even got the oscar for CHARIOTS OF FIRE's musical score! that theme is so repetitious and nagging in that movie that compared to the excellence and richness of randy newman's compositions for RAGTIME, it almost made me puke. and i don't even like randy newman!

just because a movie or theme happens to be popular is no reason for giving an oscar to a substandard movie like THE DEPARTED. THE QUEEN was a far better movie.

however, i am glad that martin FINALLY got his oscar! rent TAXI DRIVER--he even does a vingette in it, sitting inside of de niro's cab, watching his wife in another man's apartment. you will then see a movie truly worth best picture. and don't forget to try to find RAGTIME, but it will be difficult to find it on dvd.

Answer 4

I thought The Departed was a really good movie, but having seen two of the other nominated films (Little Miss Sunshine and Babel) I really don't think it deserved the Oscar. My choice would have been Babel.

...and no, I really didn't take anything of value away from watching it. I found it to be pure intertainment. No moral or anything like that.

Answer 5

Watching "The Departed" was like watching "Goodwill Hunting" hopped up on speed and steroids: a bunch of dudes with "Bahston" accents saying "fak this" and "fak that" all the time, shooting and beating each other up, and calling everyone a rat: "Ah 'aint no rat, Whatayou, retahdid?!"

Don't get me wrong, I like watching those kinds of movies every now and then. I loved "Goodfellas" and thought THAT should have won Best Picture. Yes, "Goodfellas" had a tremendous amount of violence and cursing--but it also had substance and soul ("The Departed" had neither).

Finally, I already saw "The Departed" before, when it was called "Infernal Affairs"!

Answer 6

The only comment I can give, is that I do think it was a very good movie, well directed, and excellent cast. But was is overrated? I think so. Did it deserve an Oscar for best picture? I'm undecided on that.

Answer 7

could no longer it basically be condensed right into a a million minute clip rather to shop us all the hardship of watching it interior the 1st place? LOL there is going the pathetic thumb downers back sorry I cant be as hilarious as you clowns are 24/7 lol What a shaggy dog tale :P

Answer 8

For me its hard to say. I watched it two nights ago, and although I thought it was intriguing and exciting, I felt it had very little impact and lacked a message. Don't get me wrong, I don't like preachy art movies. I thought last years winner Crash was undeserving. I simply expect an Oscar worthy movie to go beyond entertaining me. The Departed was good but, to me, it pales in comparison to a movie like Schindler's List.

Answer 9

I think Babel should have won instead

Answer 10

Look at who is voting?