“The Departed” A story of love and betrayal woven through a pseudo-father-son relationship *Note! Contains spoilers

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Alan Mack, the director and writer of " Infernal Affairs ," said in an interview with TIME magazine that he was "disappointed with the remake." (*2) Although it won four awards at the 79th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing, and was Martin Scorsese's first (and so far only) Oscar win, it still doesn't seem to be considered his best work to this day.

However, stories of love and betrayal woven by pseudo-father-son relationships are Scorsese's specialty. "The Departed" is one of the works that most clearly express his ideas and authorship. And I believe there is another <hidden theme> in this work. It is well known that he is critical of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), and in an interview with Empire magazine, he spoke quite strongly against the MCU.

"It's not a movie... it's a theme park. It's not a movie where an actor is trying to convey an emotional or psychological experience to someone else." (*3)

The Departed(c)Photofest / Getty Images

Disneyland is synonymous with theme parks. Marvel Studios is also a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios. The world's largest film studio, which acquired Pixar and has released a series of feature-length animations, and acquired Lucasfilm to produce the new Star Wars trilogy, is, to quote Scorsese, a "theme park"-like content holder.

Considering this, isn't it self-evident what the rats really represent in this film, which calls informants rats and mocks the "discredited America" ​​as a country of rats, where betrayal begets more betrayal? Moreover, the rat that appears in the final scene of this film is clearly a CG creation.

The final resistance against the all-too-powerful rat nation. I can't help but feel that this punk spirit is alive in "The Departed."

(*1)https://www.filmink.com.au/rewind-the-making-of-martin-scorses-the-departed/

(*2)https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv

(*3)https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/irishman-week-martin-scorsese-interview/

Text: Rui Takeshima

A pop culture writer who focuses on movies, music, and TV. Host of the web magazine "POP MASTER" ( http://popmaster.jp/ ).

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