Best Performance in "The Departed" ?

[FilmKing2000]

Probably the most acclaimed film of 2006 (by critics and audiences alike), Martin Scorsese's latest effort for the gangster genre, "The Departed", is fueled with phenomonal performances delivered by its star studded cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Whalberg.
Who do you think delivered the best, or most effective performance of the cast?

For me, it's DiCaprio, without a doubt. His role carried most of the film's emotional power, as he played a very simpathetic character who undergoes a dramatic emotional effect throughout the film. How far will he go to prove himself to Costello until he actually becomes a gangster himself?

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[AngelDust06]

they all did fantastic but DAMN ITS JACK!

[dalomini]

All are awesome, but I wanted to give Alec Baldwin the pity vote because he was fuckin hilarious but not too ridiculous.

[The FamilyJulas]

they were all great, and it's a toss up between Leo and Jack,but i must go with Leo. He has given consistently great performaces over the past few years, but this is arguably his best ever.

[Hannibal21]

My vote goes to:

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The role is not a stretch for him by any means, but seriously, there's NOTHING more enjoyable in this world than to watch Jack chew the scenery to pieces. Frank Costello is one of the most memorable cinematic villains to come out in a long while, and Nicholson's sinister and delightfully over-the-top (he's never been as unrestrained as he is here, this is a role that he needed after the understated 'About Schmidt') performance is the reason why.

Dicaprio really grew on me a lot upon a second viewing. This is arguably his most intense role and he hits all the right emotional notes. However, I still maintain the opinion that Matt Damon was the more impressive lead. He has a much less showy role than Leo but nevertheless does wonders by playing it with a marvelous restraint (something he's really good at).

Of the supporting players, Mark Wahlberg was definitely the most memorable. He easily stole the show whenever he was onscreen. Sheen, Winstone and Baldwin were also quite awesome. Wasn't impressed at all with Vera Farmiga's excessively bland performance though.

My rankings:
1. Jack Nicholson
2. Matt Damon
3. Leonardo Dicaprio
4. Mark Wahlberg
5. Alec Baldwin
6. Martin Sheen
7. Ray Winstone
.
.
.
.
8. Vera Farmiga

[Lazy Boy]

Matt Damon was the best -- you could really see him scramble to maintain a sense of order, contrasting him with the over-the-top psycho Nicholson played.

Damon internalizes everything, and is a smart cookie. Almost like Jason Bourne as a "rat," worming his way to the top of the pile.

[ilovemovies]

1. Jack
2. Leo
3. Matt
4. Martin Sheen
5. Vera Farmiga
6. Ray Winstone
7. Mark Walhberg
8. Alec Baldwin
9. James Badge Dale - his part was pretty small but he was good and his character is the cause for one of the movie's greatest shock

[go2]

i thought everyone gave a great performance but jack gave the best.

[RandalGraves]

^ I agree, everyone gave a great performance, but I though Leonardo Dicaprio was just amazing in this! My vote goes to Leo.

[bigred760]

I went with Jack just because I like the villain and it looked like Jack had a lot of fun with the role. But I also agree that Leo was very impressive as Costigan - showed the most depth in the movie I think.

[Gordon]

Martin Sheen easy. The only actor that didn't deliver a bad line - and with the exception of Alec Baldwin he was the only one who didn't under or overplay is character.

[Brando @$$ Fat]

I voted for Leo. Not that The Jack didn't do a great job, but we all know by now he's good at playing psychopaths.

[Antonio]

Originally posted by Hannibal21
Wasn't impressed at all with Vera Farmiga's excessively bland performance though.

Totally agree...as good as she was in RUNNING SCARED, her performance in THE DEPARTED was like watching paint dry, shit harden, or Marcia Gay Harden for that matter. Just joking...I love Marcia!

Anyway, Scorsese usually elicits great performances from his actresses (Lorraine Bracco, Ellen Burstyn and Jodie Foster to name a few) but Vera was just miscast. Her Afghan Hound looks don't help matters either!

Wasn't that impressed with Matt Damon either. Maybe it was because his character was totally unlikable and I couldn't fucking WAIT for him to bite the bullet! Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen were good, but how many times have we seen them playing these roles before? Two totally typecast actors who have become caricatures of their former selves.

Nicholson was great in another over-the-top role. Good over-the-top, as opposed to bad over-the-top (think ANGER MANAGEMENT). The porn theater scene was hysterical!

Mark Wahlberg totally proved his acting mettle as the foul-mouthed right-hand man of Sheen's character. Too bad we didn't see more of him. Would liked to have seen him beat Damon to a bloody pulp before...well you know.

DiCaprio was the revelation here. He's always been a superb actor, but his performance in this film is Oscar-worthy. Totally likable and believable. The one character to root for in this film.

So in order: Leo, Mark, Jack, Matt, Sheen and Baldwin. Ray Winstone was barely a blip on the fucking radar!

[Hannibal21]

Originally posted by Lazy Boy
Matt Damon was the best -- you could really see him scramble to maintain a sense of order, contrasting him with the over-the-top psycho Nicholson played.

Damon internalizes everything, and is a smart cookie. Almost like Jason Bourne as a "rat," worming his way to the top of the pile.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Finally someone agrees that Matt was one of the true standouts in 'The Departed'. :)

[Briare Rabbit]

Damon's character was irritating.

Wahlberg was the best part, especially since everytime he launched off an insult at Damon, it was hilarious. Baldwin, Sheen and DiCaprio were also awesome. Nicholson's role is too small, and his performance is incredibly overrated. Farmiga's disappearing Bahstan accent is what really took me out of her character.

Ranking:
1 Wahlberg
2 DiCaprio
3 Sheen
4 Baldwin
5 Nicholson
6 Damon
7 Winstone
8 Farmiga

[TylerDurden182]

DiCaprio

[ParanoidAndvoid]

Leo

[Katsumoto]

All were great, but I really loved Matt Damon work in the film. Marty holds the camera on all his actors faces and I could get the most emotionally intensity from Damon's.

[Sh8dy Milkman]

This films has one of the best ensembles ever. I mean it when I say that their were great performances all around. However, when it comes to memorableness...i'm going with Wahlberg. He was hilarious.

[jaw2929]

Jack easily... Everytime he was on-screen, he fucking OWNED each scene, in such a way that you couldn't help but pay attention to him.... Close second would be DiCaprio turning in his finest performance of his career IMO....

[cerealkiller182]

Its hard not to pick Jack. I wish he was a little more outlandish, but he was good as always. But I picked DiCaprio. He looked legitimately scared and on edge through the whole movie. Probably his best yet.

[Mr-Blonde]

I enjoyed Jack tremendously in this film but in the end it just seemed like Jack being Jack. While Leo did well in his conflicted tormented persona as Billy Costigan I felt that Matt Damon did the best job here. He was able to play a convincing stand up guy one moment and then immediately flip it to show you his slimy underbelly. It was almost scary how socipathic he was in this film. His performance was simply more nuanced than the rest.

[MickeyKnox]

Nicholson gave one of the greatest performances of this year.

[EVILxxx]

Decaprio really blew me away in this one. Not since 'The Basketball Diaries' has he been this good.

[Cyd V]

Originally posted by AngelDust06
they all did fantastic but DAMN ITS JACK!

Yeah I agree, Marty and Jack turned so so scenes like the coffee shop scene with the priests and the 'I smell a rat' scenes into classics...

1. Jack
2. Leo
3. Mark
4. Ray Winstone
5. Alec
6. Martin
7. Vera
8. Damon

[outsyder]

It's been two weeks and the one that sticks with me the most is Mark Wahlberg.

[Derek237]

Jack all the way. Dicaprio would take the silver, though.

[blankpage]

I had to think about this one really hard, but I'm going to go with Matty Damon. Not taking away from Dicaprio, Nicholson, and the rest of the gang, because they were all fantastic, but Damon's performance probably stood out the most for me. It seemed Matty was really pushing himself with this role, and I don't really think he's ever been better. However, it was a hard choice as Leo was equally fantastic, and Jack did such a fine job, and made it seem effortless. Wahlberg was great, but we just didn't see enough of him. Same with Sheen and Baldwin, who, I think, both gave excellent performance with the little time they had. So, it's safe to say I haven't been this impressed with an esemble like this in quite some time.

[dannywalker17]

Got to go with Leo on this one. He's been turning out some great performances the last few years, but none compared to this one. Such a rich, layered performance that creates a very strong central character. The whole cast was marvelous. I didn't notice anything wrong with Vera Farmiga's performance, but that's just me.

[damien22]

I thought DiCaprio was the best, why I think that has already been said by many people. I also liked his character the best, by far. I think if I had to give a second place I would give it to Matt Damon, because I think he portrayed how one would deal with that situation pretty well, not knowing which choice to make.

[dennisv]

I went with Leo. He definitely earn an Best Actor nommie. This is the first movie of this godforsaken century that had became one of my all-time favorites. It's what I want for everything that a movie needs.

[Glaze]

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