If you look past the brutal violence, the harsh language, and the stark portrayal of evil (hey, it�s a Scorcese movie), you�ll find that in �The Departed� goodness is worthwhile for reasons deeper than success or happiness. <BR>
While I enjoying engaging culture as much as anyone (I am a youth minister), If you look at the opening line of the article, "If you look past the brutal violence, the harsh language, and the stark portrayal of evil," I think one can see a non sequitur. His opening line is like saying, "Hey, this is a great cookie, with alot of great taste, you just have to endure some bites of manure that have been baked into the cookie." While I also enjoy cookies, I tend to avoid those with manure, or on the contrary, those that are simply sugar with no real taste content. I think we can find a message in just about anything if we are looking hard enough, but we must consider what we have to wade through in order to obtain it.
Seeing "The Departed" reminded me of what Flannery O'Connor said, commenting on the typical response to her writing: "All my stories are about the action of grace on a character who is not very willing to support it, but most people think of these stories as hard, hopeless and brutal."
Scorcese has told a story that is hard and brutal but there is hope and the thrust of grace within. I was particularly moved by DiCaprio's performance, especially when he says "You know who I am, you know who I am." Just as Fight Club is a man's movie, so, too, is The Departed. See it and then see it again.
November 09, 2006 10:37 PM
