Tony’s Take: Jack’s Secret ‘Departed’ Screening (October 27, 2006)

I saw ?The Departed? the other night at Warner Brothers Studios. It?s the new Martin Scorcese movie starring Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg. Before I tell you what I think of the movie, let me tell you what Jack thinks of the movie.

You see, the same night I went to the Warner Brothers lot to screen the movie I learned there was ?another? screening?a second screening. You see, when I stopped at the security gate, the guard asked me which ?Departed? screening I was going to and I told him whichever one has my name on the list.

I was on the press screening list as I was supposed to be. However, after parking my car and trying to find my way to the small screening room tucked away on this huge studio lot, I ended up nearly going into the ?other?screening. Turns out, it was a private screening of the movie for Jack?s friends. Jack had requested the screening.

I asked a woman who was going into Jack?s screening and why the special screening for Jack?s friends and she said because he really likes the movie.

It stands to reason, if you don?t like your movie, you sure as heck are not going to ask your friends to come to a special screening. Think about it. They have to come from Beverly hills to the Valley. That, in itself, is almost too much to ask of the 90210 crowd.

Suffice to say, the flick is good. Very good. It IS two-and-a-half hours long, but it doesn?t seem like it. My gauge for a movie is whether or not I look at my watch. I?ve been in some 90-minute movies and have looked at my watch 10-minutes in. I never looked at my watch until ?The Departed? was over. Leo?s good, Matt?s good, Jack?s good, Alec Baldwin is hilarious and Scorcese is in his element.

There will definitely be some nominations coming out of this film.