Analysis of a fourth trailer- The Departed (2006)

The departed is a 2006 American crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written  by William Monahan. The lead roles are Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg. Alec Baldwin is also a key supporting actor.


0.24- The production company Warner Bros appears on screen. It operates under the conglomerate Sony which has produced hundreds of highly successful film titles since it's conception.

0.38- The screen shows the words ''A Martin Scorsese picture''. This will attract viewers who are fans of his previous work (The wolf of wall street 2013, Shutter island 2010). Both of those films feature Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead roles which shows that he is a versatile actor that can adapt to Scorsese's vision in each film. This is significant as he also has a lead role in this film.












From 0.28 there is a sudden rush of upbeat music along with the dialogue. This synchronous sound shows the audience that this particular scene is very important for the narrative. In the next few seconds of that scene a police officer (Alec Baldwin) tells a group of police officers who the target of their investigation is (Jack Nicholson). Then there is a fast cut to him with his henchman and of US banknotes. This connotes that he is the villain of the film and that he has powerful resources. In that particular shot of Nicholson he is in the centre of the shot with his men behind him. This use of composition connotes his importance and strength.

1.12- There is a phrase that appears on screen ''Loyalty is a lie'' with the word loyalty in a blue font. This distinctive use of colour shows that betrayal is a key concept in the narrative and that the key characters should trust nobody.

1.20- Another inter-title appears on the screen which says ''Sacrifice is a test''. The word sacrifice is also highlighted in blue which shows that Nicholson's character Costello knows that the police are corrupt and he is testing whether his new gang member Leonardo DiCaprio can be trusted.
















This idea that Costello knows he has a police officer in his ranks is further supported by the following words from Costello at 1.21 when Costello says to Matt Damon's character ''I gotta cop in my crew'' in a conversation over the phone. Also at 1.51 there is non-diegetic asynchronous music that is played over the action. While simultaneously there are multiple cuts of police cars and men preparing weapons. Whilst these cuts are taking place the music says'' smoke is on the horizon. This along with the cuts indicates to the audience that a climax will occur that involves violence.

The events of this trailer have various denotations of extreme violence such as a man falling out of a window from a high story building, attempted stabbings, various beatings and brutal fights
which are all shown in a montage of high pace. This is standard iconography of crime drama's. Nicholson's character has been represented as a clear archetype that is portrayed as being at the top of an organised criminal subculture which connotes his influence on the narrative and the audience. The violence that he has used is the represented version of Scorsese's modes of address to the audience.

Another mode of address in the film is that the police will always thwart criminals no matter their position in a power structure. Vladimir Propps narrative theory explains that after a disruption, equilibrium will be restored in some way which will be shown to viewers who watch the film. This provides a theoretical explanation for Scorsese's ideas.