In this blog post, I will conduct a comparative analysis of “The Departed” and “The Maltese Falcon” to examine how each film’s portrayal of “identity” and desire expands or contracts the boundaries of the film noir genre.
Introduction: Why Film Noir?
One lecture I attended during class left a particularly strong impression on me. It summarized the key difference between film noir and thrillers or gangster films in a single word: “identity.” It’s a very clear insight. I’ve always enjoyed film noir, but I hadn’t been able to clearly explain what exactly film noir is.
Since the French word “noir” means “black,” people often mistakenly assume that film noir is simply a genre characterized by a dark atmosphere. In fact, many viewers tend to immediately label any crime film with a dark atmosphere as “film noir.” However, the story changes when approached through the lens of “identity.” This perspective holds that the essence of film noir lies not only in atmosphere and lighting but also in the characters’ inner identity crises and the resulting ethical dilemmas.
The first work that comes to mind from this perspective is the Hong Kong film ‘Infernal Affairs’. If you apply the formula “film noir = a pitch-black movie,” there are many scenes that simply don’t fit. ‘Infernal Affairs’ features bright, open images—such as the rooftop scene set against a dazzling blue sky—as key moments. Yet from the perspective of a “film about identity,” ‘Infernal Affairs’ is very much a noir film.
What kind of film is ‘The Departed’?
Martin Scorsese was finally awarded the honor of the Academy Award for Best Director. In addition to Best Director, the film won a total of four Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Picture. Personally, I’ve always felt that Scorsese’s films have a different tone from traditional Hollywood productions, so seeing him win an Oscar came as a bit of a surprise.
‘The Departed’ is a Hollywood remake of the original ‘Infernal Affairs’. There are aspects that feel better than the original, and there are certainly some disappointments as well. Above all, it’s hard to shake the impression that it’s a “very Hollywood” film. This is, to some extent, an expected characteristic, given that it was produced in the United States.
The sudden appearance of Officer Dignam (played by Mark Wahlberg)—a character not in the original—was initially perplexing. However, I came to understand that he was a character designed to deliver the film’s typical “good triumphs over evil” ending, in which Colin (played by Matt Damon) is brought to justice. Furthermore, while the film does feature the original’s memorable rooftop scene under a blue sky, it leaves me feeling disappointed that it fails to fully capture the emotional impact and resolve of the original.
Some have said that “Infernal Affairs is finally complete,” but I disagree. A “perfect film noir” is hard to make in today’s Hollywood. While Scorsese is one of the directors with the potential to pull it off, in this film he opted for a Hollywood-style narrative and ending rather than true film noir. That’s probably why the Academy, albeit belatedly, gave him the nod.
One very personal gripe I have is why Robert De Niro didn’t appear in the film. When people think of Scorsese films, De Niro is probably the first actor that comes to mind. Jack Nicholson’s performance was excellent, but I can’t help but wonder if De Niro had taken on the role of the character to counter that charisma, it might have created a different kind of tension.
If we recall the early works Scorsese and De Niro collaborated on—such as Harvey Keitel in ‘Mean Streets’ or Travis Bickle in ‘Taxi Driver’—the conclusions of those films cannot be reduced to simple happy endings. Travis’s ending, too, leaves the audience wondering whether it was fantasy or reality, thereby amplifying his anguish over his identity. In this regard, the ending of ‘The Departed’, which concludes with Colin’s death, inevitably comes across as relatively “Hollywood-esque.”
That said, we cannot simply conclude that “’The Departed’ is not a film noir.” There are aspects where the pacing of the plot is slower than in the original source material, and greater emphasis is placed on depicting the characters’ inner psychology. However, because audiences tend to focus more on the unfolding of the plot and its resolution than on the struggle with identity, the film is likely to feel closer to a thriller than a film noir.
So, how close—or how far—is ‘The Departed’ from film noir? To answer this question, I’d like to compare it to a film widely regarded as a classic example of the genre: John Huston’s 1941 film ‘The Maltese Falcon’.
What kind of film is ‘The Maltese Falcon’?
Why did I specifically choose ‘The Maltese Falcon’ as a point of comparison? This film possesses a powerful appeal that draws in large audiences, and since a wealth of analysis has already been accumulated, it is frequently cited as the “paragon of film noir.” While it may be difficult to offer a new or innovative interpretation, I intend to extract elements from this film that are useful for analyzing ‘The Departed’ and use them as tools.
The protagonist, Sam Spade (played by Humphrey Bogart), is closer to the role of an observer than that of a “driving force” in a typical plot. Rather than propelling the events forward, he serves to unearth the desires and hypocrisies of the characters entangled in the case. Spade’s demeanor is very “cool,” and that coolness creates a unique perspective through which he views the events.
So why did Sam plunge into this whirlwind of desire? His conversation with Brillitt (played by Mary Astor) at the end of the film allows us to infer his motives. He asserts, “No matter who I love, I can’t be the scapegoat.” Furthermore, the line, “I can’t just stand by if my partner dies. Whether we were close or not, he’s my partner, so I have to take action. That’s what a detective does. If I let a murder case go unsolved, my reputation would be ruined,” reveals that he acted not merely out of emotional reasons, but for professional and identity-related reasons.
These lines show that Sam Spade sought to preserve his identity by separating his personal emotions from his professional self-awareness. He refuses to be anyone’s scapegoat and acts to uphold his professional honor and image in the face of his partner’s death. This attitude aligns with the previously mentioned proposition that “film noir = the cinema of identity.”
Now, we will examine how the issues of identity revealed in this work contrast with those in ‘The Departed’, and how the two films embody the archetype of film noir in their own distinct ways.
Desire and Film Noir
“What lies beneath it all? Nothing but the uncertainty that we might love each other.” This is the identity he has found. That is why this is a film noir. However, one crucial question remains: How, exactly, is that identity discovered? While film noir is a genre about identity, the very process of discovering that identity is another key element.
Film noir finds identity within desire. The name “film noir” itself reveals the color of that desire—black. Without this element, one cannot rashly determine whether a work is film noir. Simply because the protagonist grapples with identity does not automatically make it film noir.
Does desire truly lead to the discovery of identity, or does it cause its loss? In ‘The Maltese Falcon’, all events stem from a single falcon statue. Although the statue was revealed to be a fake, how might the outcome have differed if it had been genuine? The question remains: Was Sam Spade’s decision to turn Brigitte over to the police only possible because the statue was a fake, or would he have made the same choice even if it had been real?
The implications of these two scenarios are entirely different. If it had been genuine and Sam had pocketed a huge sum from the deal, he might have made a different choice. In that case, could we say Sam preserved his identity, or did he lose it in the face of money? To avoid such confusion, we need to redefine film noir. Film noir does not necessarily refer only to films in which a character “finds” their identity. Rather, a story about “losing” one’s identity can also fully qualify as film noir.
Now let’s look at ‘The Departed’. Here, desire is revealed even more explicitly. The protagonists are not observers but the subjects of desire. Billy (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) was originally a police officer but suffers from an identity crisis due to his long career as a spy. He wants to reclaim his identity. The “color of desire” mentioned earlier—is this desire truly black?
In the sequel to the original film, ‘Infernal Affairs’, the family history of the character corresponding to Billy is revealed, making his psychology clearer; however, in ‘The Departed’, it is difficult to find direct clues suggesting that Billy’s desire is tinged with black. Does that mean it’s hard to view Billy’s anguish as noir?
What about Colin, on the other hand? He was originally a member of a gang but has severed ties with the organization and dreams of a fresh start as a police officer. On the surface, this appears to be a positive desire. However, the crux of the matter lies not in the “content” of the desire but in the “means” used to achieve it. The desires of villains like Gertman or Frank (played by Jack Nicholson) are nominally “money.” While the desire for wealth itself is natural in a capitalist society, the true nature of that desire is determined when the means to achieve it become tainted.
Ultimately, are the protagonists of ‘The Departed’ finding their identities, or are they losing them? I believe it’s closer to the latter. They struggle while consumed by the desire to reclaim their identities, and in the process, their means become increasingly tainted. Colin’s situation resembles Sam’s when he acquires each genuine piece of the falcon statue—on the surface, it’s a matter of choice, but at its core, it’s the same inner turmoil.
Identity and Endings: ‘Infernal Affairs’, ‘The Falcon’, ‘The Departed’
Now let’s examine how the issue of identity and the way the plot unfolds influence the audience’s perception. I mentioned earlier that ‘Infernal Affairs’ focuses on fast-paced plot development, while ‘The Departed’ emphasizes character psychology. Paradoxically, it felt as though the audience’s focus was on the struggle with identity in ‘Infernal Affairs’ and on the plot development in ‘The Departed’.
As a result, even with the same plot, viewers may perceive ‘Infernal Affairs’ as a film noir and ‘The Departed’ as a thriller, depending on their perspective. I believe this difference stems from the directors’ stylistic approaches. For a film noir to convey the protagonist’s inner turmoil, it cannot present events at a leisurely pace. Rather, it must overwhelm the audience with a very fast-paced narrative to ensure the protagonist’s internal conflict is conveyed more powerfully.
In ‘The Maltese Falcon’, the plot unfolds so rapidly that viewers are so busy keeping up with the events that they only belatedly recognize the protagonist’s inner turmoil. In contrast, ‘The Departed’ has a relatively slower pace, which encourages viewers to follow and analyze the events themselves. This difference ultimately leads to a difference in how the films are perceived in terms of genre.
So, can we conclude that “the original ‘Infernal Affairs’ is a film noir, but the remake ‘The Departed’ is not”? This is partly a matter of perspective, and it’s difficult to draw a clear line between film noir and thriller. From my perspective, I believe ‘The Departed’ fails to fully capture the noir-like essence of the original. However, the film’s value as a work of art remains intact, and it cannot be dismissed solely based on its merits as a noir.
Because of this sense of disappointment, I revisited the noir-style inner turmoil of the protagonists. Sam in ‘The Maltese Falcon’ wrestled with whether to remain a righteous detective or to take money from the sale of stolen goods and be with the woman who had committed a crime. Paradoxically, it is a situation where love leads one astray from justice.
In ‘The Departed’, Billy faces the paradox of having to become a criminal to uphold the law, while Colin is torn between remaining a criminal to honor his loyalty or becoming a police officer through underhanded means. The paradox of having to commit a terrible crime in order to live righteously is a common struggle for all of them.
The differences in their endings become even clearer when comparing these three films. Sam turns the criminals over to the police, but it remains unclear whether his sense of justice is truly unwavering. Bridget takes the elevator down, while Sam takes the stairs—though their methods differ, the implication remains that they are ultimately heading to the same place.
In ‘Infernal Affairs’, Jin Young-in fulfills his role as a police officer and is honored with a police chief’s funeral, yet—as the final closing credits suggest—he leaves behind the feeling that “though the man is gone, the pain is eternal.” In contrast, ‘The Departed’ concludes with a Hollywood-style ending where Colin is executed by the police, affirming that “the villain is punished.”
To sum up, there is probably no such thing as a 100% pure genre film in this world. There were two reasons why analyzing ‘The Departed’ left me feeling confused. One was that, given the existence of a clear source material, the discrepancies from the original story amplified my confusion; the other was that my expectations—based on the fact that it was a film by Martin Scorsese, a director I admire—led to a relatively greater sense of disappointment. However, the film’s intrinsic value remains, and the debate over whether it is a film noir or a thriller will likely depend on how each viewer experiences it.
