Ray Winstone: 5 Awesome Performances and 5 That Sucked

3. The Departed (2006)

Easily one of the most memorable supporting characters in any recent Martin Scorsese film, Winstone's Mr. French is a ruthlessly dedicated henchman of Jack Nicholson's Frank Costello, perhaps most notable as he first introduces himself to Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) during a bar brawl. There's a morbid sense of humour to his interactions with Costello, and though French answers to him, he's clearly not scared of his boss; note the brief flash when French strangles his own wife to death without a shred of remorse or regret. Playing a different shade of grey from his British gangster self, it's refreshing but familiar all at the same time, and Scorsese absolutely knew what he was getting when he cast the man. It's impossible to talk about his character without discussing his demise at the film's climax, one of the most brilliant in the entire film; after French's car crashes, it soon becomes engulfed in flames, and rather than burn to death, French simply puts a gun to his chin, utters "Fuck it", and pulls the trigger. Simple, brilliant, and a badass send-off for probably the film's most badass character.
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Contributor

Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.