A man named Jack

By Todd Leopold
CNN

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(CNN) -- Jack.

Many claim the name, but there's only one real, single-named "Jack." Jack Jones, Johnson or even Kennedy may need an introduction, but not Jack Nicholson. With his distinctively sly voice, ever-present sunglasses, and wise-guy attitude, Jack Nicholson is "Jack" like no one else on earth.

Nicholson is so "Jack," as a matter of fact, critics sometimes complain that his outsized image overwhelms his movies.

In movies like "The Witches of Eastwick," "Batman," "As Good as It Gets" and "Five Easy Pieces," Nicholson's characters are a perfect match for his outsized personality.

But Nicholson is also capable of performances of great subtlety and reserve.

In "About Schmidt," he played an emotionally stunted insurance executive in a widely acclaimed performance noted for its quiet, understated brilliance.

But for those who love the other Jack -- the one who shoved a table full of food on the floor in "Five Easy Pieces," or who cursed a blue streak in "The Last Detail," or tried to rouse a ward of mental patients to watch the World Series in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," -- Nicholson's latest movie, "The Departed," is a welcome arrival.

Paired for the first time with director Martin Scorsese, Nicholson plays a Boston mob leader who is paying a mole on the police force. His character is ruthless, violent and charismatic. Jack is back.

Eye on Entertainment takes a look.

Eye-opener

"The Departed" is based on the Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs," which earned raves on its 2002 release. In addition to Nicholson the film boasts an impressive cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Ray Winstone, Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen. Throw in Scorsese at the helm, and this crew could put on the greatest David Mamet show ever. (Watch DiCaprio and Damon talk "The Departed" -- 3:00 )

DiCaprio plays Billy Costigan, a police rookie asked to infiltrate Costello's organization. Damon plays Colin Sullivan, groomed by Costello to infiltrate the police department.

Each side eventually realizes they have a mole in their midst, and the tension -- and violence -- go up considerably.

Unlike Scorsese's usual New York Italian setting, this movie is heavily flavored with the Boston Irish culture. But it wasn't a big stretch. Gangsters in Boston appear to be pretty similar to gangsters in New York, judging from the movie. "The Departed" is earning some of Scorsese's best reviews since "Casino," and even "GoodFellas."

"Ferociously entertaining," writes "The Hollywood Reporter's" Kirk Honeycutt.

"A great film," says "Ebert & Roeper's" Richard Roeper.

But not everyone thought Nicholson's performance was perfect. New York magazine's David Edelstein notes, "As Costello becomes more unhinged, he also becomes more Jack, and we know you can't kill Jack with ordinary bullets."

That's the Jack we know and love.

"The Departed" opens Friday.

On screen

"Employee of the Month" stars Jessica Simpson as the object of a battle between men at a big-box retailer. It opens Friday.

"Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning." Well, that's what it purports to be. It opens Friday.

"49 Up" is director Michael Apted's latest look at a group of people his cameras have been following, on and off, since they were 7 years old (previous entries in the series have been "7 Up," "7 Plus Seven," "21," "28 Up," "35 Up" and "42 Up"). A Jesuit saying states, "Give me a child until he is 7 and I will give you the man." Apted's series has been a fascinating answer to that statement. Opens in limited release Friday.

"Little Children," starring Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connelly and Jackie Earle Haley, is the movie version of Tom Perrotta's best-selling novel. It opens in limited release Friday.

"Shortbus," which opened in limited release Wednesday, examines attitudes about sex and relationships, often graphically. Previous credits for director John Cameron Mitchell include "Hedwig and the Angry Inch."

On the tube

"Battlestar Galactica" begins another season on SciFi, Friday at 9 p.m.

The Major League Baseball playoffs continue on ESPN and Fox. Check local listings for airtimes.

Sound waves

"Hello Love" (Nettwerk), the new album by the Be Good Tanyas, comes out Tuesday.

"Rotten Apple" (Interscope), the latest from Lloyd Banks, comes out Tuesday.

"The Makings of Me" (J) by Monica comes out Tuesday.

"Rarely has a singer had as full and unique a talent as Rod Stewart; rarely has anyone betrayed his talent so completely," wrote Greil Marcus in 1980. Now, with Stewart having already ripped into "The Great American Songbook," he's trying to get back to rock 'n' roll -- at least its quieter moments. "Still the Same: Great Rock Classics of Our Time" (J), featuring covers of "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," "The Best of My Love" and the absolutely redundant "It's a Heartache" (Rod Stewart does Bonnie Tyler?), comes out Tuesday.

For a different Rod Stewart, check out a pair of reissues from Epic/Legacy, the Jeff Beck Group's "Truth" and "Beck-Ola," which come out Tuesday. Stewart was the band's lead singer. Other reissues include the Cure's "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" (Rhino).

Paging readers

John Grisham's first nonfiction book, "The Innocent Man" (Doubleday), comes out Tuesday.

"One Good Turn" (Little, Brown), a novel by Kate Atkinson, comes out Wednesday.

And "The End" arrives on Friday the 13. Not necessary the end of the world, but the end of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket. "The End" is, naturally, the final book in the series.

Video center

"Click," "A Prairie Home Companion," and "Art School Confidential" come out on DVD Tuesday.

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