The Departed
Martin Scorsese returns to his gangster roots with this Boston mafia remake of the Hong Kong classic Infernal Affairs. Leonardo Di Caprio is a cop infiltrating the mob, and Matt Damon is a mob kid infiltrating the cops. Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg are actual cops. Vera Farmiga is the love interest. And best of all, Jack Nicholson steals the show with a ferociousness not seen since The Shining, as loose mob boss Frank Costello.
- Director:
- Martin Scorsese ('Raging Bull', 'Goodfellas', 'Taxi Driver', 'Casino', 'Cape Fear', 'The King of Comedy')
- Writer:
- William Monahan
- Cast:
- Leonardo DiCaprioMatt DamonJack NicholsonMartin SheenMark WahlbergAlec BaldwinVera Farmiga
Reviews & comments
Compelling.... BUT............
Love the movie but the only thing that let it down for me was the ending.. IMO it didnt go with the movie.. in fact I burst into laughter at one point automatically, thnakfully I was the only person there.. What do you think about the lift scene at the end.. by the time the third one happened I was laughing and it certainly wasnt comedy...lol.. But I...
Scorsese...brilliant; di Caprio....brilliant
Whilst this film presents the brilliance of Scorsese's directing and similarlythe acting of di Caprio, Nicholson et al, a storyline that is based on violence only seems to not carry the potential to the heights such genius could otherwise achieve. And the music...great.
Gritty and attention-holding but unfulfilled potential
Storytelling is the main objective of The Departed, and on this count it works well, constantly clawing you toward its next scene. Many cliches invented by Scorcese are worn out again but he wears them well. Character depth however is never quite built upon throughout the second half of the movie, and the denouement leaves too many loose ends.
What did you expect?
Is there anyone better than Scorsese for pure entertainment? And my god, what a cast - all impressive: DiCaprio, Damon, Wahlberg are great and rarely this intense; I'd never seen Farmiga before but she too impressed; the best Baldwin by a long shot; and Nicholson is genius. Go see it!
Variety
pressThis reworking of a popular Hong Kong picture pulses with energy, tangy dialogue and crackling performances from a fine cast...
Rolling Stone
pressA new American crime classic from the legendary Martin Scorsese, whose talent shines here on its highest beams...
New Zealand Herald
pressInevitably the story is headed for an unhappy ending but the banal, heavyhanded final shot is the worst of many ill-judged touches. This is not a film Scorsese will be or should be remembered for - though fans of Goodfellas may relish the profligate bloodshed...
Empire Magazine
pressBack to the streets and with a stellar cast, Martin Scorsese proves once again that he’s the master of urban storytelling — and of thrillingly violent filmmaking...
BBC
pressFrom the moment Jack Nicholson's terrifying gang boss pads across screen to the chorus chords of The Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' ("It's just a shot away"), you can nuzzle back into your seat, safe in the knowledge you're in for a ride. The themes are (self) betrayal, (schizophrenic) identity and (impossible) redemption; the violence is vicious (desert boot beatings); the supporting cast stunning (Wahlberg, Winstone, Baldwin - no, really). As DiCaprio and Damon push themselves to the limit, their characters' fragile sense of self literally disintegrating on-screen, this is a thriller that thrills...
Variety
pressThis reworking of a popular Hong Kong picture pulses with energy, tangy dialogue and crackling performances from a fine cast...
Rolling Stone
pressA new American crime classic from the legendary Martin Scorsese, whose talent shines here on its highest beams...
New Zealand Herald
pressInevitably the story is headed for an unhappy ending but the banal, heavyhanded final shot is the worst of many ill-judged touches. This is not a film Scorsese will be or should be remembered for - though fans of Goodfellas may relish the profligate bloodshed...
Empire Magazine
pressBack to the streets and with a stellar cast, Martin Scorsese proves once again that he’s the master of urban storytelling — and of thrillingly violent filmmaking...
BBC
pressFrom the moment Jack Nicholson's terrifying gang boss pads across screen to the chorus chords of The Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' ("It's just a shot away"), you can nuzzle back into your seat, safe in the knowledge you're in for a ride. The themes are (self) betrayal, (schizophrenic) identity and (impossible) redemption; the violence is vicious (desert boot beatings); the supporting cast stunning (Wahlberg, Winstone, Baldwin - no, really). As DiCaprio and Damon push themselves to the limit, their characters' fragile sense of self literally disintegrating on-screen, this is a thriller that thrills...
Compelling.... BUT............
Love the movie but the only thing that let it down for me was the ending.. IMO it didnt go with the movie.. in fact I burst into laughter at one point automatically, thnakfully I was the only person there.. What do you think about the lift scene at the end.. by the time the third one happened I was laughing and it certainly wasnt comedy...lol.. But I...
Scorsese...brilliant; di Caprio....brilliant
Whilst this film presents the brilliance of Scorsese's directing and similarlythe acting of di Caprio, Nicholson et al, a storyline that is based on violence only seems to not carry the potential to the heights such genius could otherwise achieve. And the music...great.
Gritty and attention-holding but unfulfilled potential
Storytelling is the main objective of The Departed, and on this count it works well, constantly clawing you toward its next scene. Many cliches invented by Scorcese are worn out again but he wears them well. Character depth however is never quite built upon throughout the second half of the movie, and the denouement leaves too many loose ends.
What did you expect?
Is there anyone better than Scorsese for pure entertainment? And my god, what a cast - all impressive: DiCaprio, Damon, Wahlberg are great and rarely this intense; I'd never seen Farmiga before but she too impressed; the best Baldwin by a long shot; and Nicholson is genius. Go see it!
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