The Departed
(2006)Cops or criminals. When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?
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.
-
Winner of the Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Editing Oscars at the 2007 Academy Awards.
-
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, Vera Farmiga
Written by William Monahan
On Demand, DVD & Blu-Ray
Available from 6 providers
The Peoples' Reviews
Reviewed & Rated by
Your rating & review
Rate / Review this movieRate and/or review
The Departed
BY Andrew-Johnson2 wannabe
An absolute favourite of mine - one of the best and most tense cops and robbers films around. Terrific star turns by all involved makes it a treat.
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 did love the movie till that point..
BY Brian1 superstar
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.
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.
Great direction and cast, bar Jack Nickolson, felt he was mainly there for the ride, he could have brought more depth to his character. First film I've seen with Leonardo where I have actually thought him sexy!
Showing 5 of 10 reviews. See all reviews
The Press Reviews
93%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
From 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... Full Review
Back 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... Full Review
A ferociously entertaining film... Full Review
Inevitably 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... Full Review
A new American crime classic from the legendary Martin Scorsese, whose talent shines here on its highest beams... Full Review
This reworking of a popular Hong Kong picture pulses with energy, tangy dialogue and crackling performances from a fine cast... Full Review
Care to comment?