This 2006 film, directed by Martin Scorsese, was just on network TV last night and I couldn’t help myself, I watched it again. Even with all the commercials and bleeps, it is a fabulous movie. (If you can, find the DVD to have a seamless experience and no bleeps – If you like Scorsese, you’ve heard the words before.)
The Departed is a violent, hard film, no sweetness here, no happy ending. A young police officer goes undercover in a local gang, just as another cop infiltrates the same gang.
Who’re the good guys? Who’s wearing the “white” hat? Who is doing what to whom? Cynical with assorted shades of grey – both cops and criminals seem to have other revenue sources, sort of a cross pollination effect.
As always, this director knows the value of a good story- a lot of blood, high suspense and one of the most explosive final lines of any film that I’ve heard. The actors were totally committed to making the bizarre characters real and believable which is not just an example of the talent of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg, but it is also a testament to Scorsese’s skill.
I’ve seen most of Scorsese’s films and if this isn’t the “best” he has done, it won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director, it’s pretty close to my other favs like Goodfellas, Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, etc.
The Departed – a tough, entertaining movie!
Btw – The Departed is a remake of the 2002 Chinese movie called Infernal Affairs, directed by Andrew Lau (also on DVD)
