The Departed

The Departed

By

  • Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime
  • Release Date: 2006-10-04
  • Runtime: 151 minutes
  • : 8.166
  • Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
  • Production Country: Hong Kong, United States of America
    • Watch it NOW FREE
8.166/10
8.166
From 14,696 Ratings

Description

To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.

Trailer

Reviews

  • John Chard

    8
    By John Chard
    The only one that can do what I do is me. Lot of people had to die for me to be me. You wanna be me? The Departed is directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan, Alan Mak and Felix Chong. It stars Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Mark Rolston and Alec Baldwin. Music is by Howard Shore and cinematography by Michael Ballhaus. An Irish gang in South Boston becomes aware there is a rat in their midst, whilst the police force has a mole to contend with - with each one trying to out each other before the other does... Martin Scorsese remakes Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs (2002) for the English speaking world, and promptly bagged his first Best Director Oscar in the process. It's a thrilling picture packed with suspense and edginess, a psychological gangster picture driven by two men leading double lives that is leading them to the abyss. When the violence comes it erupts in thunderous strokes, all while the narrative pulses with paranoia. There are some irksome contrivances, but with a uniformly strong set of turns from the cast, great musical accompaniments, and a director returning to gangster form, The Departed is a sure fire winner. 8.5/10

  • CinemaSerf

    7
    By CinemaSerf
    I think this might be my favourite performance from Leonardo DiCaprio as he takes on the mantle of undercover cop "Billy". On a perilous arms-length basis from his boss (Martin Sheen) pretty much from the start of his career, he must undergo the violent perils of prison so he can convincingly infiltrate the gang of hoodlum "Costello" (Jack Nicholson) who runs the crime syndicate in the city of Boston somewhat enigmatically. Meantime, we also meet "Colin" (Matt Damon) who is in a mirror-image position with the State police. As the situation in the city becomes even more dangerous it becomes clear to both the cops and to "Costello" that there is a fly in their respective ointment, and those men's positions become even more hazardous. Now each must try to identify the other before the entire house of cards comes crashing down in a blaze of gunfire. If we add to the mix the fiery and determined detective "Dignam" (Mark Wahlberg) and a bit of love interest from "Madolyn" (Vera Farminga) and we get an engagingly complex thriller that unravels cleverly and slowly over 2½ hours generating a proper sense of menace. Nicholson is on superb form as the maniacal boss whom you just know probably isn't trustworthy - even for those his own side, and the focussed efforts from Leo and Damon deliver well to build the tension effectively. I liked the writing - and the paucity of it. There is comedy here, there is threat here but there is very little extraneous verbiage. The characters have a visceral quality to them that, as the story develops, really does immerse you in their tawdry and shady goings-on. I can't say that I loved the ending - somehow it seemed a little bit rushed, but there's certainly vindication there for someone... This is the kind of drama that thrives by knitting the myriad of threads together without having to faff about with timelines, loops, or repetition. It's a story that evolves in a plausibly hazardous yet characterful fashion and if you can catch it on a big screen, then it's highly recommended. Scorsese - indeed, just about everyone, at their best.

Recommended Movies

  • The Aviator

    Release Date: 2004-12-17

    Vote Average: 7.23

    Media Type: movie

  • The Prestige

    Release Date: 2006-10-17

    Vote Average: 8.204

    Media Type: movie

  • Gangs of New York

    Release Date: 2002-12-14

    Vote Average: 7.329

    Media Type: movie

  • GoodFellas

    Release Date: 1990-09-12

    Vote Average: 8.462

    Media Type: movie

  • Shutter Island

    Release Date: 2010-02-14

    Vote Average: 8.203

    Media Type: movie

  • Blood Diamond

    Release Date: 2006-12-08

    Vote Average: 7.545

    Media Type: movie

  • Catch Me If You Can

    Release Date: 2002-12-16

    Vote Average: 7.978

    Media Type: movie

  • The Great Gatsby

    Release Date: 2013-05-09

    Vote Average: 7.366

    Media Type: movie

  • Scarface

    Release Date: 1983-12-09

    Vote Average: 8.166

    Media Type: movie

  • Taxi Driver

    Release Date: 1976-02-09

    Vote Average: 8.145

    Media Type: movie

keyboard_arrow_up