Very good mob film

Rating: Null/10 (4 May 2013)

The crime epic to end all crime epics- The Departed. The Departed marks Scorsese's return to gangster cinema, 15 years after his genre-defining Goodfellas. This time however, the scene is moved to Boston, the focus on the Irish mob. Two young cadets graduating from the academy; one a devoted law enforcement officer joining the state police undercover unit. The other, a mole from the mob who answers directly to Irish underworld kingpin Frank Costello, his mentor and father figure.
It isn't long before both organizations start to suspect a rat in their midst. The real tension and excitement of the film stems from the two men's circular game of cat and mouse, as they each try to smoke the other out while simultaneously attempting to remain anonymous to their colleagues and each other. It gives a the film an ever-present, immediate sense of dread, particularly for Dicaprio's character which I see as kind of the answer to the typical undercover cop character; it's not some glamorous, slick job, it's stressful as hell! The film gives a more realistic view on what kind of toll that would take on a person, with life on death on the line every minute of every day and no time to cope with it.
None of that to say the film is "arty", which it ain't! It's a bloody, coarse, lurid mess of a picture... in the most complimentary sense. While the film has more atmospheric tension, and is more plot driven than some of Scorsese's earlier work, there's still buckets of gore, plenty of shock value and some amusing soundtrack choices for some of the more grisly moments.
Still, I wouldn't say I liked everything about The Departed, and wouldn't consider it in masterpiece territory. Some aspects of the film, and some of the characters I found less believable than others. And I thought Nicholson's character began verging on cartoonish towards the end. However, the film is an excellent showcase for Leonardo Dicaprio, who is electrifying in his frenzied, panicked state, as well as in his dialogues with Costello. While the film is clearly very much an ensemble piece, I would call him the standout.
The Departed is a very good mob film. There're elements of it that have been done before, but the film's particular brand of rawness and high-octane tension elevate it above just another study/comparison of cops/criminals. Because after allÂ…when you're facing a loaded gun