A Boston based gangster film concerned with spies within both law enforcement and criminal organizations.

Rating: 10/10 (7 February 2007)

A superlative adaptation by William Monahan of the classic Hong Kong policier "Infernal Affairs", this film features brilliant twinned performances by Matt Damon who brings cerebral intensity and Bostonian authenticity to his role and Leonardo DiCaprio who provides visceral conviction and a newfound screen maturity. Scorsese's direction is masterful, whether the scene be one of emotional intimacy or multi-levelled duplicity. Both emotional and physical violence are rendered with subtlety and maximal impact, producing a total work of such power that it merits Scorsese a long overdue Oscar. Truly, this film is a worthy companion piece to "Mean Streets" and "Goodfellas" as a gangster classic.
Besides the aforementioned worthy of Best Actor performances by Damon and DiCaprio, special mention should be made of Mark Wahlberg's searing performance which virtually defines the category, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. He nails every scene he's in and perfectly captures the Boston cadences of his poetically profane policeman. Wahlberg's performance lingers in the memory long after the film is ended,as does Jack Nicholson's, but for quite the opposite reason. Once he emerges from the shadows,literally, Jack delivers such a bogus and over the top performance that he threatens to derail the whole enterprise. Wasn't Brian Cox or some such closer to the grain actor available? Nicholson's performance has the same pungency that Boston harbor did before the recent cleanup.
If one is a fan of Hong Kong action films, classic American gangster films or psychologically complex thrillers, "The Departed" satisfies on virtually every level.