One of the greatest films of the new millennium

Rating: 10/10 (17 October 2006)

In general, I'm not Scorsese's biggest fan; but this Americanization of the Hong Kong thriller 'Infernal Affairs' is a great film, and one of the popular director's best efforts, period. The film takes in themes of deception and identity fraud, and carries off its story of undercover agents with style and panache. It is customary with modern day crime thrillers to add a layer of 'cool' to the proceedings; and Scorsese certainly does that here, although it is not a forced Tarantino-style slew of one-liners, but rather a relaxed assurance in the plot and characters, which really pays off once the plot begins to develop. The story itself follows the intriguing idea of two undercover agents infiltrating each other's organisation. Colin Sullivan joined the police force after mob boss Frank Costello decided that it would be a good idea to have some undercover agents on the other side. Meanwhile, William Costigan; another new recruit of the police force, is sent to work undercover in the same organisation being run by Frank Costello. Naturally, both men end up looking for each other and much violence ensues...
As you would expect from an A-list production such as this one, the acting is superb. Both Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio step into their respective roles well, with DiCaprio in particular delivering the sort of gritty performance that you wouldn't expect from him given the sort of films he was making before hooking up with Scorsese. Of course, it is Jack Nicholson who steals the show as the eccentric mob boss. This represents an absolutely great piece of casting, as Nicholson was born to play roles like this, and seeing him completely owning every scene he's in is a delight for the viewer. The rest of the support is more than adequate, and Scorsese manages to put the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone and the subtly sexy Vera Farminga to good use in a range of roles. There's plenty of violence in the film to satisfy crime fans, with a particular focus on people getting punched in the face. The music used generally works well, with the likes of the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd blending well with sequences in the movie. The ending is potently bleak, and perfectly fits the film up until that point. I don't often find myself saying this of Scorsese's films - but The Departed truly is a modern day masterpiece and everyone who calls themselves a film fan owes it to themselves to see it.