A golden effort from a legendary director

Rating: 9/10 (3 June 2011)

Martin Scorsese has always been known as A legendary director. With masterpieces like 'Raging Bull', 'Good fellas', 'Taxi Driver', and 'Casino', Scorsese never fails to at the very least impress. This film proves that Scorsese is brilliant at doing what he does best.
The Departed is an infuriation of excellence. Watching it is like watching exploding fireworks in the sky. The film captures an unseen, brutal part of Boston, showing it in an undeniably intensifying way. It's filled with excellent performances, outstanding direction, and a great screenplay.
This thriller is filled with jarringly flawless performances. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon's on-screen 'battle' is suspenseful. You can actually feel yourself rooting for one of them. DiCaprio is furious and exuberant, while Damon is smart and curious. Jack Nicholson makes for a charismatic star in this film. His performance is certainly worthwhile freakish. Lastly, Mark Wahlberg is hilarious. I really haven't seen a better performance from him. Other actors including Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and Vera Farmiga are decent.
Scorsese may not have ventured into this theme so much, apart from Goodfellas, but it mostly seems so. The different camera angles and intelligent shots are dazzling. Inclusive to some overdone foul language and blood/gore, it eventually pays off. I'm definitely counting this film as a worthy Scorsese brilliancy.
It's not easy to write scripts, but this film has an engrossing one. From the start to end, the film is entertaining enough to keep on going. It has a highly suspenseful and sometimes abrupt climax, but otherwise, no problem.
Overall, there's really not enough to justify this achievement. It may not come to the likes of people not familiar with substance material, but it's a must-see for any Scorsese fan. A star-studded cast, worthy direction, and 'exciting' screenplay back up as proof.