An Excellent,Unforgettable Epic Gangster Film/Crime Drama/Thriller Remake. Another Martin Scorsese Classic.

Rating: 10/10 (9 November 2013)

The Departed is an excellent and unforgettable Epic Gangster Film and Crime Drama/Thriller remake that combines amazing direction,great performances from the cast,a terrific script and a memorable score and soundtrack. All of those elements make The Departed not only a great Gangster film and remake but another Martin Scorsese Classic.
Set in the Soutn Boston neighborhood of Boston,Massachusetts,The Departed tells the story of police officer Billy Costigan(Leonardo Dicapro)who's been asked by his superiors to undercover and work for a vicious local Gangster and crime boss Frank Costello(Jack Nicholson)and his organization. While undercover,Billy is unaware that there is another cop working for Costello,Colin Sullivan(Matt Damon),a State police detective who is selling information to Costello from the police department. With Billy and Colin both working for Frank will one of them discover each other identities or will one of them become a member of The Departed?
The Departed is a brilliant and thrilling Crime Drama Thriller that saw Martin Scorsese return to the genre Scorsese is best known for the Gangster film after two great period dramas Gangs Of New York(2002)and The Aviator(2004). The Departed won Oscars for Best Picture and most importantly Best Director for Martin Scorsese although many agree that Scorsese should've won for his earlier masterworks such as Raging Bull,GoodFellas and Taxi Driver but that doesn't stop The Departed from being the great film that it is. Right from the opening The Departed is an amazing film and an instant Scorsese classic that has you mesmerized and glued to the screen giving viewers a film that intense and powerful and will have viewers on the edge of their seat wondering what will happen next and there is constant intrigue going on throughout the but done in a no holds barred style that Scorsese does so well. The Departed is a Gangster film that is rooted in the spirit of Film Noir where the attitudes of the main characters is tough and cynical and the tone and atmosphere is dark and where streets in this film is brutal and cops and criminals only follow the law of the gun. Where as Scorsese's other Gangster film took place in Scorsese's hometown New York City (GoodFellas,Mean Streets)or in Las Vegas(Casino),The Departed takes place on the mean streets of South Boston where the crime world in South Boston isn't as flashy as New York(in terms of clothes and how they live)or other big cities in terms of style but still has the same violent viciousness as it's other big city counterparts and where the Irish Mob and Frank Costello's crew is working class,gritty and people you don't want to mess with. The Crime world in South Boston has a style on it's own. The Departed not only succeeds as a great Gangster film but a great remake of the incredible Asian Crime Drama Infernal Affairs(2002)and while The Departed adapts the plot Infernal Affairs Scorsese's film works as it's own film. The two main characters Billy Costigan and Colin Sullivan are great characters because with Costigan being undercover and Sullivan being an informant you see these two dealing with guilt,fear and a sense of dread of someone discovering who the two really are and working for Frank Costello adding to the suspense of the film because while you may not always like the them as people or the things that they do but you will be in their shoes. The violence in The Departed is classic Scorsese because the violence is vicious and brutal and when the film gets bloody the red plasma comes off the screen in dark fashion. If you've seen Scorsese's Goodfellas and Casino you know kind of violence is going to be in this film. The screenplay by William Monahan is terrific,with Monahan giving the film gritty and memorable dialog that feels realistic and reflects the style and tone of South Boston and has characters that are unforgettable. The ending of The Departed is fantastic and memorable because it's shocking and darkly humorous. A great ending to this wonderful film.
The whole cast is amazing Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent as Billy Costigan,with DiCaprio bringing intensity,depth and energy to the role. Matt Damon is brilliant as Colin Sullivan,bringing power and believability to the role. Jack Nicholson is amazing and at his maniacal best as Frank Costello,with Nicholson being intimidating and funny at the same time. Mark Wahlberg is terrific as Sgt. Dignam,with Wahlberg saying great one liners and stealing scenes. Martin Sheen is great as Capt. Queenan,Costgan's boss. Ray Winstone is fantastic as Mr. French,Francis' right hand man. Vera Farminga is wonderful as Madolyn,Colin's girlfriend and Billy's psychiatrist. Alec Baldwin is outstanding and funny as Capt. Ellerby,a hyperactive cop. Anthony Anderson(Trooper Brown),Kevin Corrigan(Cousin Sean),James Badge Dale(Trooper Barrigan),David Patrick O'Hara(Fitzy),Mark Rolston(Delhunt),Robert Wahlberg(Lazio-FBI)and Kristen Dalton(Gwen)give good performances as well.
The direction by Martin Scorsese is excellent and stylish,with Scorsese always moving the camera and giving the film a great pace and visual style with terrific shots and camera angles. Great direction,Scorsese.
The score by Howard Shore is fantastic and intense matching the mood and tone of the film. The film also has a great soundtrack with songs by The Rolling Stones(Gimmie Shelter,Let It Loose),Roger Waters,Van Morrison,The Band(Comfortably Numb),The Dropkick Murphys(I'm Shipping Off To Boston),Patsy Cline(Sweet Dreams(Of You),Roy Buchanan(Sweet Dreams),John Lennon(Well,Well,Well),Nas(Thief's Theme),The Beach Boys(Sail On,Sailor)The Allman Brothers Band(One Way Out),Badfinger(Baby Blue),The Human Beinz(Nobody But Me),Lavern Baker(Tweedle Dee)and Joe Cuba(Bang Bang). Wonderful soundtrack.
In final word,if you love Martin Scorsese,Gangster Films,Crime Dramas,Crime Thrillers or films in general,I highly suggest you see The Departed,an excellent,unforgettable epic Gangster Film Crime Drama/Thriller that is another Martin Scorsese classic and is a film you can watch again and again. Highly Recommended. 10/10.