Scorsese has done it again!

Rating: 8/10 (23 October 2006)

Director Martin Scorsese has done it again. In the 70s through 90s he was the mastermind behind the films Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ the epic Kundun and the great Goodfellas. In the last 5 years he's spent time directing, Gangs of New York, The Aviator and now - The Departed. Scorsese is the kind of director; character actors rush, hope and pray for an opportunity to work with. Watch any film in his extensive filmography and you will understand in an instant.
The Departed is a story about two informants in the Massachusetts State Police department who work for and against the Boston mafia. The film includes a laundry list of supporting actors. They include Mark Wahlberg, Ray Winstone, and Martin Sheen but it leads with Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and my man Leonardo DiCaprio.
Damon performs another solid role as the mob mole working in a special task force inside the state police. Nicholson plays "himself" as the dangerous Irish mob boss but he has finally re-invented himself into a dangerous, believable and refreshing character - imagine that. Then we have DiCaprio, one of the best male actors on from the left-coast. Scorsese starred him in "Gangs," trusted him to play the mysterious Howard Hughes in the "Aviator" and has him sneak around inside Nicholson's mob in this thriller. Dicaprio is completely convincing as he moves in circles, unable to trust anyone.
Departed places you in the middle of a world filled with murder and much aggression, all necessary to convey this intense story. The film is easily followed but full of credible twists and turns. Scorsese introduces a new character that should be given a Best Supporting nod if only it had a heart. He has taken our modern day convenience, the cell phone and turned it into a character never before seen on screen.
As with any mob film, there is plenty violence but don't let that deter you from seeing one of the best films this year.