Very good, but not classic.

Rating: 9/10 (23 February 2007)

The Departed was a movie that I had wanted to see for quite a long time due to the hype. I've heard it being described as better than Goodfellas. I've heard it being described as Scorcese's best. It is neither.
Don't get me wrong, the film is good. But it's not without it's flaws. The film's strong suit is the characters and the dialog. You feel for the characters, and the banter between them is wonderful.The film does an excellent job of blurring the lines of cop and crook, but herein lies a problem. The lines are blurred so much that the film is unbelievably hard to follow, and the plot certainly has holes. There is a lot to catch, even in two hours and thirty-one minutes.
And of course the shocking ending. The last 5 minutes of the movie confused the hell out of me, and I can't help but think that if they gave the movie more time and tweaked the plot and the ending, it could have been what people were hyping it to be. It's got great action, great dialog, great characters, and great acting. What it is lacking is continuity.
Overall, it's good enough for an 8/10, but it is certainly not the best film of the year, IMO.