Outstanding

Rating: 9/10 (15 July 2009)

"The Departed" is a 2006 Martin Scorcese film, based on a film out of Hong Kong, "Infernal Affairs." I haven't seen the latter, and from reading, I can see that some people liked that film more, some less. I only know that I loved this movie; the script, the performances, and the directing style were all excellent.
"The Departed" is about two men who are leading parallel lives. One, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a graduate of the police academy, and, connected from the old neighborhood, is sent undercover to infiltrate the organization of Costello (Jack Nicholson). Another graduate, Colin (Matt Damon), working with the special investigations unit, is a mob informant. Their lives connect via the police psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga), who becomes involved with DiCaprio, though she's living with Damon. Nicholson is desperate to know who his mole is and puts pressure on Damon; Special Investigations knows they have an informant and want to catch him. The situation becomes more and more tense.
The cast is superb - besides di Caprio, Damon, and Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin play the top men in the special investigations unit.
Scorcese does a masterful job with this film, cutting back and forth between the two men - in the hands of a less expert director, this might be confusing, but in his hands, it's not. He also builds the suspense and tension very well.
Di Caprio is sensational as a hot-tempered, stressed out cop who more and more is in danger of being found out; Damon is excellent as the charming, collected Colin who, as he continues to move up in his department, comes closer to finding out the identity of Costello's mole.
Martin Scorcese is no stranger to violence, and there's plenty of it to be had in "The Departed." It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's very strong. While I might argue with a few plot flaws, they didn't detract from me being totally absorbed in this film.