One of Martin Scorsese's finest movies. Period.

Rating: 10/10 (8 December 2006)

It's hard to start a review about a movie when you're still so excited you don't know where to begin. Let's take a deep breath for a moment... okay, and here we go:
Although he was snubbed by the Academy over and over again Scorsese never stopped working on ambitious projects. He just kept making movies, and they were all solid and good. Still, somehow Scorsese's work lost the importance and the excitement of the director's best movies. "The Departed" brings back a Scorsese that glues your eyes to the screen, that makes you forget time and space around you. This is a film that keeps you thrilled for the entire two and a half hours running time.
Truth be told, Scorsese doesn't reinvent himself with this movie. The violence, the callous dialog and the soundtrack including "Gimme Shelter" and other classic songs from the 60's and 70's - none of that is new territory. Still, it's a hell of a treat to watch the master at work. There's no one who makes a gangster movie like Scorsese. He understands exactly what the story needs, how it needs to be paced. Scorsese's direction serves the plot and not the other way round, which is what sets "The Departed" apart from some of his other masterpieces such as "Raging Bull".
Quite a lot of movieshave five, six or seven top stars in their casting list. In the end you're often let down because some of them don't really have important roles or only very limited screen time. In this movie all of the big names make something of their role: Mark Wahlberg as the amazingly unfriendly but unbribable cop, Martin Sheen as Nicholson's opponent and DiCaprio's father figure, Alec Baldwin as the frustratingly idiotic boss and Matt Damon as the slippery traitor. The two actors that make "The Departed" what it is, however, are, of course, Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Jack Nicholson is just Jack Nicholson. He does what he always does, which means that he's great. He was born to play the bad guy. It's quite amazing that he hadn't worked with Scorsese before and it's like a fanboy's dream come true to see their collaboration working out so well. One can't help thinking: "What if DeNiro had played the part?". Sure, that might have been interesting, too, but it's doubtable whether DeNiro would have been able to pull off a villain as clownish and sexed up as Frank Costello.
Speaking of DeNiro, Leonardo DiCaprio clearly has proved himself a more than worthy successor as Scorsese's steady collaboration partner. His performance as the tormented undercover cop is once again outstanding. His hounded look alone creates half of the movies' tension. It's quite amazing how versatile this little babyface is. "The Departed" should convince even the last skeptics of this guy's talents.
At the age of 64 and after movie classics as legendary and influential as "Taxi Driver", "Raging Bull" and "GoodFellas", Martin Scorsese has delivered one of the very best movies of his entire career. Its characters may not be as iconic as the ones from the movies mentioned above, but the superb storytelling and the amazing acting in "The Departed" make this nothing less than a true masterpiece. It's Oscar-time, Baby!