Martin Scorsese's triumphant return to the gangster film.

Rating: 9/10 (8 October 2006)

The Departed tells the story of a young mobster that is put through police training and becomes part of the Boston Special Investigations Unit so he can tip off his boss, mobster Frank Costello, when the police are tracking him. Meanwhile, a young cop is put undercover in Frank Costello's gang. Both Costello and the police captain realize they have a mole leaking information, and everybody begins to crack up trying to search for the rat. This amazing good cop/bad cop movie marks Martin Scorsese's triumphant return to the gangster film.
The second this movie started it screamed Scorsese. Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones is blasting as Nicholson narrates. I knew right away I'd like this movie. The plot and the script are absolutely top notch. Everything about this movie is great. I loved the dialogue. It is witty, funny, and realistic. You usually can't get all three of those in one. The story remains interesting and engaging throughout, and the twists and turns only make it more exciting. The direction style is genius, but of course we're talking about Martin Scorsese here. The only thing that keeps the movie from getting a 10 for me was that toward the end it started to drag a little bit, but not enough to make it boring.
The acting in this movie is great. Jack Nicholson is just as good as in any other movie. He's just an amazing actor. Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio were amazing in this movie. Leo is quickly shedding that Hollywood pretty boy image. Alec Baldwin and Mark Whalberg were great when they bickered back and forth at each other.
Overall, this is the best movie of 2006 so far. I'm sure Scorsese will be jilted out of another Oscar, because the Academy doesn't recognize real art, but he is the best director of 2006 in my eyes. Utterly fantastic movie.
9/10