The seamy side of the Megalopolis of the northeast USA

Rating: 9/10 (18 March 2007)

I rented this DVD in March 2007 after in won 2007 Oscars awards in Film Editing, Writing, Directing, and Best Picture. I watched it twice, with numerous "Replay" and "Slow" the second time.
Yes, I recommend renting the DVD of "The Departed".
To me it shows a realistic portrayal of the seamy side of the Megalopolis of the northeast USA. My father was raised in working-class Boston, and his description of the collaboration between corrupt police and organized crime matches what is shown in this film.
Unlike the majority of American films, this is realistic. It shows how life in the traditional cities near Boston interacts with small-time criminals. In many parts of the USA, like new suburbs of the Sunbelt, mafioso tactics like shown in this film do not reach down to working class citizens.
As shown by the Oscar awards bestowed by the entertainment industry, this film is an extraordinary achievement in the cinematic arts. My own time spent living in working-class neighborhoods of the old parts of NYC and Chicago shows this film has taking a boring scenario and spiced it up by showing the seamy background. This means understanding the complex dynamics of the denizens of countless neighborhood bars that function as restaurants and public meeting spaces. Guys like me are reluctant to enter these "pubs" because of the alleged fights that occur within, as shown in The Departed.
It shows the positive side of the patronage for those families who do owe allegiance to local crime bosses.