Exceptionally enjoyable, hard to resist and leaves you a little extra boosted after its finish

Rating: 9/10 (17 October 2006)

Similar to drinking a cup of coffee from dark, rich and well roasted beans after having a large travel mug's worth earlier in the day from the gas station; The Departed is exceptionally enjoyable, hard to resist and leaves you a little extra boosted after its finish.
The Departed is not for the faint of heart or provocateurs of political and social correctness. However, The Departed is full of everything Martin Scorsese  conflict, intensity, male testosterone, chemistry between male and female, the blurred lines between good and bad and legal and illegal. Oh, and did I mentioned gun shots to the head. The Departed is Martin Scorsese at his best.
The basis for The Departed comes from the film "Infernal Affairs" (out of Hong Kong) and screen writer William Monahan does a more than credible job extending the storyline and characters. The Departed is a story and study in the comparison of deception and honesty, crime and law, family lineage and no background, and protection and exposure.
The Departed is full of popular leading actors playing leading and supporting roles that have depth and importance to the film. It is a credit to Scorsese, the actors and the script that The Departed can blend the styles of being almost over-the-top with stretches of seriousness and high intensity yet not lose continuity or the audience. Another measure of the quality of The Departed is that it runs at 1:51 minutes but plays much more like 90.