Up there with Martin Scorsese's best movies. Legendary.

Rating: 10/10 (3 April 2007)

Martin Scorsese has directed many legendary movies from Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, and many more. The Departed is up there as one of Martin Scorsese's best movies. The cast and acting is top notch. It's a remake of a Hong Kong flick "Infernal Affairs", but I feel that "The Departed" is way superior. It's four academy awards were well earned.
Leonardo Di Caprio is an police officer who has been sent undercover to infiltrate Frank Costello's Mafia (Jack Nicholson) and inform the police of his actions. Little does anyone know, Frank Costello has sent a young criminal (Matt Damon) to become a police officer in the Massachusetts State Police Department as a mole and inform the mafia of when the police are going to strike. When discoveries are made of a mole in both sides of the law, both men have to survive to avoid being caught. There are many twists and turns in this 2 and a 1/2 hour long movie, but you will be hooked. The screenplay and soundtrack is top notch.
Leonardo Di Caprio buries his pretty boy image to turn in one of his best performances as conflicted undercover police officer Billy Costigan who is deep undercover in the mafia he may not make it out let alone lose his identity forever.
Matt Damon is known to play likable characters, but he is brilliantly cast against type as the highly ambitious and intelligent, yet deceptive and arrogant Colin Sullivan who has not forgotten what his main role is, as an informant to the mafia while rising up the ranks of the Massachusetts State Police and into the elite Special Investigation Unit.
Jack Nicholson was legendary as the ultimately evil mafia boss Frank Costello who has ruled Boston for many years. Costello is up there with Nicholson's best characters such as Jack Torrence, Randall Mc Murphy, Col. Nathan Jessup, and The Joker. Frank Costello is unrestrained and is like a walking time bomb waiting to explode. It was an absolute shame that Jack Nicholson missed out on a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Jack nailed the role. No other actor could have done so.
Mark Wahlberg was excellent as Sergeant Dignam, an honest, but very belligerent and foul mouthed policeman. What you see is what you get and this man speaks his mind without a damn in the world. At first, I was surprised that he was up for Best Supporting Actor, but it was well deserved and he chews up every scene he is in.
The all-star supporting cast is dynamite. Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Ray Winstone, Anthony Anderson, and the lovely Vera Farmiga are an integral part of the movie.
Final comment, The Departed is legendary and one of the best movies I have seen in a long time and is way up there as Martin Scorsese's best movies.
10/10.