"Heaven holds the faithful departed."

Rating: 9/10 (2 February 2013)

With it's inventive twists and clever writing, I found "The Departed" to be an exceptional gangster film, with a couple of undercover rats (Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio) working against each other on opposite sides of the law. For films like this I find it helpful to keep a scorecard, because after a while things start to get a little confusing regarding alliances, and every new revelation becomes a 'whoa' moment. Like learning that Irish Mafia chieftain Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) is working the other side of the tracks as an FBI informant. And speaking of rats and Nicholson, did you get a load of that rodent impersonation he did? That was so priceless I had to do a couple of quick re-winds just to catch it more than once. It was one of those Nicholson 'Here's Johnny' moments that just cracked me up when I saw it.
Storywise, I'm not naive enough to think this one was entirely credible; I happen to agree with other reviewers who call into question Billy's (DiCaprio) light speed infiltration of Costello's mob and the less than professional conduct of counselor Madolyn (Vera Farmiga) when she conducts an affair with Billy. But those are minor points I'm willing to overlook in the bigger picture. What I was more intrigued by were the double crosses throughout the story and nuances like the cat and mouse text messaging that clued Colin Sullivan (Damon) that Costello's gang had an informer on the inside. Very slick.
Anyway, I like a good gangster flick and the characters and portrayals here are top notch. I especially liked Nicholson even if he didn't make it to the end of the picture. The finish will drop your jaw not once, not twice, but three times with it's unexpected turns, and will make you retrace your steps to reassemble the characters and their alliances. I thought it was very well done.