One of the Best Films of the Decade

Rating: 10/10 (2 March 2009)

Martin Scorsese has been responsible for some of the best movies of this rather slow decade, and The Departed stands as the greatest so far.
Leonardo DiCaprio brings an unforgettable intensity to his role as a cop assigned to infiltrate a criminal enterprise run by Boston ganglord Frank Costello. Co-star Matt Damon gives the single best performance of his career as Costello's pawn, ordered to infiltrate the police department. Jack Nicholson turns in a great, darkly-humorous performance as Costello. That he was snubbed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2006 is absolutely criminal (no pun intended).
As usual, Scorsese's long-time editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, delivers a steady stream of ingenious, energetic cuts that will be studied at film schools for years to come. The final kudos must go to Scorsese himself for bringing a hard-hitting intensity to the proceedings.