A 10 from 10 for Scorsese

Rating: 10/10 (6 October 2006)

With a cast full of top class actors it would have been so easy to let the script just fade away and depend on the location - Modern day Boston and pirouetting actors, but no, Scorsese, yet again, proves he is still a force to be considered.
The Departed has the grittiness of Gangs of NY, a storyline to match Casino and a script that makes Goodfellas look like just another movie! Oh, and did I mention the location?
DiCaprio/Nicholson/Damon/Wahlberg all give excellent performances, but with a back-up crew of Baldwin/Sheen/Winstone(Henry VIII - Sweeney Todd)/Farmiga(The Manchurian Candidate - Touching Evil) all putting in performances that would, in any other movie, earn them top billing, the first line crew are pushed on to be amazing. There's no over-acting here, just the cream of Hollywood doing what they do best, better than before.
At 2 1/2 hours you might expect the script to run out of steam, but at the 120-minute mark I was still wanting more, and did Scorsese give it to us. The ending, though almost predictable, still contains that shock factor. You leave the theater wondering what message the film left you with? Who should you feel for? Who demands sympathy and who was the real villain?
I rarely give a film 10/10, only Crash has received that in the past year, but The Departed is a must-see, 10 from 10, Oscar-winning film in all departments.
See it and may not need to see another film until the next Holiday round appears. Miss it, and you will miss one great film.