A Brilliant Film

Rating: 10/10 (2 September 2012)

'The Departed' is what Martin Scorsese claims to be 'the only film I've ever made with a plot'. It is excellent.
The plot itself is based on a Hong Kong movie 'Internal Affairs'. Having not seen the original version I cannot comment on whether 'The Departed' is better or worse but as a film on its own it is brilliant. The story makes sense and is really intelligent. It's surprising just how many times the story can shock you with lots of twists and turns towards the film's climax.
The cast on paper looks excellent and it certainly does not disappoint. Matt Damon rarely plays an antagonist but this film shows he is capable of just that. Leonardo Dicaprio gives a powerful performance and deserved an Oscar nod for this. Jack Nicholson's performance is one of the best of his career; his sinister portrayal of Frank Costello is certainly worth watching. The best performance however was that of Mark Wahlberg who's character provides so much comedy and gravitas to this film. He definitely stole the show here and overshadowed a lot of other great performances like those of Dicaprio and Martin Sheen.
Overall, this film is fantastic. It's one of the best modern films I have seen in a while and it really did surprise me. A truly brilliant film that everyone should see