One of the best crime dramas in the history of film.

Rating: 10/10 (20 June 2016)

When The Departed hit theaters in 06', I passed on seeing it, because I wasn't into serious dramatic films. Well, times have changed as The Departed has got to be one of the finest crime dramas in the history of film. From its directing and soundtrack to its acting, this is filmmaking at its best.
The film begins with Francis "Frank" Costello introducing young Colin Sullivan to the world of structured crime in Boston. Over the years, Costello coaches Sullivan to be a mole within the Massachusetts State Police, until Colin is allowed into the Special Investigations Unit. Meanwhile, Billy Costigan is hired by Captain Queenan and Sergeant Dignam to go undercover and infiltrate the mod as his family connections make him an ideal choice. He leaves the academy and spends time in jail to increase his trustworthiness. Both Sullivan and Costigan settle into their particular organization, and Colin starts a romance with a police psychiatrist which Costigan is also having a relationship with her. Soon both of them find who the other one is and are told by their respected group to find the "rat" in their ranks. What follows is a bunch of double-crossings, murders, lies, and backstabbing.
While this film is a remake of the Hong Kong film, Internal Affairs, moving the location to Boston allows director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter William Monahan to guarantee that The Departed isn't a rehash of its Chinese predecessor by making the film longer and introducing a few new characters and subplots, but the most critical difference is the portrayal of the crime underworld: whereas Internal Affairs is polished without being extreme, while Scorsese's film includes very colorful language, typical in all his films, and lots of blood, plus the finale of the movie proves to be extremely appalling, but none of the scenes ever extend into the overly sickening levels of Casino's head in a trap scene, but in classic Scorsese fashion, the film remains bluntly gory.
It's always a treat to watch a movie where Scorsese projects and analyzes a crime drama with such splendid skillfulness and commitment. For example, the well-written and fantastically shot scene where Costello lures Colin into the world of crime by giving him comic books and groceries is a straightforward portrayal of how the innocent become the naÃ¯ve and Scorsese works miracles by giving the scene a little tangy twist by adding in a little dark humor.
It's significant how a Hong Kong crime film could be carried over into an American setting with such clever care and William Monahan writes so perfectly, giving each character enough time to develop on screen until you come to care about that character. The story loosens with an honest indifference to anything that is unimportant to the overall story, and Editor Thelma Schoonmaker edits and trims the movie outstandingly to keep it full of tension. The movie constantly throws pot twist after plot twist at the viewer to the point where the person watching the movie is unable to keep up with who is back-stabbing or lying to who, but it's all done so effortlessly that one just goes along with it.
As with all of Scorsese's films, the acting is just perfect. Mark Walberg is fantastic as Sergeant Dignam, stealing every scene he's in with his foul mouth, bad cop attitude and Bostonian accent. Alec Baldwin is perfect as the wise-cracking, crude, yet effective role as the police chef. Martin Sheen is also great as Captain Queenan, providing much of the fatherly wisdom throughout the course of this film. Vera Farmiga is great as Mdolyn Madden, providing the love interest for both our lead characters, but actually adds something to the story. Jack Nicholson is on top form in this film as Frank Costello, walking the line between normality, parenthood, family and psychopathic killer with ease. Whenever Nicholson is on screen, it's impossible for you to relax. He builds tension in every scene he's in with each look and motion, acting likes a pit viper ready to strike. Leonardo DiCaprio excels here as Billy Costigan and is simply mesmerizing whenever he is on screen, causing you to care about him, allowing us to sympathize with him due to the psychological and bodily pain he must endure and shows us how it would feel to be wedged into a network of unfamiliar but relentless danger, while at the same time, he's attempting to find his way with whatever clues he is able to find. DiCaprio may have been loathed for his pretty boy looks, but he has become an accomplished and adaptable actor and The Departed allows him to showcase more of his acting greatness. Matt Damon also delivers a brilliant performance as Colin Sullivan, having great assurance in himself as well as Scorsese putting Matt's traits into a character that isn't compassionate in the slightest, something Damon did in Syriana, but takes it to a greater level in this film. We don't really feel for Damon, and you desire to see him get captured, yet at the same time he's not a typical cardboard villain, and Matt does an incredible job showing us a man who has lost his ethical compass, but is still tore about his twin personalities regardless, and isn't content about the brewing conflict. He is an obsessive liar, but is openly hurt when his untruthfulness affects his relationship with his girlfriend.
I can honestly say that The Departed is a perfect film in every level, and while some viewers may find the plot confusing and the whole who is back-stabbing who hard to follow, this film is still worth watching. It's well paced, has great suspense, brilliant acting, tight editing, a killer soundtrack and is shot wonderfully. So do yourself a favor and go watch this film, it's the true definition of a masterpiece.