Martin Scorsese at his very best!

Rating: 9/10 (4 August 2010)

The Departed is in my opinion one of Martin Scorsese's best films yet (tied with Goodfellas). Along with The Godfather it is one of the best crime films of all time.
The Departed begins with showing Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) as a kid. Sullivan is accepted by Boston crime-lord Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). The movie then jumps to Sullivan graduating the police academy. In the meantime, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) plays as a young undercover cop trying to infiltrate Costello's organization.
As Costigan moves closer to Costello, gaining his personal trust, Sullivan is promoted into the Special Investigations Unit. Costello fears he might have a rat in his group, while the Police Chief also believes there is a leak in the Special Investigations Unit. This provides plenty of tension for the rest of the film.
Even though The Departed uses the 'f' word more than 236 times in the script, and is rated R for bloody violence and some sex, this film still managed to get several Oscar nominations and wins. The Departed won Best Picture, Best Director (Martin Scorsese), Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay.
I think that The Departed deserves every one of those awards. This film is simply brilliant, I loved it. Leonardo DiCaprio is an amazing actor and once again shows this with another great performance. He is very believable as a cop who's so screwed he's in with the bad guys. DiCaprio shows a wide variety of emotions including anger, fear, hate, desperation and some slight charm.
However, Matt Damon is the more charming guy in this picture. His character begins the film as if he rules the world. He's moving up in the police force and he's gaining cash from informing his friend Costello. His personal relationships also begin to evolve as he moves in with an attractive therapist. By the end of the film, Sullivan is so worried he will be found, and is worried the police might find Costello, he begins yelling at people and losing his cool. Matt Damon also puts on a great accent for this role which fits the part of his Irish character (even though he is from Boston).
Jack Nicholson once again demonstrates that he can play the creepy crime lord perfectly. If you need an example watch the scene where he talks to DiCaprio about the rat in his group. Martin Scorsese has hit another home run movie, and has returned to his familiar genre of crime-drama. This film is a must-see, and perhaps the best film of 2006.