Best Scorsese Film. Period.

Rating: 10/10 (3 October 2006)

Oh my God.
I can say without overstatement that I just saw the most gripping and entertaining American film to come out in at least the past ten years.
I was lucky enough to get a pass to an advance screening of The Departed this past weekend in Boston. I wasn't sure what to expect and actually planned on being a little disappointed with all the expectations and hype of such an all-star cast.
From the moment the opening credits came up, the movie grabbed me by the neck, ripped me out of my seat and didn't let go until the final scene.
Each performance is more masterful than the next. Damon was a tour de force as the lead, tapping every ounce of his acting reservoir for this role. Nicholson creates another classic role to add to his already sterling resume. His mob boss would almost steal every scene he was in, if it not for every other actor being so fantastic However, the biggest surprise for me personally came from Leonardo DeCaprio.
Having never warmed up to any of his roles or movies, I found myself blown away by him in this. I'm not sure if it was the material he was given, or if DeCaprio has grown this much as an actor, or a combination of both, but he finally won me over with his role in this instant Scorsese classic. Every character is pitch perfect, every scene is right on the money. The plot builds to a crescendo of such dynamic proportions rarely seen on film. I don't want to give too much away, but I'm still shaken from the ride I was taken on.
People go to the movies in the hopes that maybe once in a hundred times you get to experience storytelling so masterful and transcendent that it changes the way you view cinema. This is one of those spectacularly perfect times.
Forget Taxi Driver. Forget Raging Bull. Forget Goodfellas. As much as I LOVE those movies and as much as they have affected me in my lifetime, The Departed will hands down be Martin Scorsese's Master Work.