Martin's best ever...

Rating: 10/10 (9 October 2006)

I haven't voted "10" for a movie before - I've always felt that giving a "10" rating is that's like saying there's no room for improvement, and there are always elements that could have been done better. And no matter what you're doing, there's always room for improvement. But this was a definite 10. The pacing, the plot, the characters, the performances... This was a terrific movie. There's no doubt that in the future The Departed will be the new benchmark for this genre.
The cast is brilliant. I have always been a fan of Nicholson, and here he is even better than usual. Some say he is too over-the-top, but I disagree. The character he plays is himself over the top, and I think it is a perfect performance. Damon's Colin Sullivan is a stunning picture of evil. A man with terrific abilities and, the way he looks to that golden dome, a man with dreams of other better things, but he is so hooked into his patron that he can't get out, and in the end embraces the entanglements as what his life is. Leonardo is such a classic tragic figure in this. Unbelievable... To be willing to sacrifice himself in this way. I think it shows a more realistic picture of what this kind of double life must be than anything I have seen.
Every supporting character is just as flawlessly portrayed. I may never vote "10" again, but this one deserves it. Scorcese's best ever.