The Departed

"When I was your age they would say we can become cops, or criminals. Today, what I'm saying to you is this: when you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?" - Frank Costello

If you haven't seen Martin Scorsese's masterpiece "The Departed" by now, go get it this instant. Get off your computer and drive, fly, or run to the nearest movie rental store NOW. The Departed is a cop drama set in the heart of crime-filled Boston that stars Leo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Whalberg, Alec Baldwin, and a bunch of other random good people. It's based off the Chinese movie "Infernal Affairs" but Scorsese adapts it brilliantly to the American movie scene. The story is a bit hard to follow at first, with DiCaprio and Damon getting separate careers in the police field, but easy enough to understand throughout. The acting in this movie really blows everyone away for the most part. Mark Whalberg is utterly hysterical, as he and Alec Baldwin steal nearly every scene they are in. Leonardo DiCaprio should definitely be remembered for this film more so than Titanic - he is at his absolute best as rookie undercover cop Billy Costigan. Matt Damon continues his great run of success, with the "Ocean's" and "Bourne" movies, with a great portrayal of Colin Sullivan. A supporting cast including Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, and Anthony Anderson also shines. So why'd I give the acting a 4? Jack Nicholson, one of my favorite actors, really disappointed me. He didn't inject enough life into Frank Costello, who was an absolutely brilliant character, and at times it seemed like Jack was playing Jack. The movie is a bit lengthy but doesn't feel like it, moving along at a brisk pace from one action to the other, and concludes with an absolutely wild ending that some people will love and others hate. Bottom line: This is maybe the movie of 2006 and a beautiful performance by almost everyone involved. Even the music selections (Gimme Shelter, Comfortably Numb, and the raucously catchy "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" by the Dropkick Murphys) are put into place perfectly at just the right times. Scorsese has created a masterpiece with this one.

[metsguy]

Gr8 movie

[realmofotalk]

I can tell you that Jack Nicholson did a hell of a lot better job playing the mob boss than Eric Tsang did.

[ATLien]

i've heard it basically rips off the chinese film Internal Affairs. still loved it, tho.

[Kingdom_of_Zito]

*Infernal Affairs


The ending was cheesy goodness.