Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg star in Martin Scorsese's new crime drama "The Departed." "The Departed" is set in South Boston where the state police force is waging an all-out war to take ... more »down the city's top organized crime ring. The key is to end the reign of powerful mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) from the inside. A young rookie, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate Costello's mob. While Billy is working to gain Costello's trust, another young cop, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is among a handful of elite officers whose mission is to bring Costello down. But what his superiors don't know is that Colin is working for Costello, keeping the crimeboss one step ahead of the police. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operation he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the gangsters and the police that they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin find themselves in constant danger of being caught-and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself.« less
Had some great actors in this but it failed to impress!
Rachel R. Reviewed on 7/12/2011...
A bit gorey (re: NOT family or child-friendly), but if you like American mobster movies with stellar actors, this is a must see! Got sorta long in the middle, have plenty of snacks at the ready.
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Kenny H. (tneagle) Reviewed on 6/9/2011...
Excellent movie. One of the best entertaining thrillers I've watched in the last few years.
3 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Averi K. (leolover) from ALACHUA, FL Reviewed on 2/15/2011...
LOVED IT MATT LEO JACK GREAT ACTING YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOUTED
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Laura E. from CHARLOTTE, NC Reviewed on 1/9/2011...
Fantastic! Jack Nicholson is such a great villain. Definitely watch it more than once!
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Tristan B. (TristanRobin) from NEW HAVEN, CT Reviewed on 12/24/2009...
Deserved every award and nomination it received. Great story, great directing, great acting, unpredictable and exciting.
There's really no point in going into specifics ... IMO this gangster movie beats The Godfather! It's just that good.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Jean W. from JORDANVILLE, NY Reviewed on 12/5/2009...
interesting and unusual story. needs watching more than once for full appreciation
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
DIANE M. (bookaholic) from PARADISE, PA Reviewed on 11/28/2009...
This is a fast paced exciting movie about organized crime so expect lots of violence. The cast is excellent!
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Margaret E. (mde) from SPOKANE VLY, WA Reviewed on 10/12/2009...
An extremely violent movie. I ordered it because I wanted to see a Martin Scorsese film. I really didn't care for it very much.
1 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Jason C. (JJC) from NEWARK, NJ Reviewed on 5/6/2008...
Straight to the point, "The Departed" is the best film of 2006.
Martin Scorsese is indeed my favorite director of all time. The man is an artist in the truest form. Scorsese strayed away from gritty-street crime-dramas he's known for best for over ten years, and with "The Departed" he returns to that genre, and the man has not lost his touch.
This time we're dealing with the Irish mob in Boston under the leadership of Frank Costello (played by the magnificent Jack Nicholson). Costello opens up the story where he first meets Colin Sullivan, a local neighborhood boy whom Costello sees potential in. Sullivan grows up (played by Matt Damon) and joins the police academy and becomes very successful. He joins the State Police and attaches to a unit where the objective is to take down Costello himself; and Colin (being Costello's informant) gives useful info so that Costello remains untouchable.
However, detectives Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) decide to plant an undercover cop in Costello's crew. They select Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), a recent academy graduate who comes from a family with a bad rep. This is one of the key elements that would work for Billy as a member of the crew. Queenan fixes Billy's records and is then underway to a world of crime.
So now we're dealing with two "rats" on opposite sides on opposite sides. Very well done as Scorsese captures the tension and drama of this situation, in the way he knows how, through extreme violence.
I'm gonna stop here.
"The Departed" is a remake of "Infernal Affairs," a Hong Kong film done brilliantly as well. It's follows the storyline pretty accurately, if I remember correctly, although of course it's Americanized this time 'round. But never fear, "The Departed" is no Hollywood extravaganza, it's a straight-forward, gritty crime-drama done Scorsese-style...NO HOLDS BARRED!!!