The Departed

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

Martin Scorsese shows us how it's done. The Departed is a landmark achievement, the brilliant work of a master filmmaker at the top of his game—and that's saying a lot! This is a thrilling motion picture experience about misplaced trust, naked ambition and deception in a "rat-eat-rat" world. Based on the 2002 Hong Kong action flick, Infernal Affairs, this Americanized version is set in South Boston, focusing on the State Police department's efforts to bring down the city's top mob boss (Jack Nicholson). With two key players (Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon) both leading double lives on different sides of the fence, the game is on to see who survives with their moral compass intact, assuming they even have one. This is a film dense with characters who aren't exactly what they seem to be on the surface—rats in a maze trying to make it out with something to show for the effort. It all sounds complicated and you may need a scorecard to keep track, but due to a strong, somewhat linear script, it really isn't all that hard to follow. Not to mention it's just pure, unadulterated fun watching it all unfold. Just when you think you know where the story is headed, Scorsese throws a curveball. There has been no other film this year with so many stand-out performances, led by DiCaprio and Damon each doing their finest work alongside an ensemble cast that's brilliant. As for Nicholson, his Frank Costello may sail over top at times, but he's always got some kind of "Jackism" to bring it down to earth and remind us this guy is a fuckin' living treasure. When he's on screen, there's simply no one better. We'll be talking about this one for years to come.