The Departed is a damn masterpiece of a crime thriller! Brought to us by Martin Scorsese, this is one of the best movies he has directed. If I were to do my top Martin Scorsese movies, The Departed would come in at number three behind Cape Fear and Goodfellas. Even though I know what is going to happen, the several times I have seen this, it has always been a thrilling ride that I have a great time on.
How to Download The Departed
The Departed was released on September 26, 2006. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like this director, check out also his other famous films, such as The Aviator, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Irishman, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
Delving into The Departed: A Spoiler-Free Review
I love the hard-as-nails Boston setting that The Departed has. This is a movie that was just tailor-made for Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon I have no doubt that they had to have lent a helping hand as far as making the Boston setting as authentic as possible. What we have here is a crime thriller that is one of the most epic games of cat and mouse you will ever see.
The story of The Departed is so good that I am going to try and be as spoiler-free as possible. This is the kind of movie that the first time you see it, keeps you guessing right from the start, all the way until the end. Actually no spoilers here, the ending was really shocking the first time I saw it.
The Intricate Plot and Stellar Cast of The Departed
Set in South Boston, the South Boston Police Department is at war with an organized crime syndicate that is run by Frank Costello, played by Jack Nicholson. Costello has an ironclad grip on the crime aspect of the city and he is one guy that you do not want to get on the bad side of. The thing is, while he can be brutal, he is also very smart, actually, the “dumb criminal” trope is not really here, they are all for the most part pretty damn smart and cunning.
The cops really want to take this guy down and put an end to his organization and they come up with a solid plan. A young trainee called Billy Costigan is going to go deep and I mean very deep undercover in Costello’s group. Leonardo DiCaprio is amazing as Billy Costigan, the twitchy and paranoid way that he acts is amazing and his acting is so good that he manages to make you feel as stressed out as he is.
The Departed: A Cat-and-Mouse Game with High Stakes
However, the twist of The Departed is that Costello has the great idea to have a plant/mole of his own! Costello has a man called Colin Sullivan work his way up through the department all the way to sergeant. Having a man on the inside means that he can stay one step ahead of the cops when it comes to his criminal organization. Matt Damon is great in this role, truly some of his best work.
Both sides realize that there is a mole at work in each of their organizations and it is a race against time to find out who it is! This is just such great stuff, right from the start! I have mentioned a few of the actors, but The Departed has some of the best acting work of any Martin Scorsese movie with so many great performances. I am a huge Mark Wahlberg fan and I so wish that he won the Oscar for this as I really think that he deserved it.
Why The Departed Is a Must-Watch and Re-Watch
If you love crime thrillers, there is no way that you will not love The Departed. Even though I have seen this multiple times it never gets old. I recently picked up the 4K release of The Departed and it is a fantastic 4K transfer. This is a movie that I highly recommend you watch if you have not already seen it and if you have already seen it, watch it again, it is that good!
