The Departed movie review - Aussieboyreviews
IS THE DEPARTED MARTIN SCORSESE’S BEST CRIME EPIC YET?
It’s definitely arguable that this tour de force of a crime-drama epic is better than his previous works, but it others will find it just can’t beat classics like Goodfellas. The Departed is superbly-casted, excellently-directed and the storytelling is near-perfect.
Storyline
When an undercover cop and a spy find out that there is a mole within their midst, both desperately attempt to figure out each other’s identities in order to save themselves from being exposed to their enemies whilst trying to infiltrate an Irish gang.
Movie Images
Movie details
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Vera Farmiga, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Alec Baldwin
Writer: William Monahan
Release Date (Australia): 12 October 2006
Runtime: 151 minutes/2h 31m
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Language: English
CONTENT GUIDE (warning: May contain spoilers)
Themes in the film include crime themes, police corruption, drug dealing, betrayal and threat of violence.
The film contains scenes of strong violence throughout, including people being shot, beaten, hit with blunt objects and stabbed, accompanied by large blood sprays and spatters.
The film features occasional use of the word “c**t”, as well as frequent and aggressive use of the word “f**k”, and uses of “s**t” and “ass”.
The film features depictions of cocaine and implied use of the drug. The film also contains moderate drug references throughout.
The film contains brief nudity within a pornographic film and a depiction of a dildo.
The film features implied sex scenes, a brief depiction of a sex toy and several strong crude references to sex and masturbation.
mpaa rating
R (for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, some strong sexual content and drug material)
Aussie boy's thoughts
Scorsese’s faultless prosecution of Monahan’s script with exceptional performances throughout promises masterclass cinema gold, topped by brutal violence, rats within the cops and gangster departments, and razor-sharp turns around the plot. This is also sort of his remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, surrounding the concept of an undercover cop and a spy trying to figure out each other’s identities while trying to infiltrate a gang.
It’s very hard to point at one of the two films and call it better, but if you’re a fan of Scorsese’s work, The Departed is the one worth checking out first. Directed with such talent and potential, the camerawork and cinematography in each shot of this film is to perfection, and alike some of his other big movies, this film has an extended length of 2 and a half hours, with each scene being very entertaining and plot holes being difficult to search for.
Sitting down, concentrating properly and just watching the film is sensational on its own. Not only is the plot very complex and compelling (it’s not a film you can watch lazily), but it’s filled with twists that you would never even see how the film could still function properly with them, especially considering the events of final 20 minutes being absolutely shocking.
The cast is equally as phenomenal and, as a masterpiece always does, leads you to forget what’s playing out is all staged. Leonardo DiCaprio plays an undercover cop, with Matt Damon as a disguised spy, Jack Nicholson almost appearing as a criminal father figure towards the two, and even Mark Wahlberg and Vera Farmiga being so convincing in their supporting roles that they deserve their own credit.
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