The Departed (2006) is directed by Martin Scorcese and stars Leonardo Dicaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Vera Farmiga, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, and Alec Baldwin. The film takes place in Boston and follows Billy (Dicaprio), an undercover cop who is assigned to infiltrate the inner circle of ruthless mob boss, Frank Costello (Nicholson). Meanwhile, Costello has assigned his man Collin (Damon) to infiltrate the Massachusetts state police and act as an informant. What ensues is an intense game of cat and mouse where each informant attempts to discover the others’ identity before it’s too late. This is the American remake of Hong Kong action-crime film Internal Affairs (2002) but ended up by many to be considered the preferred version. The film earned Martin Scorcese his first Oscars for both Best Picture and Best Director and was generally well received by fans of his work. What The Departed delivers is a kinetic thriller that completely justifies its two and a half hour length.  

The cast here is almost entirely at the top of their game. Dicaprio is effectively intense in his role. His extreme stress is constantly displayed in his facial expressions. The character is in pain pretty much the entire film and Dicaprio is able to show that in a way that feels genuine. Scenes where emotions come to a head are fiercely emotional in a way that only an actor like Leo can deliver. The script only slightly lets the character down by making him feel consistently at arms length. Although there is some exploration of his motivations/history, I never felt like it was enough to connect with the character in a truly significant way. To really make his pain hit home, we should’ve spent more time with him in a state of normalcy. 

Matt Damon is perfectly cast as the boy-scout Boston cop. The thing is, this character is likewise at arms length. Maybe this was Scorcese’s intention with these characters in order to build tension through distrust. Either way, I felt we could’ve known the characters better personally. Surprisingly, Damon is also extremely funny here. More so than I remember. Some of his Boston quips are admittedly douchey but still brutally funny.  

Jack Nicholson probably shines the most here in what I consider to be one of his best later roles if not one of his best roles in general. He’s able to toe the line between disturbingly violent and flamboyantly goofy. I’ve never laughed so hard at a character doing such awful things. There’s a famous improvised scene from Nicholson where he shoots a girl in the head execution style and says “Gee, she fell funny.” It’s so absurdly dark, that it’s almost hard not to laugh just from general surprise. 

The supporting cast is good here too, Vera Farmiga giving one of her better film performances as a police psychiatrist that becomes involved with both Dicaprio and Damon’s characters. Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg also appear in hilarious supporting roles where the latter was actually nominated for a best supporting actor. Martin Sheen likewise appears as a police captain who is the only character who seems to truly care for Dicaprio’s safety throughout the film. 

What really works about The Departed is how well-paced and constantly entertaining the film is. This is even more impressive when considering the film’s length. I’ve criticized Scorcese’s more recent films such as Silence (2016), The Irishman (2019), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) for being extremely slow and plodding. Well made films, no doubt. They’ve just been missing a certain level of pure entertainment value. The Departed is a perfect example of what I’ve been missing from Scorcese. Here, he is able to create an intense and expansive crime drama that feels devoid of fat. The film archives this partly from its consistent cat and mouse structure. We feel throughout the film that either Dicaprio or Damon will be discovered at any moment, leading to a sense of tension that even helps to elevate some of the more standard scenes. There’s also a great use of cinematic technique here, Scorsese borrowing from the best. There are great nods to the styles of Hong Kong cinema, perfectly honoring Internal Affairs.

A lot of nice themes are explored here such as the price of ambition and the allure of community. Everything is also steeped in a feeling of Irish-Catholic themes. It never felt like this was there to make some kind of statement on faith, but more so to establish the Boston setting. It works well and truly feels unique. As someone who was raised Catholic, the film exudes the same type of dread that Catholic masses often provide. I always felt the preachings of Catholicism were more of warnings than anything. Most other denominations focused on positivity and love. Catholicism for me often focused on the punishments one would receive if they did not follow the word of God. Although done subtly, The Departed supports this idea in spades. 

Overall, The Departed is one of Martin Scorcese’s best films, and that is saying a lot. This used to be one of my favorite films growing up, and although I no longer see it as perfect, it definitely holds up in most aspects. What really struck me though is just how undeniably entertaining Scorcese films used to be. The acting, cinematography, dialogue, pacing, and plot is all top notch. It’s so nice to see a film that covers all of the bases. The only slight problems that I have are a sometimes lack of personal connection to the characters as well as the fact that some may consider this a “guy movie.” Although I slightly agree, I think the film is so good that it defies only gaining interest from one specific gender. If you haven’t yet seen The Departed, check it out immediately. It’s one of the best crime thrillers ever made. A-