Excellent Movie!! Don't miss out on this one.The Departed is a gangster drama with the gritty authenticity. Seen it when it first came out. 10/10 Martin Scorceses is brilliant. Couldn't ask for a better cast of charaters he put together into one film. Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon. I wouldn't expect less from Martin Scorceses. It will take you on athrill ride till the very end. So sit back and enjoy another master piece. Enjoy!!

The new Martin Scorsese movie The Departed, is really a sensational picture.

As I've been telling you on this show for the past few weeks, the plot is entirely faithful to the original source material – the Hong Kong film, Infernal Affairs.

An undercover cop played by Leonardo DiCaprio is sent to infiltrate the Boston mafia run by kingpin Jack Nicholson. But at the other end, Nicholson's got his own guy, Matt Damon planted inside the Police department so that he's always kept updated on all the investigations the police is making against him.

The drama really kicks in when both moles begin to fear that their cover is going to be blown.

I think it's important right off the bat to admit that I'm more than just marginally disappointed that a director of Scorsese's caliber and talent chose to do a remake. But having said that, I also think The Departed is the perfect example of how to do a remake in the first place.

Where Infernal Affairs was really a fantastic film whose main highlight was the sensational Hong Kong action, Scorsese's Departed is a rich character drama.

Scorsese doesn't let his arrogance get in the way by reconstructing the plot because let's face it – the plot is superb. Instead, he concentrates on beefing up his characters and on giving them some real edge.

As a result, the leads in The Departed deliver some of their finest performances ever. Jack Nicholson is really the heart and soul of this film, leaving his imprint on virtually every scene that he's in.

And Leonardo DiCaprio shows such intensity playing a young man who's agonising over the disappearance of his real identity.

I'm going to say it again – I'm a little heartbroken that the man who gave us such gems as Goodfellas and Mean Streets spent maybe a year of his life working on a scene-by-scene remake.

But the great thing about The Departed is that you can see Scorsese's stamp all over it – particularly in the shocking violent scenes that are all raw and in-your-face, never once sanitised.

So, that's two thumbs up for Martin Scorsese's The Departed. Here's how to do a remake. Farhan Akhtar, are you listening?

Rating:
(Very Good)

Please don't make negative comments like some of the aforementioned people have been doing if you haven't seen the film yet! I have seen it, at a press screening last week. Not only is it the best film of the year so far, it marks a return to form for Martin Scorsese, and ranks with the likes of GOODFELLAS as being one of the best in his canon of films.

I'm a fan of the Hong Kong film, INFERNAL AFFAIRS, upon which this is based. While THE DEPARTED keeps the basic structure of the original, it is very much its own movie, so much so that the screenwriter, William Monahan, didn't even watch the original film while adapting its screenplay, thus enabling him to infuse the script with his, and Scorsese's, respective visions.

All the actors are first-rate (yes, even Leo, for all you DiCaprio bashers out there), and turn in some of their best performances to date. THE DEPARTED is sure to garner a host of Oscar nods, if not wins, including (hopefully) Scorsese's long-overdue statuette for Best Director. Plus, with actors like Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin playing supporting roles, that says a lot about the quality of the film they signed up for! THE DEPARTED is tough stuff, not for the faint-of-heart. That said, it is a must-see for adult viewers who long for intelligent, gritty stories to grace our movie screens once again

He has made good musicals (New York, New York), surreal comedies (After Hours), satires (The King of Comedy) and biopics (The Aviator), but Martin Scorsese has never done better than the times he's dealt with life on the streets and gangsters. Mean Streets, Goodfellas and Casino (and, to some degree, Taxi Driver) are proof of that. It doesn't seem strange, then, that his finest film in over a decade (Goodfellas was released in 1990) sees him return to that familiar ground. With a few changes.

The Departed, based on Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs (2002), is Scorsese's first gangster film not to feature Italian-American criminals. In fact, this film is set in Boston, where the Irish rule. One of these "godfathers" is Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), the man the State Police want the most. After years of investigation, they're finally getting close, thanks to undercover agent Billy Costigan (Leonardo Di Caprio). Because of his family (all Irish, all bad), becoming a member of Costello's crew isn't that difficult. Now all Costigan has to do is report to his superiors, Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Dignam (Mark Wahlberg), who will pass on the information to Ellerby's (Alec Baldwin) Special Investigations Unit. What they don't know is that Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), the most promising element of said unit, has been on Costello's payroll since he was 12. Soon enough, both cops and crooks become aware of the situation, beginning a manhunt that's gonna make the already fragile Billy even more nervous and Costello increasingly crazier.

By moving from Hong Kong to Boston, Scorsese and screenwriter William Monahan have made the first step in ensuring this film will be quite different from its Chinese inspiration. Another significant factor is the running time: a mere 97 minutes for Infernal Affairs, 150 for The Departed. This is due to new characters (Dignam and Costello's henchman Mr French, played by Ray Winstone, were missing in the original) and subplots, such as the one concerning Madolyn (Vera Farmiga), a psychiatrist who gets emotionally involved with both of the moles. But the most crucial difference is in the depiction of the underworld: whereas IA was stylish without being excessive, Scorsese's vision comprises very colorful language (some insults are so creative one might expect Joe Pesci to show up) and, of course, buckets of blood, the last part of the movie proving to be particularly shocking. None of the scenes ever reach the gross-out level of Casino's head-in-the-vice scene, but in pure Scorsese tradition it remains unflinchingly violent (also notable is the music, perfectly setting the mood, scene after scene, alongside Thelma Schoonmaker's impeccable editing).

Amidst these brutal surroundings, the director handles a spot-on cast: Baldwin, Sheen and Wahlberg (the latter finally back on form) make good use of their little screen time, Damon fine-tunes the edgier side he showed in The Talented Mr Ripley and the Bourne movies, and Nicholson, playing the villain again at last, delivers another OTT but classy turn (original choice Robert De Niro would probably have played the part with more calm and subtlety). A special mention is needed for Di Caprio: working with Scorsese for the third consecutive time, he has finally found a way to shake off his Titanic image, thanks to a vulnerable, gripping (and arguably career-best) performance.

With its clever plot, excellent acting and expert direction, The Departed is without doubt the year's best film so far. If this really is going to be his last gangster film (he has said so), as well as his last studio-endorsed picture, Scorsese can be proud, given the masterpiece he has given us. If only they gave him the Oscar in return...

I got to see a sneak preview of it, and I must say: the BEST film of the year so far. Scorcese is at his best and truly deserves his anticipated first Oscar for this film. Also notable are the performances of Matt Damon (such a great "bad-guy;" he really must do stuff like this more often), Leo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson (as always), and Mark Wahlberg (best since Rockstar). However, some in the theater with me who had seen Infernal Affairs did say that Departed did not live up to the original. I have yet to see Affairs, but I honestly believe that Departed was pulled off well enough to really bring in some respectable awards in the upcoming season.

I got to see a sneak preview of it, and I must say: the BEST film of the year so far. Scorcese is at his best and truly deserves his anticipated first Oscar for this film. Also notable are the performances of Matt Damon (such a great "bad-guy;" he really must do stuff like this more often), Leo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson (as always), and Mark Wahlberg (best since Rockstar). However, some in the theater with me who had seen Infernal Affairs did say that Departed did not live up to the original. I have yet to see Affairs, but I honestly believe that Departed was pulled off well enough to really bring in some respectable awards in the upcoming season.

The Departed is a tale of Boston Irish tough guys on both sides of the law. Matt Damon gives the best performance of his career as the creepy and conceited young wiseguy Colin Sullivan who becomes the protege of south Boston's biggest gangster: ageing sociopath Frank Costello, played by Nicholson. Costello secretly sponsors Colin through police academy to become his personal executive-class snitch on the inside. Meanwhile, Leonardo DiCaprio is William Costigan, a moody kid with a brace of uncles known to the authorities, who is now genuinely trying to make it over to the right side of the tracks with a career in the police. He is headhunted by senior intelligence officers, fatherly Martin Sheen and his attack-dog lieutenant Mark Wahlberg, who offer him a new opportunity: use his family connections and credibility to go into deep cover in Costello's gang.

Look at the title, look at the director. Look at the stars, look at the setting. Scorcese, Nicholson, and Dicaprio at their best, this movie had more potential and class of many before alike and many to come after. At the end, you will truly see how and why we all become "Departed".

When I heard that HollyWood was going to remake one of the all time best Hong Kong action/crime/thriller movie ever. I didn't realy think I'd like it but then when I heard Martin Scorsese was going to direct it I knew I had to see it.I did think that this was going to be the same movie with some new twists and a different back story, but realy the movie just takes the same Idea with some of the same scenes.Then makes it it's own movie,but the thing I liked about this movie more than the original was the drama, because there is alot more drama in this one than the original.This wasn't your usual Scorsese gangster flick yes the movie has his usual sondtrack with Gimme Shelter,and yes it has some guys kicking other guys butts,and yes its violent, The chacters are different each one is on his own destructive path,and each one is scared buy what the other might do to each other even if they dont know who it is actually. It's your usual excellent Scorsese gangster flick with a all star cast it's like they keep coming out of the woodwork...Don't miss this one !!