Product Description

Rookie cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) grew up in crime. That makes him the perfect mole, the man on the inside of the mob run by boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). It's his job to win Costello's trust and help his detective handlers (Mark Wahlberg and Martin Sheen) bring Costello down. Meanwhile, SIU officer Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) has everyone's trust. No one suspects he's Costello's mole. How these covert lives cross, double-cross and collide is at the ferocious core of the widely acclaimed The Departed. Martin Scorsese directs, guiding a cast for the ages in a visceral tale of crime and consequences. This is searing, can't-look-away filmmaking: like staring into the eyes of a con - or a cop - with a gun.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9982 in DVD
• Brand: DICAPRIO/DAMON/NICHOLSON/WAHLBERG
• Released on: 2007-02-13
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 151 minutes

Features

• Rookie cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) grew up in crime. That makes him the perfect mole, the man on the inside of the mob run by boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). It's his job to win Costello's trust and help his detective handlers (Mark Wahlberg and Martin Sheen) bring Costello down. Meanwhile, SIU officer Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) has everyone's trust. No one suspects he's Costello

Amazon.com
Martin Scorsese makes a welcome return to the mean streets (of Boston, in this case) with The Departed, hailed by many as Scorsese's best film since Casino. Since this crackling crime thriller is essentially a Scorsese-stamped remake of the acclaimed 2002 Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, the film was intensely scrutinized by devoted critics and cinephiles, and while Scorsese's intense filmmaking and all-star cast deserve ample acclaim, The Departed is also worthy of serious re-assessment, especially with regard to what some attentive viewers described as sloppy craftsmanship (!), notably in terms of mismatched shots and jagged continuity. But no matter where you fall on the Scorsese appreciation scale, there's no denying that The Departed is a signature piece of work from one of America's finest directors, designed for maximum impact with a breathtaking series of twists, turns, and violent surprises. It's an intricate cat-and-mouse game, but this time the cat and mouse are both moles: Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is an ambitious cop on the rise, planted in the Boston police force by criminal kingpin Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hot-tempered police cadet who's been artificially disgraced and then planted into Costello's crime operation as a seemingly trustworthy soldier. As the multilayered plot unfolds (courtesy of a scorching adaptation by Kingdom of Heaven screenwriter William Monahan), Costigan and Sullivan conduct a volatile search for each other (they're essentially looking for "themselves") while simultaneously wooing the psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga) assigned to treat their crime-driven anxieties.

Such convenient coincidences might sink a lesser film, but The Departed is so electrifying that you barely notice the plot-holes. And while Nicholson's profane swagger is too much "Jack" and not enough "Costello," he's still a joy to watch, especially in a film that's additionally energized by memorable (and frequently hilarious) supporting roles for Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, and a host of other big-name performers. The Departed also makes clever and plot-dependent use of cell-phones, to the extent that it couldn't exist without them. Powered by Scorsese's trademark use of well-chosen soundtrack songs (from vintage rock to Puccini's operas), The Departed may not be perfect, but it's one helluva ride for moviegoers, proving popular enough to become the biggest box-office hit of Scorsese's commercially rocky career. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVD
Introduced by director Martin Scorsese, the nine deleted scenes from The Departed are all interesting to watch, though not a significant loss from the picture. The other bonus features are very good as well. "Stranger Than Fiction: The True Story of Whitey Bulger, Southie, and The Departed" is a 21-minute history of the real-life Boston gangster Jack Nicholson's character was based on. Scorsese, screenwriter William Monahan, and a number of journalists are among those interviewed. In "Crossing Criminal Cultures" (24 minutes), Scorsese and the cast discuss gangster pictures and specifically Scorsese's. Consider that a warm-up for Scorsese on Scorsese, an 86-minute documentary from 2004. (It's the only bonus feature not available on the HD DVD or Blu-ray versions.) There's no narrator or interviewer: it's just Scorsese talking about his upbringing and influences. There's a generous use of clips through The Aviator and even his American Express commercial. --David Horiuchi

Beyond The Departed

More gangster movies

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The original inspiration: Infernal Affairs

Customer Reviews

A remake? An original? Or both...?
I read some of the other reviews, and I'm frustrated that so many people are finding a problem with Martin Scorcese's sensibilities in adapting a Hong Kong -set thriller to an American venue, using his legendary experience to create a very American "original". I was immensely entertained, baffled at all the intended times, intrigued at the appropriate times, and thoroughly blown away with the remarkable ending. Others have blabbed away plot-points, and I'm glad I didn't read those reviews before I saw the film. There's no doubt that Scorcese is deserving of Oscar recognition, and trying to make comparisons to his other films doesn't fly with me. This was a brutal display of some very mean people, but not as gory as "Goodfellas", not as character driven as "Raging Bull" and not as gritty as "Taxi Driver". It WAS, however, a terrific plot-driven narrative, and Mr. Scorcese should be applauded for taking this very complicated story, where each character is constantly affecting the others, and making it coherent. Nicholson was, indeed, playing a familiar version of Nicholson, so it was a natural choice in casting but no stretch for the great Jack. The 2-disc DVD is fine, with ample interviews with Mr. Scorcese, and other interesting stuff, especially about Bulgar, the guy after which Nicholson's character was based. Very glad I made the investment. BTW: The sextet from "Lucia di Lammermoor" is by Donizetti, not Puccini. UPDATE: 2-26-07: I'm glad it won the Oscar.

Gripping Crime Drama Ignites the Screen
Based on the Hong Kong thriller, "Infernal Affairs" (2002), Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" is a shotgun blast to the pandering cinema that has afflicted the American screen of late. Scorsese has returned to the urban crime-drama genre that he helped to make famous with "Mean Streets" (1973) and "Goodfellas" (1990).

Scorsese, a consummate auteur, shares many thematic interests with his screenwriter, William Monahan. A Boston police officer, William Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), goes undercover in the local mob with the hope that he may purge himself of his family's criminal history (redemption and honor being major themes in Scorsese's films, such as "Gangs of New York"). Costigan's job is to provide enough evidence to allow the police to apprehend the head mobster, the lurid and merciless Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Costello has infiltrated the police force with a mole of his own, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), who Costello has been grooming since childhood (corruption being another important theme for Scorsese, see "Goodfellas"). Each of the moles quickly becomes aware of the other's presence, and they both realize that if either is going to survive, he must quickly find his opponent.

Monahan lathers his screenplay with the most vulgar language this side of Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction." Supporting actors Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg, who both play upper level officers, deliver deliciously profane dialogue with side-splitting ease and authority. Matt Damon infuses the antagonistic Sullivan with poise, sophistication, and charisma. Leonardo DiCaprio's protagonist is conversely something of a blunt and unstable instrument. DiCaprio's work recalls that of James Dean, as he plays a frazzled young man waging war with the world and within himself. Surprisingly, screen legend Jack Nicholson is something of a weak link in the cast. He uses his trademark mixture of charisma and menace in a familiar and admittedly somewhat goofy portrayal of villainy.

The real star of the film is Scorsese. Taking a cue from an early exchange between Wahlberg's character and Costigan - "What's the matter don't you know any Shakespeare?" - Scorsese's presents the film as though it were one of the playwright's tragedies. Tragic and comedic tones are expertly juxtaposed. Music, be it classic rock or Howard Shore's score, is ever present. The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" is used to great effect during the film's opening. It acts as a harbinger of things to come. Violence is explosive and brutal. Michael Ballhaus' lighting is atmospheric and exaggerated. Note a scene in Sullivan's office where a bizarre light effect casts an X across the wall (Scorsese litters the mise en scène with X's, both as an homage to Howard Hawks's "Scarface" and a visual representation of Sullivan and Cositgan's duality). Relentless camera movement and Thelma Schoonmaker's jump cuts further give rise to a sense of nerve-jangling tension.

Under Scorsese' own admission, "The Departed" is his first attempt at a film with a plot. On paper, the film does indeed represent one of his more traditional, studio-friendly ventures. He is working with a very bankable cast and a three-act narrative (most of his films have been more concerned with character studies than a archetypal stroyline). Despite the creative limitations that may be associated with a more commercial project, Scorsese is more than able to elicit his own passions. "The Departed" is a fierce, raucous entertainment that is not to be missed.

Not a Classic, but Enjoyable
You have probably already come to grips with the fact that when you go to see a new Scorsese film, it's not going to be another "Taxi Driver." Without the burden of comparison to classic Scorsese works, "The Departed" is an enjoyable thriller with an all-star cast, some of whom deliver better than others.

On the subject of the cast, there is, of course, Jack Nicholson as Costello. Nicholson is a master of playing characters which are simultaneously disgusting and compelling, and this role is no exception. There's lots of great dialog in this film for Nicholson.

On the other end of the scale is Matt Damon, who seems a little weak in this film. There are a number of moments in the film where he pulls out the Good Will Hunting, and you think to yourself "Oh Geez." I am a fan of Damon's, but this role did not seem to be a great fit.

Mark Wahlberg's role is a relatively minor one, but it is one of the film's highlights. He is excellent as the extremely vulgar and abusive Sgt. Dignam, of whom I wanted to see more.

The best part of the film, though, is Leonardo DiCaprio, who's central performance as Billy Costigan is excellent to the point that Matt Damon seems diminished in the complementary role of Colin Sullivan.

As for the plot, I am told that this film is a remake of a 2002 Hong Kong film entitled "Infernal Affairs." It is the story of two moles; a police mole in the mob, and a mob mole in the police. The suspense lies in who will discover whom first.

If I had one major complaint about the film, it was that the script did not sufficiently (in my opinion) convey the motivation of DiCaprio's character. What motivated him to endure such a harrowing, dangerous, life-wrecking enterprise?

One last thing, I just remembered that Alec Baldwin is in the film, and he is quite good as well!