Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #382 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-02-19
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: DVD Region, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 151 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Martin Scorsese makes a welcomed 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 Costigan'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 energised 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 mobile 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

Synopsis
Director Martin Scorsese returns to his trademark style with the violent, bruised, and bloody feature THE DEPARTED. Scorsese filched the basic storyline from Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak's masterful 2002 Hong Kong action film, INFERNAL AFFAIRS, which saw a policeman going undercover as a mob member and a mob member infiltrating the police force. Scorsese transfers the action to Boston, positioning Leonardo DiCaprio as undercover cop William Costigan and Matt Damon as undercover mobster Colin Sullivan. While Costigan and Sullivan get into plenty of nail-biting situations that almost reveal their true identities, Scorsese gradually unravels his strong supporting cast, including Jack Nicholson as Sullivan's mob boss, Frank Costello; Ray Winstone as Costello's meat-headed muscle; Mark Wahlberg as a hot-headed police sergeant; and Vera Farmiga as a love interest for both Damon and Di Caprio's characters.

Customer Reviews

Yawn!,
Got to say I started watching this without knowing it was a Scorsese film. It took me about half an hour before I started thinking "Something familiar about all this" Quick look on the back of the DVD and yep, Scorsese.

Sorry but all this rubbish about him being some great director, it just amazes me that nobody seems to see through his pathetic one dimentional films. The usual 'wise guys' 'kid growing up in 'da neighbourhood' with the 'local hoods' 'trying to make it good' everybody talking out the side of their mouths in some laughable pathetic attempt to rip off 1930s gangster movies. Someone made a point of Scorsese being 'anti religion' I would have to ask what does Scorsese have against black people? In almost every film he produces blacks/latinos pretty much anyone non white seems to be either devoid of any intelligence or topless dancers. In almost all his films they are refered to using the 'n' word (even in this one in the first few lines of the film when there is not even a black person in sight!) The driver in Goodfellas after pulling off the biggest highjack in US history then gets drunk and falls asleap in the getaway car (as you do like!) I mean was he dropped by a black person as a baby or something?

The film is just awful. Can Scorsese not think of anything else or has he given up hope after his pathetic attempt at looking at theology with last temptation?

So whats the film about? Usual gangster drivel. This time instead of Italian 'wise guys' it's the Irish. Instead of going back in time and having poor Daniel Day Lewis speak with some stupid accent where he cant make out if he is an Al Capone gangster or a fishmonger from Sunderland or Vegas with Casino. Blah blah baseball bat scene, Jewish bookmaker pointless anti semitism, blah blah blah...... This time we move to Boston (exactly the same set up though) Think I lost count of the amount of times in the first 20 odd minutes of the film they made a point of refering to themselves as Irish with the usual Irish stereotypes. Irish jokes, the IRA, the Irish 'hood' 'Irish are all drunks' 'Irish are all mad' even the 'Irish president' for Gods sake. Yeh so what you come from Boston so your great great grandfathers sisters aunties best friends cat once had some connection with Ireland so what? Some would think that afer the 3 or 4 odd generations they would not be still speaking with Irish accents and if they did they could have at lest got Irish actors instead of American making a pathetic attempt at being Irish.

Cop who grew up in the 'Irish hood' goes undercover to investigate local Irish gangster. Cant realy say much more about the story line because their isnt one. Just a complete waste of such a great actor as Jack Nicholson.

Give it up Scorsese, Goodfellas was a great film but thats about it. Sooner or later more people will see through your paper thin plots.

You looking at me?
There's no doubt that this movie is a class act. The writing and direction are as slick as it gets, and the performances pretty much flawless. But this film still lacks something. Compared to Scorcese's mob masterpiece Goodfellas, The Departed seems full of artifice. It lacks the truly visceral nastiness (thought there's plenty of violence) that infuses that earlier work. The hoods here come across as more a product of Hollywood's obsession with the mob than real people, unlike the gangsters in Goodfellas, who are all too believable. There's also a McGuffin or two in here, which is a disappointment. And is it my imagination or has Jack Nicholson developed a habit of glancing directly at the camera? He certainly does it here a few times and I seem to remember him doing so in several of his recent movies. Nonetheless, this is a gruesomely entertaining movie and worth the lengthy (150mins) investment.

Good except for the ending.
Film noir crime thriller set in Boston, Massachusetts which follows the efforts of the Massachusetts State Police as they try to apprehend a notorious gangster and mass murderer played by Jack Nicholson by placing an undercover cop played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his crew to get close to him and gain intel and valuable evidence that will put Nicholson away. But unbeknownst to the Massachusetts State Police, Jack Nicholson has a mole of his own inside their very Department. A good crime thriller directed by Martin Scorsese that flows quickly through its two plus hours with a sharp plot, interesting characters and a compelling vision that is not undone by a lot of machismo on the part of the mainly male characters and a high body count. Matt Damon is excellent as the phoney cop in the pay of Jack Nicholson's gangster and Leonardo DiCaprio is also on form as the undercover cop playing a game of cat and mouse with Matt Damon as the two try to uncover each other's identity. However I felt that the ending to this film was fairly botched, such that what should have been a 5 star film was only a 4 star film, which is a shame because the film was excellent up until this point. Good but not perfect.