Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #313 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

Scorcese hang your head in shame.
This movie is a mess. I saw the original Japanese release (Infernal Affairs) and found it both confusing and non-sensical. I only watched this remake because of the good reviews and the fact that Scorcese was the director. Boy was I disappointed. If anything this version is worse than the original.

The trouble is that the story is just plain rediculous from start to finish. Of the two lead characters, one is brought up under the watchful eye of the local criminal kingpin and joins the Police to act as a mole for him. The other (a cop from a bad family) is persuaded to go undercover and try to infiltrate the kingpin's gang. The idea that a criminal gang would accept an ex-cop into the gang is plain rediculous. The idea that when they find out there is a mole in the gang that they don't immediately realise who it might be is absurd. From that point on the story just deteriorates until we are left with a pile of dead bodies and a rather pointless climax. Couple that with a terrible piece of overacting and miscasting (Jack Nicholson) and you are left with a resulting movie that is just plain bad.

Scorcese hang your head in shame.

Solid but not award worthy
After such fantastic reviews and winning so many awards I was expecting something special, along the lines of Goodfellas... wishful thinking. It was worth a watch but no more.

Excellent film, excellent twist .... This movie has balls!!
Well this crime thriller/gangster movie is the best movie of this genea since The Usual Suspects. Roughly based on a real life Boston gangster and also based on a Japanesse film, this film is a hit on so many levels. The acting (from an all-star cast of Jack Nicholson, DeCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, Ray Winston and Matt Daemon) is excellent, the script and story are fantastic and from the opening scene I was hooked. I cannot recommend this movie enough. Honestly, ignore some of the negative reviews on here ... those people either have a poor taste in movies, or it went over their heads, or the story was just too complex for them. Its been a long time since Ive watched a crime movie this good. There is also a very good twist towards the end of the movie that had me shocked. This movie pulls no punches so dont expect a Hollywood ending.

One more thing .... Ive never been a fan of Decaprio, but in this film he showed me what a great actor he can be. The same can be said for Mark Walhberg. Deamon, Nicholson, Winston and Baldwin are as good as ever.