The Departed DVD Review

"The Departed" reviews

DVD

The Departed

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-02-16 16:00:43

Provider

DVD Review

The ever impressive Martin Scorsese was clearly the best choice to direct the inevitable American version of the brilliant Hong Kong trilogy Infernal Affairs.

The Departed is set in Boston and follows the career trajectories of two undercover agents. One is a policeman, Billy Costigan (Di Caprio) sent to infiltrate the inner circle of crimelord Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), the other, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) a plant of Costello's slowly working his way up the police ranks, all the time serving his real masters.

The film is meticulously constructed, played out over two-and-a-half hours of brutal violence and intense performances, particularly that of Di Caprio, who gives his best showing yet in his trio of Scorsese movies. Nicholson adds the almost-comic relief, a turn as the sociopathic Mafia boss (named after the real life New York Mafiosa who threatened to shut down The Godfather set for its unflinching depiction of the mob). Credit should also go the unknown Vera Farmiga as the woman who comes between the two spooks.

Expertly shot, with a perfect Boston backdrop, The Departed is up there with some of the director's finest work and well worthy of its Oscar nominations.

Special features are indeed special when dealing with Scorsese films and here you get some great additional scenes which he introduces plus a feature-length TCM profile called Scorsese on Scorsese, The Story of the Boston Mob: the real-life gangster behind Jack Nicholson's character and Crossing Criminal Cultures: how Little Italy's crime and violence influences Scorsese's work.