The Departed (2006): A Review

Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) are both cadets attending the state police academy. Colin seems to be on the fast track to success and is assigned a detective position right after graduation. Unfortunately for the department, Colin is a lifelong friend of notorious mobster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) and plans to be his informant. Billy Costigan has some family connections to the Irish mafia and isn't quite as lucky. Captain Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Staff Sgt. Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) convince Billy that he could do more good as an undercover officer working for Frank Costello than he can as a regular cop. Now the two must work as moles on opposite sides of the law.

Very few films that have been released in the last few years have blown me away. This film did just that. Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are one of the best combos in the business. Leo kind of earned himself a bad name in the eyes of some people from his "chick flick" days. I assure you that this film is not one of those films. This isn't only one of the best films Leo has ever done. It's the best film Scorsese has done since Goodfellas. Jack Nicholson was an absolutely brilliant choice as the villain Frank Costello. Very few actors could have pulled this role off as well as he did. Matt Damon even shows why he's considered one of the better actors in Hollywood. The film feels entirely authentic and makes you believe you are actually watching the actions of real cops or mobsters. I feel that I should mention that the idea from this film was taken from one called Infernal Affairs. Regardless of what this film is based on, it's brilliant. No one can make a gangster flick better than Scorsese, this one gets a 10/10.