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From Amazon.co.uk
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
Product Description
Oscar-winning crime thriller from acclaimed director Martin Scorsese. The Massachusetts State Police Department in South Boston is waging an all-out war to take down the city's top organised crime ring. The key is to end the reign of powerful mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) from the inside. A young rookie, Bill Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), is assigned to infiltrate the mob run by Costello. While Billy is working to gain Costello's trust, another young cop, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), is quickly rising through the ranks of the state police. Earning a spot in the Special Investigations Unit, Colin is among a handful of elite officers whose mission is to bring Costello down. But what his superiors don't know is that Colin is working for Costello, keeping the crime boss one step ahead of the police.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
My mrs and I loved this movie! Its an intriguing suspense movie. Like a modern day "Goodfellas". It's a must see if you haven't already!! Disc was in good condition. Have used this seller before and would definitely recommend.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
Good acting, a complex storyline with some unexpected twists too.
The characters play their roles well and I think it's well directed.
A good solid film to add to your collection.
The characters play their roles well and I think it's well directed.
A good solid film to add to your collection.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Jeff B
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
A instant Scorsese classic, in my opinion up there with his best work (Goodfella's, Casino etc.) Matt Damon was immense really playing against his good guy image, but Di Caprio - gets better and better with each passing film, he's really starting to build up a excellent body of work.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Katiecoo
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
It was as described and i would recommend people who are into this product and would like some thing like this.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really like this film so that's why i bought it. It came on time, I had no waiting around and was very much pleased with it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
First time round I found The Departed a disappointingly average film, but on a second viewing it's clear I misjudged it: it really is a quite bad one. Scorsese's weaknesses as a storyteller have often been discussed, but he's not helped here by a remarkably poor and horrendously overpopulated script from the usually much more interesting William Monahan that at once dumbs down the original Infernal Affairs and simultaneously overcomplicates the storytelling. For all the additional characters and running time there's no grander design at work here to compensate. It may strain for grand opera but it simply comes across as off-key light operetta sung by people with sore throats.
The chief problem is the film's funereal pacing, which the clumsy editing and energetic camerawork increasingly fail to hide. The film takes forever to set up its plot - the film is half over before Matt Damon's undercover mobster who has worked his way into a Boston police task force is ordered to find himself - but never compensates by fleshing out the characters or adding any substance to the story. If anything, underneath all the bloat and bombast the film has seriously dumbed down the Infernal Affairs trilogy's underlying themes of identity, role playing and the need to find some kind of redemption in a world that requires you to be corrupt in order to live with yourself in some kind of peace. Instead, it's become a star vehicle in the worst sense of the phrase, where the central duo of police mole in the underworld and underworld mole in the police are effectively sidelined for so much of the picture that they almost become bit players.... Read more ›
The chief problem is the film's funereal pacing, which the clumsy editing and energetic camerawork increasingly fail to hide. The film takes forever to set up its plot - the film is half over before Matt Damon's undercover mobster who has worked his way into a Boston police task force is ordered to find himself - but never compensates by fleshing out the characters or adding any substance to the story. If anything, underneath all the bloat and bombast the film has seriously dumbed down the Infernal Affairs trilogy's underlying themes of identity, role playing and the need to find some kind of redemption in a world that requires you to be corrupt in order to live with yourself in some kind of peace. Instead, it's become a star vehicle in the worst sense of the phrase, where the central duo of police mole in the underworld and underworld mole in the police are effectively sidelined for so much of the picture that they almost become bit players.... Read more ›
26 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By Shaiya
Format:Blu-ray
Picture quality is fantastic - definitely worth upgrading from DVD. Jack Nicholson's wrinkles have never looked finer.
Special Features are:
- Additional Scenes With Introductions By Martin Scorsese.
- Stranger Than Fiction: The Story Of The Boston Mob.
- Crossing Criminal Cultures: How Little Italy's Crime And Violence Influence Scorsese's Work.
- Theatrical Trailer.
Other Information:
- English Subtitles: Feature Only.
- DTS 5.1 HD Master Audio.
- Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo.
Special Features are:
- Additional Scenes With Introductions By Martin Scorsese.
- Stranger Than Fiction: The Story Of The Boston Mob.
- Crossing Criminal Cultures: How Little Italy's Crime And Violence Influence Scorsese's Work.
- Theatrical Trailer.
Other Information:
- English Subtitles: Feature Only.
- DTS 5.1 HD Master Audio.
- Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo.
12 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Good, I suppose if you like this kind of thing. Sorry if that sounds a bit tired but it's taken me two nights (with regular naps) to labour my way through the best part of three hours of guys cussing each other out and occasionally getting shot in the face. It was all a bit wearying.
I'm a fan of Scorsese from the 70s onwards and there's no question that he's made some great movies - Goodfellas and Casino would be my (not very controversial) picks of a pretty good bunch - but is it just me that finds it all a bit by numbers these days? Nasty men - check. Bad language - check and (insert cuss word) check again. Periodic megaviolence, with plenty of red sauce spread around - absolutely. Spurious Catholic iconography - yup, all in place.
This stuff has been Scorsese's stock in trade for years of course, and whenever one of his side ventures - the woeful Aviator and the dead-on-arrival Gangs of New York for example - flops (and they did flop, regardless of awards) he retreats back to his comfort zone of bad - but hey, deeply troubled - guys with big handguns and limited vocabulary (is there something you need to talk about, Marty?). This didn't matter a bit of course when the films had the amoral but highly enjoyable sparkle and flash of the aforementioned Goodfellas and Casino, but unfortunately The Departed offers none of that. It's just damn bleak and airless, maybe drawing on the superior US cop dramas like The Wire and The Shield (which have arguably left Scorsese's world behind) as much as its Hong Kong source, and reeking of well-past-its-use-by-date testosterone. This is a man's, man's world and boy, does it need a Sharon Stone to liven it up. Or any women of significance in fact.... Read more ›
I'm a fan of Scorsese from the 70s onwards and there's no question that he's made some great movies - Goodfellas and Casino would be my (not very controversial) picks of a pretty good bunch - but is it just me that finds it all a bit by numbers these days? Nasty men - check. Bad language - check and (insert cuss word) check again. Periodic megaviolence, with plenty of red sauce spread around - absolutely. Spurious Catholic iconography - yup, all in place.
This stuff has been Scorsese's stock in trade for years of course, and whenever one of his side ventures - the woeful Aviator and the dead-on-arrival Gangs of New York for example - flops (and they did flop, regardless of awards) he retreats back to his comfort zone of bad - but hey, deeply troubled - guys with big handguns and limited vocabulary (is there something you need to talk about, Marty?). This didn't matter a bit of course when the films had the amoral but highly enjoyable sparkle and flash of the aforementioned Goodfellas and Casino, but unfortunately The Departed offers none of that. It's just damn bleak and airless, maybe drawing on the superior US cop dramas like The Wire and The Shield (which have arguably left Scorsese's world behind) as much as its Hong Kong source, and reeking of well-past-its-use-by-date testosterone. This is a man's, man's world and boy, does it need a Sharon Stone to liven it up. Or any women of significance in fact.... Read more ›
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4.1 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing film!
This is what I would consider to be a typically 'man's' film, which I watched with my boyfriend and we both loved the film. The story, the acting, the directing were first class. Read more
Published 7 days ago by MISS MAGGIE ROSS
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good Friday night film.
Lay back with a pint and pizza and be engrossed in a great cop thriller, all stars blend well together.
Published 1 month ago by Ned
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Departed.
Fantastic movie, saw it on the big screen a few years back, but had forgotten how it twisted and turned as the movie drew to a close. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Robert Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars
very good
very good and well watched and a very good cd, well worth purchase, will buy again in near future, thanks
Published 2 months ago by Adrian Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent acting
Really good story and acting - enhanced by the way the two main characters almost get mixed up. Nicholson great too!
Published 2 months ago by Mary Reilly
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a great return to form from the king of the "Mob" movie!!
This is another great movie from scorcese, he just keeps great crime films and this lived up to my expectations!!!
Published 2 months ago by Mr. Joel S. Greenhalgh
2.0 out of 5 stars
Bad language ruins good film
An ingenious plot, probably not new, always kept one on edge. Good music, too. Of the actors, Leonardo di Caprio was good, Matt Damon was very good indeed, and Jack Nicholson was... Read more
Published 2 months ago by mr blue
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great film, great cast
Not for the faint hearted this one, Very strong language used in the dialogue throughout the film. If you are not offended by that then an excellent cast do a superb job. Read more
Published 3 months ago by T. Lazzari
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Well priced & speedy delivery. A product that i wouldn't hesitate in reccommending. It was a gift for somebody and they loved it!
Published 4 months ago by Dunny
2.0 out of 5 stars
foul language spoilt it
I was looking forward to watching the film, how wrong could i have been that a star studded cast could produce a load of rubbish. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Andy R. Wilson
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