4/4  A dark drama with a strong cast
It simply amazes me how all characters intersect in the climax. Each storyline play out well and as they both transition over time. Exceptional performance by Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio. No surprise by Jack Nicholson. The elevato... (read full)

4/4  What, Ya On Yer Period
This was hands-down the best movie of 2006, regardless of all the "Juno" fans who rooted for it during the Oscars. However, Martin Scorsese is brilliant in crafting a rather episodic crime drama about mobsters and cops and what little dif... (read full)

4/4  Almost as good as the Godfather Trilogy
I'm not going to pull any punches here. 'The Departed' is the definition of a crime/thriller. Any fan of Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, and gangster films will absolutely love 'The Departed', which deserves to go down a... (read full)

4/4  F**KIN' BRILLIANCE
I think this movie ranks second among Martin Scorsese's impressive catalogue of movies, and once again he has a stellar cast. I think Leonardo DiCaprio, Alec Baldwin, and Mark Wahlberg reach a level of acting they never have before. Dicapr... (read full)

3.5/4  The Departed
A really good old fashioned film, with an excellent story and an unbelievable cast. This film really keeps you interested all the way though as you want to know what will happen to the protagonists, and how they will or won't get caught.
... (read full)

3.5/4  De-parts are greater than de-whole.
This is just another superb Scorsese movie, as well as just another superb Nicholson movie. Two in one! Can't beat that! This is also the movie that turned me on to Matt Damon. Other than Good Will Hunting I hadn't noticed him making good ... (read full)

2.5/4  The Departed Quick Review
With all the hype, I expected more from this movie. If anything, it was over-the-top and tried too hard. I thought DiCaprio's performance was great. Nicholson was just the same-old Nicholson. Pretty graphic.

3/4  The Departed Quick Review
I'm pretty shocked that this movie won best picture and 4 other oscars. Must have been a pretty lousy year. This movie is anything but bad but it isn't that good everybody claims it to be. Way overrated!

3.5/4  The Departed Quick Review
Awesome acting by everyone involved. Not my favorite Scorsese film, but one of his best. A must see for all.

4/4  The Departed Quick Review
The acting is of course brilliant, tour de force performances are given by all.

4/4  The Departed Quick Review
It's no wonder Scorsese finally won an Oscar for this - amazing direction, great acting and a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way up to the last scene. An amazing film you have to experience.

4/4  The Departed Quick Review
Such a fantastic movie. One of Nicholson's best roles and the Damon/DiCaprio character paradox kept things interesting until the end. The accents weren't the best, but believable enough. Walhberg's character was awesome!

1/5 Terrible movie bad language in it
  by chfancier (Brookings SD)
I did not watch more than 5 minutes as it had the "F" word every other word
not something I would waste electricity on
had not seen it but bought it for Decapprio's acting
why put filth in your mind?
Will remember that Scorsaie movies have bad language as was pointed out to me later.
This may seem awful to comment on but have seen movies with these actors and clean language that are very enjoyable
the fact that it was a crime drama did not hurt my opinion as the filthy language and that in its self detracts from a good story.
Which is why I buy movies to enjoy the writers thoughts.
So felt it necesary to tell people why I did not like it
then they can choose for themselves to waste good money after bad thoughts.
well that was wasted money
DO NOT BUY UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN IT I forgot my observations on that statement?
chfancier

5/5 An Instant Classic!!!
  by Constantine Kontos
When I like a movie, people hate me. So grab your tomatos! Holy Crap it was good!! Departed is a crime drama directed by my main man Martin S. It's well acted and the pacing is incredible. If you are a crime buff, buy this movie. I loved the plot, I loved the tension, I loved the gore and I really loved the ending...However, what really struck me (and probably only me) is that this film presents us with one of the greatest battles between good and evil I've ever seen.

Matt Damon is the villain, here, and he's the most digusting person ever. Bred a criminal litterally from the age of 10 to his graduation of the Massachusetts State Police Department, he goes undercover as a police officer in the "Staties" to keep the fuzz off of the back of his boss Jack Nicholson, Boston's most notorious mobster. Meanwhile, head of Internal Affairs Martin Sheen and Marky-Mark have a man or two planted in Nicholson's outfit that Matt Damon doesn't quite know about...yet. Sheen hires "Statie" graduate DiCaprio under the table to go undercover as a muscle for Nicholson to gather evidence for an offical and legal coup. You see, DiCaprio was sort of a black sheep in his family, very innocent and benevolent. Since both his father and uncle once worked with Nicholson in previous years, it's implied that Nicholson just assumes the very smart and talented "kid" is trustworthy enough to resume his family's work in the mafia. The whole point of the film is DiCaprio's taking down Nicholson without being made by Damon.

Damon and DiCaprio are written perfectly into the movie. Damon is a slick smart-alec who can get anything and everything he wants acting like the "good guy"...while DiCaprio (the real good guy) suffers through beatings and murders, totally killing his spirit to fight crime. The movie gets good when an affair with woman brings these two guys together. You can see their true colors and really appreciate the excellent performances they put out. Nicholson is also very sinister in this movie. He was perfect for the role of a criminal that's getting old. Good lines and great expressions. This is definitely his best role as an older character. Sheen and Wahlberg play believable cops. Sheen is completely innocent and kind. Mark W. is a little harsh, but you periodically see him swallow his pride and show that he's a warmhearted guy deep down. Other cast members are great. Some are pretty funny, actually. If the plot sounds cool, check it out. This is a movie about murder, deception, loss and how pride really does come before the fall. A+

5/5 Martin Scorsese is back in a big way!
  by James A. Strong (Atlanta, Georgia United States)
"The Departed" inspires many easy superlatives: the director's best since "Goodfellas"--maybe even better; his most entertaining film since "The Color of Money"--maybe even more; and the best story he has put to screen since "The Age of Innocence"--maybe even better. To throw some more hyperbolical praise its way, here goes: This is the best gangster film since "Pulp Fiction"--maybe even...well, you get the point.

Like Michael Mann ("Collateral," "Heat"), Scorsese has gone back to what he does best, yet integrates the filmmaking skills he picked up from his departures from his original genre. The result is a movie that fires on all pistons. The story of two rats--one a cop pretending to be a gangster (Leonardo DiCaprio), the other a loyal gangster who appears to be a cop (Matt Damon)--and the devilish boss they both serve (Jack Nicholson) is an intellectual roller-coaster ride that keeps viewers glued to their seats until the final frames. Working from a superb script by William Monaghan (Kingdom of Heaven), all the actors in the star-studded cast turn in exceptional performances. DiCaprio shines yet again in his third collaboration with Scorsese (the first two were Gangs of New York and The Aviator); beneath his poker-faced façade, Damon shows a greater range of emotional expression here than he ever has before; Mark Wahlberg, as an abrasive, in-your-face, hard-edged bulldog of a police sergeant, has stepped right back into the big time with his Oscar-worthy work here (his best ever and most memorable since Boogie Nights); as the lone lady in a boys' show, Vera Farmiga also holds the screen and provides the movie with some much needed heart; and in the limited screen time they have, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, and even Anthony Anderson manage to be memorable.

Simply stated, everything about this movie works (even Nicholson's reckless excesses): every detail, every plot twist, and every rockin' soundtrack choice. More than any other movie in recent memory, The Departed illustrates how most of us live double lives and how devastating the circumstances of doing so can be when they finally catch up to us.

3/5 Could have been so much better
  by Dennis Brandt (Red Lion, PA United States)
A good story, a stellar cast performing brilliantly, the director of one of the greatest films of all time (The Godfather). . . What could go wrong. Well, a lot. If you love hearing the "F" word, this is your film. Its frequency of use was both unnecessary and boring. (Scorcese created The Godfather without using it and became a directorial legend.) If you love a film with fast, confusing cuts that bounce between time, then this is the one for you. If you love cops that act as bad as the criminals, buy this one today. The film improved as it went along, but the first half hour was slow and jumbled thanks to the cutting. It finally settled in only to end absurdly with almost everyone being revealed as a double agent and/or murderer. Mark Wahlburg's Sgt. Dingham character was over written and drastically over played. His character should have been first to die in the film. If it weren't for the performances, this film would rate a 2, although we've seen Nicholson in this type of role many times before.

Addendum: Of course I am wrong in saying that Scorsese directed The Godfather. That was Coppola, and I knew that. Brain cramp. The opposite of foul-mouthed movies is not Walt Disney, as one of my critics has noted. I might retort that, if you wish to hear that word in abundance, watch porno. As Alfred Hitchcock stated: If you portray a man entering a meeting carrying a briefcase that the audience knows contains a ticking time bomb, that is what builds the tension, not the explosion itself. Indeed, it is anti-climactic. Film makers have largely forgotten that principle, and audiences, now with shortened attention spans by feeding on a diet of such films, demand violence as an inevitable end. The Departed is still a poorly constructed film, and the police as portrayed were, to a man, as despicable as the criminals.


5/5 :)
  by Mandi Coyne
one of the most amazing movies! if i could give it 6 stars, i would!