The Departed: Review By PM

Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and an all time great director martin Scorsese....what more called you ask for. The Departed was a remake of the Chinese film called internal affairs which means "the non-stop path". The film stars Matt Damon as Colin a smart and intelligent Massachusetts State Trooper with a hidden agenda. He's a mole, working for Boston's top gangster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Colin rises through the state police ranks very quickly, helping and tipping off Costello and giving him a heads up whenever possible. the only thing is there is another mole in the mix working the troopers as an undercover officer working deep inside Costello's organization. His name is Billy Costigan, and he's played brilliantly by Leonardo DiCaprio. it's not long before things are found out and Costello and his gang and the state troopers realise that they have been compromised, and from there everything is turned upside down.

The film is gangster movie at the heart of it all but also manages to include other genres into this well constructed film such as thriller, romance, and western. From the very beginning jack Nicholson engages the audience as an intriguing and tough gangster character from his first opening line "I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me". Jack Nicholson plays the character with such ease and brilliance. Leonardo DiCaprio further shows his amazing acting ability and further enhances the movies gritty story.

The films music written by Howard Shore is perfectly suited to the films story and enhances the feeling created. The soundtrack ranges from Rollingstone's "Gimme Shelter" to pink Floyd's "comfortably numb". From the start the music adds a quality that helps make the movie what is and without that quality you just wouldn't feel the same at the end. The Departed features exemplary cinematography by long-time Scorsese cinematographer Michael Ballhaus that deserves to be noticed.

From the start to finish I couldn't stop smiling and for some reason I didn't know why, well I knew it was because it was directed so well and the acting was superb but once it finished it instantly become my favourite film and I just knew that no other movie would ever top the departed even know I don't know how good future movie well be, but it was just that good. The departed just made me so engrossed that I couldn't look away. If anyone didn't like the departed or found anything wrong with it then they have something wrong with them, and they should be bashed up by Frank Costello's gang.