Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson
‘A Mesmerizing Masterpiece’
Few filmmakers are as fascinated with criminals as Martin Scorsese. Scorsese has always been known as a legendary director. With masterpieces like ‘Raging Bull’, ‘Goodfellas’, ‘Taxi Driver’, and ‘Casino’, Scorsese never fails to at the very least impress. Despite reaching an age of retirement, the filmmaker hasn’t lost his abilities to create engaging entertainment. “The Departed” is a film that proves Scorsese is brilliant at doing what he does best: capturing the lives of gangsters.
The Departed is a collaboration of excellence. Watching it is like seeing exploding fireworks in the sky. The film captures an unseen, brutal part of Boston, showing it in an undeniably intensifying way. It’s filled with excellent performances, outstanding direction, and a great screenplay.
This thriller is filled with jarringly flawless performances. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon’s on-screen ‘battle’ is suspenseful. You can actually feel yourself rooting for one of them. DiCaprio is furious and exuberant, while Damon is smart and curious. Jack Nicholson makes for a charismatic star in this film. His performance is certainly unforgettable. Lastly, Mark Wahlberg is hilarious. I really haven’t seen a better performance from him. Other actors including Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and Vera Farmiga are decent.
Scorsese may not have ventured into this theme so much, apart from Goodfellas, but it mostly seems so. The different camera angles and intelligent shots are dazzling. Inclusive to some overdone foul language and blood/gore, it eventually pays off.
It’s not easy to write scripts, but this film has an engrossing one. From the start to end, the film is entertaining enough to keep on going. It has a highly suspenseful and sometimes abrupt climax, but otherwise, no problem.
Overall, there’s really not enough to justify this achievement. It may not appeal towards viewers not familiar with substance material, but it’s a must-see for any Scorsese fan. A star-studded cast, worthy direction, and ‘exciting’ screenplay back up as proof.
A dazzling tribute to a filmmaker that remains celebrated today, it’s a powerful reminder that Martin Scorsese has never lost his abilities to leave audiences captivated through creating gangster films about criminals that are departed.
5/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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