The Departed

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Chris X. M I re-watched The Departed, and it is truly brilliant and groundbreaking. I enjoyed it just as much the second time as I did when it originally came out. Here are a few important things about the film: There are many complex characters and a tightly intertwined storyline, which is why Martin Scorsese finally won the Academy Award for this film. In my opinion, the best performance in the movie is, of course, from Jack Nicholson. His character is, at times, completely over the top but somehow still believable-ironically very fitting for a Boston gangster. Choosing the second-best actor is tough, but on this second viewing, Mark Wahlberg truly stands out. He's cutting, biting, fast, and completely believable in every scene. The entire ensemble cast is exceptional, and there really aren't any bad performances here. Martin Sheen delivers a grounded and memorable role as a police officer, and Vera Farmiga does a very good job as the department psychiatrist. That said, I occasionally struggle with the believability of Vera Farmiga's character. In a film that is a solid 10 out of 10, I sometimes find her emotional choices inconsistent-but overall, her character still works within the story. Matt Damon plays a key role and does an outstanding job of being both intelligently believable and utterly slimy. And I'd say the third-best performance comes from Leonardo DiCaprio, who, despite being the biggest star in the film, fully commits to a gritty, stressed-out, down-to-earth role. He shines under the direction of Scorsese and delivers one of his most authentic performances. Overall, The Departed is an incredible film-one I could easily watch multiple times. You definitely need to have the stomach for some of the violence, but seeing it again, I found the themes and messages hit me differently, which is part of what makes it great. It's like hearing a favorite song years later and discovering new meaning in it. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/03/25 Full Review Eva E I don't know... after having seen Infernal Affairs relatively recently... I can hardly find anything good to say about this movie... sure it's full of great actors... but everything that was copied was copied worse... and the few things that are nearly original are worse too. Meh, Dont Like. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/02/25 Full Review Jonathan N Spoilers: This review makes vague references to the plot and the ending. Go watch the film first. The Depaated... Great story about espionage, double agents, and counter-surveillance. I guess if you like Boston cop dramas, this is your jam. I gave an extra half star for Nicholson, who had a terrific performance. And I guess there are a lot of "tense" moments. It was kind of fun when they assigned him to find himself. The problem, as I see it, is that I just didn't ever get to where I cared about any of these characters. And the psychologist love triangle plotline is by far the weakest. In general, it's a classic after all these years, and I remember liking it more 20 years ago. If you ask me today, I could take it or leave it. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/25/25 Full Review Joe M. absolutely shocking and the best acted movie i’ve ever seen. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/22/25 Full Review J V Its like The Thing movie except everyones secretly a narc instead of an alien monster Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/11/25 Full Review Stephen C A crime drama movie success in 2 hours and 32 minutes!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Pervasive Language, Drug Material, Some Strong Sexual Content and Strong Brutal Violence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/09/25 Full Review Read all reviews

The Departed

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