The Departed (2006) is directed by Martin Scorsese and features a star studded cast led by Leonardo Dicaprio and Matt Damon. Here is a close look at this blockbuster thriller.
The Story of The Departed
The story of The Departed revolves around the private and public lives of two utterly brilliant and dare devil young men who have so much in common but are pitched against each other by the whims of fate.
On the one hand is Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) who comes from a long line of hardened and branded criminals but gets recruited by the police as the perfect undercover agent to penetrate the powerful and dangerous Irish-American mafia syndicate headed by the devious Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson).
On the other hand there is Collin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a young man handpicked by Costello to infiltrate the State police department and keep the mafia always one step ahead of the law.
As by sheer dint of talent, both men start their rapid ascent up their respective professional hierarchies their presence becomes more and more pronounced to their adversaries until it culminates in a deadly cat and mouse game and both Billy Costigan (who is now a member of Frank Costello's inner most circle) and Collin Sullivan (who has been given the responsibility of nailing Costello) must do their best to outmanoeuvre each other and uncover the identity of the mole in order to protect his own cover and life.
As both men throw caution to the wind and out of desperation start taking extreme measures, the body count begins to spiral as one by one they become responsible for the deaths of their 'coleagues' and comrades-in-arms making it utterly impossible for either men to escape with any trace of a clear conscience.
And though neither of them know it there is a very strong link between the them-- they are both in love with the same girl, Madolyn (Vera Farmiga).
Review of The Departed
In my opinion, The Departed is easily one of the finest crime thrillers to come out of Hollywood in the last decade. It is essentially a plot driven thriller with a complex but highly logical and totally believable and comprehensible central story along with a number of intriguing subplots. What is so amazing about the screen play and handling of the story in this movie is that it always keeps you guessing (mostly wrongly) and manages to keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire 150 odd minutes of its runtime.
Some great acting by two of the leading men in Hollywood today, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon along with a thrilling soundtrack further adds to the charm of this high octane thriller.
All in all, The Departed is a must watch for lovers of great movies in general and crime thrillers in particular!
Anish Dasgupta - Hi ya folks, I'm an 18 years old undergraduate currently studying Chemical Engineering. Apart from that I'm an active blogger ( ...
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