Monday, March 5, 2012

Movie of the Week – The Departed

This week’s movie is The Departed (2006).

The crime drama is an English remake of Infernal Affairs about two police officers – one an undercover cop inserted with the Irish mob in Boston, the other an undercover member of the mob inserted in the Massachusetts State Police assigned to taking down the mob. The film is directed by Martin Scorsese (garnering him his first Best Director and Best Picture Oscars) and written by William Monahan. Scorsese worked with a good group on the film including producer Brad Pitt (through his Plan B Entertainment production company, which has made quite a few great films lately), composer Howard Shore, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (a frequent collaborator of Scorsese’s), and production designer Kristi Zea. The cast is also phenomenal as it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, with Jack Nicholson, Adam Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Kevin Corrigan, James Badge Dale, David O’Hara, and Mark Rolston in support. Despite being his first Oscar winner, I am not sure The Departed is quite in the pantheon of Scorsese classics (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas), but it is an excellent crime drama and my favorite of his films made in the last decade. This is a must-see for fans of Scorsese and gangster/crime dramas as it is one of the best in the last few years. Check out the trailer.


Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming

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