The Departed
2006
****½
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Vera Farmiga, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Ray Winston, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson, James Badge Dale
Ruthless but charismatic Boston mob boss Frank Costello has an inside man in the Massachusetts State Police, but he is unaware that there is also a mole in his own organisation. This cynical, violent, and over-elaborate but irresistibly entertaining and wonderfully acted crime drama attempts to show how similar these two men ultimately are; both of them are forced to live a lie and try to hold on to what's left of their own identity. William Monahan's script is based on the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs (2002). Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson's characters are based on real-life people, who were also portrayed in Black Mass. An Academy Award winner for best film, director, screenplay, and film editing.
