In his latest triumph, Martin Scorsese succeeds where few before him have: filming a remake that trumps the original in all respects. Seamlessly transporting Hong Kong's Infernal Affairs to the rough-and-tumble streets of South Boston, The Departed is about undercover police officer Billy Costigan (DiCaprio), who is hiding in boss Frank Costello's (Nicholson) Irish Mafia. His foil, Colin Sullivan (Damon), is Costello's prot‚g‚ and is recently promoted to head the Boston P.D.'s Internal Service Unit. When it becomes clear that there is a mole in each organization, the pressure is on each agent to expose the other, lest either be discovered and killed.
The Departed not only benefits from an all-star cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen, but it is infused with Scorsese's intense action, patent violence and love of expletive language. While Infernal Affairs is wrought with melodrama and sterility, The Departed is infused with a dynamic pulse that lures the viewer into the seedy underworld of trash-talking Irish gangsters and bellicose cops. With these tools, Scorcese creates a world where murder and betrayal are imperative for survival and nobody is above suspicion.
Nicholson gives a standout performance as the furtive boss Costello, waving dismembered hands and emanating evil, while DiCaprio plays a Costigan teetering on the verge of paranoia. Ultimately, Scorsese doles out justice to these crooked characters in the The Departed's climax, drawing the year's most exciting cinematic experience to a close. Should justice be served in real life, Scorsese will be served an Oscar come March.
