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"When I was your age, they would say we could become cops or criminals. What I'm saying to you is this: When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?"

-- Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson)

Forget any preconceived notions of the term "re-make" that may have developed from bad experience -- The Departed is a remarkable achievement in American crime cinema.

Borrowing elements from the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, Martin Scorsese establishes a stellar cast, a brilliantly-written script, and thematic use of Boston's heritage and culture to make The Departed his own.

The basic premise is that a cop goes undercover in the mob, while the mob places one of their own as a mole in the police force. In Scorsese's version, the "good cop" is Trooper William "Billy" Costigan Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), while the Staff Sergeant Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is the informant to mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson).

Sullivan is tracked from boyhood, rising through the ranks. Costigan's story runs parallel: His superiors stage kicking him off the force as a method of infiltrating Costello’s organization, which comes later.

Now, if anyone knows how to get the best out of DiCaprio, Damon and Wahlberg it's definitely Scorsese. DiCaprio, in particular, has matured considerably as an actor since he first came under the director's wing in Gangs of New York (many critics see him as Scorsese’s new Robert De Niro). Damon and Wahlberg, too, excel in their roles: Damon is cocky, and surprisingly charming, that we just love to hate him; Wahlberg, as second in command of the undercover unit, makes near-enough every scene his own with his hilarious, offensive jabberings at rookie-colleagues.

There are other notable performances from Alec Baldwin as Damon’s boss, who has a fair share of humorous moments; Martin Sheen, as the boss to DiCaprio, who, at times, is vulnerable and supple; Ray Winstone, as Costello's brutal, right-hand man Mr. French, is great; while Vera Farmiga makes a fair share of Freudian references as the department's psychiatrist.

Star of the show? It would have to be Nicholson. Infusing his character with a charm that is thoroughly engaging in every moment that he appears on the screen, the actor demonstrates why audiences have come to anticipate every movie that he headlines. He's quite brilliant.

And it's probably just as well, because at one-hundred-and-fifty-one minutes in length, The Departed is definitely not a quick fumble in the park; considering the enormous amount of talent on display, though, it really doesn't feel like it. Each actor chews and spits out their part of the script with such conviction, making it one hell of a ride from beginning to end.

The Departed gains life primarily from the dialogue of its characters, but it does have its fair share of action sequences, too. Without wanting to give too much away, there's a particular scene in The Departed where a body falls from the roof of a building and right to the feet of DiCaprio's character. It's such a startling moment: Blood splatters up from the body and onto the pale face of DiCaprio; the actor stands, unmoved, in a stare, as if genuinely aghast at the sight of what has just appeared in front of him. It is then that the audience truly feels the desperation and psychological torment of DiCaprio's character. It really is an astonishing moment in crime cinema.

There are similarities to Michael Mann's masterpiece Heat in the way Scorsese chooses to pace the film so eloquently, making us anticipate the showdown between the good cop and the bad cop. Throughout the entire movie, the camera barely sits still; we're given little time to pause for breath and reflect on what has just happened before us. We want to indulge further into the character environments of Irish Catholic South Boston, but Scorsese doesn't let us. It's a dynamic crime-thriller, worthy of numerous repeat viewings.

Scorsese is dubbed the "Master of the Mob Movie" and The Departed proves that there is no exception to this title. Grittily authentic and thoroughly fascinating from start to finish, this is a film that any director would be proud of -- it's a wonderful piece of work.

And, on a final note about DiCaprio, Damon, and even Wahlberg, one must admit that these young stars have never, in all their performances to date, earned as much respect for their acting talents as they have done via their performances here. (Just to be clear: I'm giving them a compliment).

(C) Andy Carrington, 2009.