The Departed (2006)

An undercover state cop who infiltrated a Mafia clan and a mole in the police force working for the same mob race to track down and identify each other before being exposed to the enemy, after both sides realize their outfit has a rat.

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

William Monahan (screenplay), Alan Mak,

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson

Top 250 #50 | Won 4 Oscars. Another 62 wins & 62 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Billy
Matt Damon	...	Colin Sullivan
Jack Nicholson	...	Frank Costello
Mark Wahlberg	...	Dignam
Martin Sheen	...	Queenan
Ray Winstone	...	Mr. French
Vera Farmiga	...	Madolyn
Anthony Anderson	...	Trooper Brown
Alec Baldwin	...	Ellerby
Kevin Corrigan	...	Cousin Sean
James Badge Dale	...	Trooper Barrigan
David O'Hara	...	Fitzy (as David Patrick O'Hara)
Mark Rolston	...	Delahunt
Robert Wahlberg	...	Lazio - FBI
Kristen Dalton	...	Gwen

Storyline

In South Boston, the state police force is waging war on Irish-American organized crime. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Frank Costello. While Billy quickly gains Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan, a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the state police as an informer for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the mob and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly in danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy-and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself. But is either willing to turn on the friends and comrades they've made during their long stints undercover?

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Plot Keywords:

Police | Undercover | State Police | Criminal | Informer | 

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Taglines:

Underhanded

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, some strong sexual content and drug material

Details

Official Sites:

TFM Distribution [fr] Warner Bros. [us]

Country:

USA Hong Kong

Language:

English Cantonese

Release Date:

6 October 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los infiltrados

Filming Locations:

12 Farnsworth Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$121,183 (Chile) (17 November 2006)

Gross:

$132,373,442 (USA) (16 March 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Plan B Entertainment, Initial Entertainment Group (IEG)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

151 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's technical advisor was Thomas B. Duffy, a retired Massachusetts State Police major who worked out of Boston for nearly thirty years and specialized in organized crime. He was particularly involved in the case against notorious South Boston mob boss James 'Whitey' Bulger, whom Frank Costello is partly based on. Duffy appears as the Governor who delivers a speech to the graduating police cadets. There was an unconfirmed sighting of Bulger, one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted, at a theater showing the film by a deputy sheriff in San Diego, California. Bulger would be captured in Santa Monica, California on June 22, 2011; he'd been living in an apartment complex just a few blocks away from the production offices of 'GK Films [us]', who produced Edge of Darkness which Duffy also appeared in.

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Goofs

When Billy confronts the guy who robbed the armored truck, he pulls a Walther PPKS 380 caliber semi automatic pistol, he shoots the guy in the knee when you see the gun again the hammer is not cocked which it should be after taking the first shot.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Frank Costello: I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me. Years ago we had the church. That was only a way of saying - we had each other. The Knights of Columbus were real head-breakers; true guineas. They took over their piece of the city. Twenty years after an Irishman couldn't get a fucking job, we had the presidency. May he rest in peace. That's what the niggers don't realize. If I got one thing against the black chappies, it's this - no one ...

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Crazy Credits

The title doesn't appear on screen until nearly 20 minutes into the movie.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.54 (2010)
a clip is included in a montage of Mark Wahlberg films

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Soundtracks

"One Way Out"
(1961-65)
Written by Elmore James, Marshall Sehorn and Sonny Boy Williamson
Performed by The Allman Brothers Band
Courtesy of Universal Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Fantastic Bro

Excellent. A great, great movie. I saw it last night at a special screening and must say it was a tour de force. Even though Boston is not really a gritty town Scorsese was able to capture a darker side of the city. Coming from that area, I am always concerned when actors put on the local accent as it tends to be distracting rather than supportive. However, with local pros like Damon and Wahlberg they were able to really grab hold of it and not go overboard... most of the time. The true stand out performance has to go to DiCaprio. He has really come into his since hooking up with Scorsese, having scored a number of original performances all of which have expanded his range. He really snagged onto a deep and tragic character and created something that will hopefully be recognized come awards season. One of my favorite aspects was the friendly hostility the characters had for each other. It is a specific trademark that I have never noticed in any other city. In Boston, when you are really close with someone (or not really) it is, more or less, a requirement to bust their balls and shoot cruel insults back and forth in rhythmic banter. That detail was extensively realized in THE DEPARTED and I doubt anybody who was raised outside of the metro Boston area, or at least visited at some point, would find it nearly as hilarious as those who were. As for Scorsese's direction, I think he scored big with this one. While many have criticized that his movies have become more commercial I believe that he has just evolved. There were some classic Scorsese moments here, my favorite being a scene where DiCaprio is alone and packing his things in his apartment. Beautifully cut and stylistically directed. Is it his best effort? No. But it still is truly mesmerizing. He has created something truly special from a city that is highly underrated.