The Departed

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The Departed
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Produced by Brad Grey
Graham King
Roy Lee
Brad Pitt
Written by Screenplay (Infernal Affairs):
Felix Chong
Alan Mak
Screenplay:
William Monahan
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio
Matt Damon
Jack Nicholson
and
Mark Wahlberg
Martin Sheen
Ray Winstone
Vera Farmiga
Anthony Anderson
and Alec Baldwin
Music by Howard Shore
Cinematography Michael Ballhaus
Editing by Thelma Schoonmaker
Distributed by Flag of the United States Warner Bros. (and worldwide with exceptions)
Flag of the United Kingdom Entertainment Film Distributors
Flag of France TFM Distribution
Flag of the Republic of China Long Shong Entertainment Multimedia Company
Flag of Italy Medusa Distribuzione
Release date(s) October 6, 2006
Running time 151 min.
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language English
Budget $90 million
Gross revenue $289,847,354 (worldwide)
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile
Ratings
Argentina:  16
Australia:  MA
Brazil:  18
Canada (Alberta):  18A
Canada (BC/SK):  18A
Canada (Ontario):  18A
Canada (Manitoba):  18A
Canada (Quebec):  13+
Denmark:  15
Finland:  K-15
France:  U
Germany:  16
Greece:  K-13
Hong Kong:  IIB
India:  A
Ireland:  16 (original) 18 (video)
Israel:  16
Japan:  R-15
Malaysia:  18SG
Mexico:  C
Netherlands:  16
New Zealand:  R16
Norway:  15
Philippines:  R-13
Portugal:  M/16
Singapore:  M18
South Korea:  15
Spain:  18
Sweden:  15
Switzerland:  16
United Kingdom:  18
United States:  R

The Departed is a 2006 crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg. It is an American remake of the 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs. The film won four Academy Awards at the 79th Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

This film takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, where notorious Irish Mob boss Francis "Frank" Costello (Nicholson) plants his protégé Colin Sullivan (Damon) as an informant within the Massachusetts State Police. Simultaneously, the police assign undercover cop William Costigan, Jr. (DiCaprio) to infiltrate Costello's crew. When both sides of the law realize the situation, each man attempts to discover the other's true identity before being found out.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The film begins in South Boston and Charlestown, featuring a montage of riot footage with voice-over narration by Irish mob boss Francis "Frank" Costello (Nicholson), who expresses his belief that "a man makes his own way" in the world, and that "no one gives it to you... you have to take it." He is able to beguile a young neighborhood boy named Colin Sullivan (Conor Donovan), who enters into Costello's criminal underground at a young age.

Years later, Colin Sullivan (now played by Damon) is finishing his training for the Massachusetts State Police, as, in a separate class, is William "Billy" Costigan, Jr. (DiCaprio); both eventually graduate to become state troopers. Sullivan, who quickly distinguishes himself, is assigned to the Special Investigations Unit ("SIU") of the State Police by SIU's Captain Queenan (Sheen) and Staff Sergeant Dignam (Wahlberg). Queenan and Dignam also interview Costigan, but are convinced that Costigan's family ties with the Boston underworld make Costigan unsuitable for anything other than undercover work. Costigan agrees to work for Queenan and Dignam's undercover division of SIU and become a mole in Costello's crime family. To make his new identity believable, SIU creates a false assault conviction for Costigan, who serves a jail sentence to comply with the sham conviction. The "conviction" also requires Costigan to be placed on probation upon release, and to attend mandatory psychiatry sessions with staff psychiatrist Dr. Madolyn Madden (Farmiga), who will later become Costigan's love interest. Costigan's police academy record and file are concealed from the department, leaving only Queenan and Dignam with any knowledge of his true identity.

Sullivan is assigned to the organized-crime division of SIU, an "elite unit" headed by Captain Ellerby (Baldwin). The unit's only target is Costello, whom the unit attempts to apprehend in cooperation with the FBI. Although Dignam agrees to assist Ellerby's unit, he refuses to reveal any information about undercover informants to the organized-crime division of SIU. Costigan, in the meantime, infiltrates Costello's crew using his family connections and a "nothing to lose" character he fashions for himself while in Costello's presence (Costigan beats up two of Costello's rival Italian-American gang members, as well as one of Costello's own underlings). Although suspicious of Costigan's motives, Costello adopts Costigan into his crime family after Costigan withstands a physically torturous inquisition into his police background by Costello.

Sullivan, in the meantime, works to tip-off Costello to police activity while moving his way up the ranks in SIU. Sullivan also attempts to work his way up the social strata, by initiating a romantic relationship with Dr. Madden. Shortly afterward, Madden begins seeing Costigan under the terms of his probation, and begins a simultaneous romantic relationship with Costigan of which Sullivan is unaware. Until the end of the relationship, Madden remains unaware that Costigan is actually a State police officer, instead falling in love with Costigan's concocted criminal persona.

After one of Costello's illegal transactions is nearly thwarted by SIU, Costello becomes convinced that there is a rat in his crew. Likewise, Costello's elegant evasion of SIU's heavy surveillance during the transaction tips Queenan and Dignam to the presence of an informer in SIU.

To catch the "rat" in his gang, Costello agrees to obtain the biographical information of his enforcers and transmit it to Sullivan in SIU for a records check. The information, including social security numbers, is collected on paper and placed in a distinctive envelope to be transmitted to Sullivan. Costigan, predicting that the envelope will be transmitted to the mole in SIU, follows the envelope and Costello, where Costigan observes the inter-change between Costello and his mole in a porno house (the film being played is an actual scene from Debbie Does Dallas - The Revenge). Costigan, however, cannot directly identify Costello's mole because of his vantage point. Attempting to discover Sullivan's identity, Costigan follows him through the streets, where Sullivan becomes alerted to Costigan's presence. Costigan eventually loses track of Sullivan in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood; and neither party becomes able to positively identify the other.

Meanwhile, SIU initiates its own measures to capture the mole(s) in its division. Captain Ellerby, beguiled by Sullivan's "immaculate record", assigns him to investigate SIU officers and locate the mole(s). Sullivan uses his new authority to instead target the mole in Costello's crew. He orders SIU officers to follow Captain Queenan, which eventually leads them to a building where Costigan has scheduled a meeting with Queenan. Sullivan quickly realizes that Queenan is meeting the informant in Costello's crew, and calls Costello to alert him. Costello orders his crew to the scene; and they arrive before the two officers can make their escape. Queenan orders Costigan to flee, and stays behind to confront Costello's crew alone, resulting in him being thrown out of a window to his death. Costigan encounters the crew on their way out of the building, feigning his late arrival on the scene to help catch Costello's "rat."

The SIU, which is still present at the scene, opens fire on Costello's crew, wounding one of Costello's lieutenants, Timothy Delahunt (Mark Rolston). After a narrow escape, the crew gathers in one of Costello's hideouts where Delahunt lies dying. Delahunt, out of earshot of the others, reveals to Costigan his certainty that Costigan is the mole, but states he has not informed any of the others. Delahunt then expires, and a news report (watched by Costello and his men) states that he was a police informant, but Costello assures the others that "the cops are saying he's a cop, so I won't look for the cop."

In the aftermath of Queenan's death, Sullivan orders Dignam to "unlock" the files on undercover officers for him; Dignam replies by punching Sullivan in the face and airing suspicions that Sullivan had a hidden motive for following Queenan. Ellerby steps in and places Dignam on a 2 week probation.

Sullivan then opens the box of evidence retrieved from Queenan's murder scene, and finds Queenan's cell phone with a stored number to his undercover in Costello's crew. Sullivan calls Costigan and attempts to lure him out of hiding by pretending to be Queenan's replacement. While rifling through the other recovered articles of evidence, Sullivan finds a notation in Queenan's personal notebook indicating that Costello might be an informant for the FBI.

Costello is later tailed by SIU to a warehouse where he is to acquire packages of cocaine for distribution. Sullivan, disturbed by the possibility of Costello's informant identity, stages a police ambush at the warehouse. Costigan, who has communicated with Sullivan to set up the ambush, slips away from the scene before the two sides engage in a shoot-out. Costello is badly wounded in the fray, but manages to slip away and contacts Sullivan for aid. Sullivan, however, confronts Costello about his status as an informant in the FBI, and demands to know whether Costello has alerted the FBI to Sullivan's criminal activities. Costello attempts to kill Sullivan with a concealed pistol, but Sullivan manages to kill Costello first.

At the station, Sullivan is showered with praise from his co-workers, who remain unaware of his identity and relationship with Costello. Costigan, who has come in after Costello's death to regain his identity, meets with Sullivan for the first time. While Sullivan leaves the room to retrieve Costigan's file, Costigan notices the distinctive envelope containing the crew's personal information sitting on Sullivan's desk and leaves the station. Sullivan erases Costigan's police record and file from the department database. Costigan locates Madden and gives her an envelope, without disclosing its contents, only telling her to open it if anything should happen to him in the next few weeks.

Madden, at the apartment she shares with Sullivan, is tipped to the true identity of each when a piece of mail arrives, addressed from "WM Costigan" to Sullivan. It contains sound recordings of Sullivan and Costello's private conversations, along with Costigan's phone number. Madden plays the recordings for Sullivan, who dismisses them, but who nervously calls Costigan for an explanation. Costigan explains that the tapes, which Costello kept for self-protection reasons, had all been released to him by Costello's lawyer upon Costello's death. Using the tapes as leverage, Costigan orders Sullivan to meet him later that day at the building where Queenan was killed.

On the building's rooftop, Costigan confronts and handcuffs Sullivan, intending to arrest him and reveal his part in Costello's organization. Sullivan's SIU colleague, Officer Brown, (Anthony Anderson) (who attended M.S.P. training with Costigan) arrives shortly afterward and orders Costigan to stand down. Costigan backs Sullivan into an elevator at gunpoint. When the elevator doors open on the ground floor, Costigan is shot through the head by Officer Barrigan, (who attended M.S.P. training with Sullivan) who then kills Brown when Brown reaches the ground floor. Barrigan explains that he too was in Costello's employ, and appeals to Sullivan with solidarity, stating that they "must stick together" to survive. Instead, Sullivan shoots Barrigan to keep his involvement with Costello a secret. In his official report, Sullivan tells investigators that Barrigan, as Costello's lone mole, entered the building and shot both Costigan and Brown, whom Sullivan was unable to save. Sullivan closes by recommending William Costigan, Jr. for the department's Medal of Merit.

At Costigan's funeral, Madden rebuffs Sullivan's attempts to reconcile their relationship. Following the funeral, Sullivan returns home with groceries to find Dignam (apparently tipped off by Madden) waiting in his apartment. Dignam shoots Sullivan through the head with a suppressed pistol, and then exits the apartment. The camera pans up from Sullivan's body to show a lone rat crawling on the apartment's balcony railing, which frames the gold dome of the Massachusetts State House in the background.

[edit] Cast

The part of Dignam, played by Mark Wahlberg was originally offered to Ray Liotta and then Denis Leary, who turned it down because of his commitment to the TV series Rescue Me.[citation needed] Robert De Niro was also offered the role of Queenan by Scorsese, but he turned it down due to filming The Good Shepherd.[1]

Originally, William Monahan's script had Billy and Colin being childhood friends, who lost touch with each other after attending the police academy. Therefore, Costigan's discovery of Sullivan being Costello's informant would have been even more emotionally jarring for Costigan. Ultimately, Monahan dropped the idea, and Billy and Colin do not appear to know each other until their first meeting following Costello's death.

William Monahan's final script states that there is a four year gap between Colin's graduating from the police academy and Billy's entering the police academy. Thus, it can be inferred that Colin is at least four years older than Billy. Near the end of the film, Billy's personnel file is visible on a computer screen. According to the file, his birth date is November 7, 1984 making Billy 22 years old and Colin at least 26 years old during the events of the film.

[edit] Themes

Film critic Stanley Kauffman describes a major theme of The Departed as one of the oldest in drama—the concept of identity—and how it "affects one's actions, emotions, self-assurance, and even dreams."[2]

The father-son relationship is a motif throughout the film. Costello acts as a father figure to both Sullivan and Costigan and Queenan acts as Costello's foil in the role of father-figure presenting both sides of the Irish-American father archetype.[3] Sullivan also refers to Costello as 'Dad' whenever he calls him to inform him of police activities.

The film also explores a variety of masculine crises; from impotence to the emasculation of subjecting oneself to 'talk' therapy.[citation needed]

In Rolling Stone magazine, Scorsese linked the zero-sum feeling of the end of his movie to real-world feelings toward terrorism and the war on terrorism.

Additionally, class issues are a major theme throughout the film, Sullivan, a working-class Irish-Catholic who desires to rise in the department, even as a mole, and moves into upper-class apartments and considers leaving the state, and Costigan, who comes from a working-class section of Boston but was raised in, and ultimately rejects, an upper-class environment.

[edit] Homages

  • In homage to the 1932 film Scarface (a film by Howard Hughes, directed by Howard Hawks), Scorsese inserted the X (a symbol of death, or departure) in various shots to signify those who would become "the departed". In several cases, the "X" appears multiple times for a character. This is most prevalent after the title "The Departed" first appears on screen, as a wave of Xs can be seen layered over Sullivan at his apartment, and through a fence over Costigan while he walks the prison halls. Other instances include Xs in the windows at the moment of Queenan's death, and on the bridge above the construction yard at the time of Costello's death. There are also X's in the structure outside the window of the Terminal where Bill Costigan is contemplating flying away, a very obvious placing of one on the envelope of the note with social security numbers, and on the floor outside of Sullivan's apartment. Though it is considered that the most prevalent of all is when Costigan has Sullivan handcuffed in the elevator just prior to his death. A black X can be seen in duct tape on the wall behind them. Also before Officer Brown is killed, you can see a white X in his elevator wall which his head passes by in the same spot where Barrigan shoots him in the head.[4][5]
  • After Sullivan leaves the porn theater, the chase through Chinatown is a tribute to Orson Welles's The Lady from Shanghai, with the shot of the glass mobile recalling the famous house-of-mirrors scene.[6]
  • The funeral scene, where Madden walks away from Sullivan without speaking to him, pays homage to The Third Man, directed by Carol Reed, where Anna walks away from Holly Martins.[7]

[edit] Soundtrack music

There were two albums released for The Departed, one presenting the original score composed for the movie by Howard Shore, and the other featuring earlier recordings, mostly pop/rock songs, which were used on the soundtrack.

[edit] Music from the Motion Picture album

The Departed
The Departed cover
Soundtrack by Various Artists
Released November 7, 2006
Genre Rock
Film music
Country
Pop
Label Warner Sunset
Producer Jason Cienkus
Professional reviews

The movie opens with "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones and prominently plays "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" by Dropkick Murphys with lyrics written by Woody Guthrie, which gained the band some popularity. "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" was also used in the CBS News radio brief the morning following the Oscars, with the intro of "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" playing in the background as the awards were announced. It also features a live version of "Comfortably Numb" by Roger Waters and Van Morrison from the 1990 Berlin Wall Concert which was originally by Pink Floyd.

Although "Gimme Shelter" is featured in the film, the song does not appear on the album soundtrack. Also heard in the movie but not featured on the soundtrack is "Thief's Theme" by Nas, "Well Well Well" by John Lennon, "Bang Bang" by Joe Cuba and the Act II Sextet from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

The movie closes with a cover of Don Gibson's "Sweet Dreams", interpreted by the late Roy Buchanan.

Track Listing

  1. "Comfortably Numb" (Roger Waters Feat. Van Morrison and The Band, version from The Wall Concert in Berlin) – 7:59
  2. "Sail On, Sailor" (Beach Boys) – 3:18
  3. "Let It Loose" (Rolling Stones) – 5:18
  4. "Sweet Dreams" (Roy Buchanan) – 3:32
  5. "One Way Out" (Allman Brothers Band) – 4:57
  6. "Baby Blue" (Badfinger) – 3:36
  7. "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" (Dropkick Murphys) – 2:34
  8. "Nobody But Me" (Human Beinz) – 2:18
  9. "Tweedle Dee" (LaVern Baker) – 3:10
  10. "Sweet Dreams (Of You)" (Patsy Cline) – 2:34
  11. "The Departed Tango" (Howard Shore, Marc Ribot) – 3:32
  12. "Beacon Hill" (Howard Shore, Sharon Isbin) – 2:33

[edit] Original Score album

The Departed
The Departed cover
Soundtrack by Howard Shore
Released December 5, 2006
Genre Soundtracks
Film music
Label New Line
Producer Jason Cienkus
Professional reviews

The film score for The Departed was written by Howard Shore and performed by guitarists Sharon Isbin, G.E. Smith, Larry Saltzman and Marc Ribot. The score was recorded in Shore's own studio in New York State.

Track Listing

  1. "Cops or Criminals" – 2:01
  2. "344 Wash" – 2:03
  3. "Beacon Hill" – 2:36
  4. "The Faithful Departed" – 3:01
  5. "Colin" – 2:09
  6. "Madolyn" – 2:14
  7. "Billy's Theme" – 6:58
  8. "Command" – 3:15
  9. "Chinatown" – 3:16
  10. "Boston Common" – 2:53
  11. "Miss Thing" – 1:45
  12. "The Baby" – 2:48
  13. "The Last Rites" – 3:05
  14. "The Departed Tango" – 3:38

[edit] Boston setting

A still from the theatrical trailer: the incorporation of the Boston Back Bay skyline into the gun reinforces the film's thematic use of Boston's heritage and culture.
A still from the theatrical trailer: the incorporation of the Boston Back Bay skyline into the gun reinforces the film's thematic use of Boston's heritage and culture.

Born to an Irish-American family in the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester, Massachusetts, William Monahan (who adapted the screenplay from Infernal Affairs) incorporates the culture and history of Boston heavily into the film. The first images are news clips from the busing riots of the 1970s, over which Costello muses about the city's troubled racial history. Several times, Dignam refers to Costigan as "lace curtain", a term used primarily in the Boston metropolitan area by working-class Irish-Americans and Italian-Americans to disparage upper-middle class Irish-Americans and Italian-Americans who have "strayed from their roots" in their attempt to better themselves.

The majority of the characters have the non-rhotic Boston accent (a native of Cambridge, Matt Damon also incorporated the accent into his character in his 1997 film Good Will Hunting). The Massachusetts State House is also featured in the film as a symbol of Colin Sullivan's ambition. Boston Red Sox apparel is seen and worn, including the appearance of a now-out-of-print "Reverse The Curse" bumper sticker on the wall at SIU headquarters. Costello and his gang drive over the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge in one scene. The building off which Queenan is thrown (and where Costigan and Sullivan later meet) is in the Fort Point section of South Boston with the downtown skyline as backdrop (the fictitious "344 Wash" is actually an alley between Farnsworth and Thompson Streets). The John Hancock Tower is referenced by Costello. Characters are shown working in the striking, Brutalist Government Service Center downtown. The film includes the song "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" by the Dropkick Murphys, an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts. Other references include state locations such as Route 128, regions such as the North Shore, there is a shot of the Park Street and South Station MBTA Red Line stops, local towns such as Brockton, Worcester, Gloucester, and Somerville while having turf wars with crew from nearby Providence, a cameo by the Lynn police, mention of the Dedham Mall (located in Dedham just south of Boston), and state slang like "Staties", a local nickname for Massachusetts State Police troopers. Also, Deerfield Academy, a boarding school in Deerfield, MA, is referenced when Dignam points out that Costigan was expelled from the school after assaulting the gym teacher (though in reality Deerfield, like most Independant Schools, has no gym class). Additionally, the label on Costigan's prescription bottle shows a Beverly Street address in Boston. The character Frank Costello was largely based on James "Whitey" Bulger, a real life Irish-American mobster in Boston who was secretly an FBI informant for over three decades. The revelation that the FBI had long protected Bulger and his gang from prosecution caused a major scandal in Boston law enforcement. Bulger was believed to have been seen coming out of a theater showing the film in San Diego in November 2006.[8][9] Matt Damon's character is based on John Connolly, the FBI agent who tipped off Bulger for years, allowing him to evade arrest. In real life, Bulger went into hiding and is still presumed to be at large, currently occupying a spot on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list; Connolly is currently imprisoned for his role in Bulger's criminal activities.[10] Costigan's undercover role as a former State trooper who joins the Irish mob parallels the story of Richard Marinick, a former State trooper who later joined Whitey Bulger's crime syndicate. Costigan also lives in Somerville, where Bulger's Winter Hill Gang began. Thomas Duffy, the film's technical advisor (he also plays the Governor at the State Police Academy graduation ceremony), is a former MSP major who was assigned to investigate the Irish mob upon making detective.

[edit] Reception

The Departed was highly anticipated when it was released on October 6, 2006 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. The film is currently one of the highest-rated wide release films of 2006 on Rotten Tomatoes at 92%,[11] the sixth highest on Metacritic.

Popular critic James Berardinelli awarded the film four stars out of four, praising it as "an American epic tragedy." He went on to compare the film favorably to the onslaught of banality offered by American studios in recent years. "The movies have been in the doldrums lately. The Departed is a much needed tonic," he wrote. He also went on to claim that the film deserves to be ranked alongside Scorsese's past successes, including Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas.[12]

Andrew Lau, the co-director of Infernal Affairs, who was interviewed by Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, said, "Of course I think the version I made is better, but the Hollywood version is pretty good too. [Scorsese] made the Hollywood version more attuned to American culture." Andy Lau, one of the main actors in Infernal Affairs, when asked how the movie compares to the original, said, "The Departed was too long and it felt as if Hollywood had combined all three Infernal Affairs movies together."[13] Lau pointed out that the remake featured some of the "golden quotes" of the original but did have much more swearing. He ultimately rated The Departed 8/10 and said that the Hollywood remake is worth a view, though "the effect of combining the two female characters in the original into one isn't as good as in the original", according to Lau's spokeswoman Alice Tam.[14]

The film also evoked some controversy in Boston. Michael Patrick MacDonald, author of the Southie memoirs All Souls and Easter Rising, wrote an op-ed piece for The Boston Globe[15] praising the film's ability to recreate the "strangulating" culture created by Boston gangsters, politicians, and law enforcement officials at all levels of local, state, and federal government - a culture of violent death and silence that led to years of young suicides and an epidemic of painkilling through heroin and Oxycontin, the latter even shown in the film. The op-ed piece caused a stir in Boston, eliciting a missive from a South Boston state senator as well as letters from South Boston real estate agents concerned about the "negative" depiction of the "trendy" neighborhood of South Boston.[citation needed]

The film grossed $26,887,467 in its opening weekend, becoming the third Scorsese film to debut at #1. The film saw small declines in later weeks, remaining in the list of top ten films for seven weeks. The film grossed $132,384,315 domestically and $289,835,021 worldwide. Budgeted at $90 million, the film is believed to be the most commercially successful of Scorsese's features and is his highest-grossing film to date, easily beating The Aviator's previous record of $102.6 million.

The film won four Academy Awards at the 79th Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director (Martin Scorsese) (The latter was thought to be long overdue, and some entertainment critics subsequently referred to it as Scorsese's "Lifetime Achievement" Oscar), Best Film Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker), and Best Adapted Screenplay (William Monahan). Mark Wahlberg was also nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance.

[edit] Top ten lists

The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2006.[16]

Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal, Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle, and Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer named it one of the top ten best films of 2006.[16] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times named it the best film of 2006.

[edit] Awards and nominations

Award Category Winner/Nominee Won
Academy Awards Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Best Editing Thelma Schoonmaker
Best Picture
Best Screenplay - Adapted William Monahan
Best Supporting Actor Mark Wahlberg No
American Cinema Editors (ACE) Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic Thelma Schoonmaker Yes
Art Directors Guild (ADG) Excellence in Production Design - Contemporary Film No
Austin Film Critics Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio Yes
Best Supporting Actor Jack Nicholson
Boston Film Critics Best Cast No
Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Best Film
Best Screenplay William Monahan
Best Supporting Actor Mark Wahlberg
BAFTA Film Awards Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio No
Best Director Martin Scorsese
Best Editing Thelma Schoonmaker
Best Film
Best Screenplay - Adapted William Monahan
Best Supporting Actor Jack Nicholson
Broadcast Film Critics Top 10 Films of the Year (#3)
Best Actor Leonardo Dicaprio No
Best Cast
Best Composer Howard Shore
Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Best Film
Best Supporting Actor Jack Nicholson No
Best Writer William Monahan
Chicago Film Critics Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio No
Best Cinematography Michael Ballhaus
Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Best Film
Best Screenplay - Adapted William Monahan
Best Supporting Actor Jack Nicholson No
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Top 10 Films of the Year (#2)
Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Directors Guild of America (DGA) Outstanding Directorial Achievement Martin Scorsese Yes
Florida Film Critics Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Best Film
Best Screenplay William Monahan
Best Supporting Actor Jack Nicholson
Golden Globe Awards[17] Best Actor - Drama Leonardo DiCaprio No
Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Best Film - Drama No
Best Screenplay William Monahan
Best Supporting Actor Jack Nicholson
Best Supporting Actor Mark Wahlberg
Kansas City Film Critics Best Screenplay - Adapted William Monahan Yes
Las Vegas Film Critics Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Best Editing Thelma Schoonmaker
Best Film
MTV Movie Awards Best Villain Jack Nicholson Yes
National Board of Review Top 10 Films of the Year (#4)
Best Cast Yes
Best Director Martin Scorsese
New York Film Critics Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Best Film No
Best Screenplay William Monahan
National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Mark Wahlberg Yes
Online Film Critics Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio No
Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Best Editing Thelma Schoonmaker No
Best Film
Best Screenplay - Adapted William Monahan
Best Supporting Actor Jack Nicholson
Best Supporting Actor Mark Wahlberg
Producers Guild of America (PGA) Motion Picture Producer of the Year Graham King No
Phoenix Film Critics Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Best Editing Thelma Schoonmaker
Best Supporting Actor Jack Nicholson
Best Screenplay - Adapted William Monahan
Satellite Awards Best Cast Yes
Best Director Martin Scorsese No
Best Film - Drama Yes
Best Screenplay - Adapted William Monahan
Best Supporting Actor Leonardo DiCaprio
Best Supporting Actor Jack Nicholson No
Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Best Cast No
Best Supporting Actor Leonardo DiCaprio
Southeastern Film Critics Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Best Film
Best Screenplay - Adapted William Monahan
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Best Director Martin Scorsese Yes
Writers Guild of America (WGA) Best Screenplay - Adapted William Monahan Yes
Single-disc DVD cover for The Departed
Single-disc DVD cover for The Departed

London Film Critics Circle:

  • Nominated: Film of the Year
  • Nominated: British Producer (Graham King)
  • Nominated: Best Director (Martin Scorsese)

Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards:

  • Won: Best Gangstertainment

Toronto Film Critics Association:

  • Nominated: Best Picture
  • Nominated: Best Director (Martin Scorsese)
  • Nominated: Best Supporting Male Performance (Mark Wahlberg)
  • Nominated: Best Screenplay (William Monahan)
2-disc DVD cover for The Departed
2-disc DVD cover for The Departed

[edit] DVD and HD release

The Departed was released by Warner Brothers on DVD on February 13, 2007 in Region 1 format and on February 19, 2007 in Region 2 format, and has also been released on March 14, 2007 in Region 4 format. The film is available in a single-disc full screen (1:33:1), single-disc widescreen (2:40:1) edition, and 2-disc special edition. The second disc of this film predominately contains features that concerned the crimes that influenced Scorsese with deleted scenes being the only feature that are actually film related. The Region 1 version has three available audio tracks: English, Spanish, and French (all of which are in Dolby Digital 5.1), and also three subtitle tracks (English, Spanish, French). The film was also released on HD DVD and Blu-ray at the same time as the standard-definition DVD. The 2-Disc Special Edition was also packaged in a Limited Edition Metal Steelbook. It also marked the first time that an Oscar winning Best Picture was released to the home video market only in the DVD format, as VHS was totally phased out by the start of 2006; the 2005 Best Picture, Crash, was the last Oscar winner to be issued in the VHS format.

[edit] Potential sequel

In February 2007, Mark Wahlberg had an interview with Empire Magazine about The Departed 2. Although the film hasn't been greenlit yet, Wahlberg stated that there might be a sequel, and they're considering bringing in Robert De Niro to play a senator or a congressman. He also stated that William Monahan is busy penning the script and that shooting could begin sometime in "the beginning of next year or end of this year".[18]

However, the film is said to be on hold, due to producer Brad Grey's involvement since he's now the head of Paramount Pictures and the film is a Warner Bros. project.[19]

Word has now come out that HBO is looking to do a series based on the movie that would be both a prequel and a sequel. Also, IMDB has a page on the "Untitled Departed Sequel," with a release date of 2009.

[edit] Cultural references

The film was satirized in a 2008 episode of The Simpsons called "The Debarted".

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Tom Charity. "Review: 'Departed' is fiercely entertaining", CNN, 2006-10-09. 
  2. ^ Kauffmann, Stanley. (Oct 30, 2006). Themes and Schemes. New Republic. Vol. 235, Issue 18.
  3. ^ 'The Departed'
  4. ^ John Maguire (2006-10-04). Departed to the Judgement. Confessions of a Film Critic. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  5. ^ Rene Rodriguez (2007-01-07). X marks the spot in The Departed. Reeling - MiamiHerald.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  6. ^ John Maguire (2006-10-04). Departed to the Judgement. Confessions of a Film Critic. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  7. ^ John Maguire (2006-10-04). Departed to the Judgement. Confessions of a Film Critic. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  8. ^ Was that Whitey departing the departed? California cop believes he saw Bulger flee flick
  9. ^ http://www.kfmb.com/features/crimefighters/story.php?id=70214 Mob Boss James “Whitey” Bulger Spotted In San Diego
  10. ^ FBI - Most Wanted - The FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
  11. ^ The Departed - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes
  12. ^ Review: Departed, The
  13. ^ Andy Lau comments on The Departed (Chinese) (2006-10-06). Retrieved on 2006-10-06.
  14. ^ Andy Lau Gives 'Departed' an 8 Out of 10 (2006-10-07). Retrieved on 2006-10-07.
  15. ^ Revisiting Southie's culture of death - The Boston Globe
  16. ^ a b Metacritic: 2006 Film Critic Top Ten Lists. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
  17. ^ HFPA - Nominations and Winners. goldenglobes.org. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
  18. ^ Empire Online. "Exclusive: News On Departed 2... And 3!", Empire, 2007-02-07. Retrieved on 2007-02-07. 
  19. ^ Stax. "No Departed 2 Just Yet", IGN, 2007-02-05. Retrieved on 2007-02-07. 

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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Awards
Preceded by
Crash		 Academy Award for Best Picture
2006		 Succeeded by
No Country for Old Men
Preceded by
Open Season		 Box office number-one films of 2006 (USA)
October 8, 2006		 Succeeded by
The Grudge 2
v • d • e
Academy Award for Best Picture

A Beautiful Mind (2001) · Chicago (2002) · The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) · Million Dollar Baby (2004) · Crash (2005) · The Departed (2006) · No Country for Old Men (2007)
Complete List · 1928–1940 · 1941–1960 · 1961–1980 · 1981–2000 · 2001–present
v • d • e
Films directed by Martin Scorsese
1960s
1970s
Street Scenes (1970)  • Boxcar Bertha (1972)  • Mean Streets (1973)  • Italianamerican (1974)  • Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)  • Taxi Driver (1976)  • New York, New York (1977)  • American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince (1978)  • The Last Waltz (1978)
1980s
Raging Bull (1980)  • The King of Comedy (1983)  • After Hours (1985)  • The Color of Money (1986)  • The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)  • New York Stories (1989)
1990s
Goodfellas (1990)  • Cape Fear (1991)  • The Age of Innocence (1993)  • Casino (1995)  • A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)  • Kundun (1997)  • My Voyage to Italy (1999)  • Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
2000s
Gangs of New York (2002)  • The Blues (2003) • The Aviator (2004)  • No Direction Home (2005)  • The Departed (2006)  • Shine a Light (2008)  • Ashecliffe (2009)
Produced
You Can Count on Me (2000)  • Nyfes (2004) • The Young Victoria (2008)