The Departed
The Departed Image
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Metascore
86 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 39 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 792 Ratings

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  • Starring: Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon
  • Summary: This gritty crime drama from director Martin Scorsese takes us into the lives of two cops: Colin Sullivan (Damon), smart and unabashedly ambitious, appears to be on the fast track in the Massachusetts State Police Department's elite Special Investigations Unit, whose prime target is powerful Irish mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson). Billy Costigan (DiCaprio), street-smart and tough, is purported to have a violent temper that costs him his badge and eventually lands him back on the rough streets of South Boston, where he is recruited into Costello's ranks. But neither man is what he seems and, as they work at cross purposes, they are plunged into a dangerous game of cat and mouse in which the stakes could not be higher. (Warner Bros.)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 39
  3. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    100
    A ferociously entertaining film.
  2. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    100
    A new American crime classic from the legendary Martin Scorsese, whose talent shines here on its highest beams.
  3. Empire
    Reviewed by: Roberto Sadovski
    80
    Back to the streets and with a stellar cast, Martin Scorsese proves once again that he's the master of urban storytelling -- and of thrillingly violent filmmaking.
  4. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    60
    Neither a debacle nor a bore, The Departed works but only up to a point, and never emotionally--even if the director does contrive to supply his version of a happy ending.

See all 39 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 283 out of 370
  2. Mixed: 38 out of 370
  3. Negative: 49 out of 370
  1. NYcritic
    10
    An excellent film with an outstanding cast brilliant direction and genius writing and a spectacular ending. This is one of the finest films of Scorsese since Goodfellas & Taxi Driver.… Expand
  2. BrendanCogs99
    8
    The Departed is Martin Scorsese's most recent gangster film about two Boston state police officers (Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon) on separate sides of the law who cross paths when a rat is seeked out in both the police, and a gangster's (Jack Nicholson) crew of Irish gangsters. Is it better then Goodfellas, hell no. But it is one damn good crime film.… Expand
  3. JoeB
    7
    It certainly doesn't trump Scorese's past works, but you can see his brilliance in some parts. It is not the least sentimental, and I doubt that it was Oscar-worthy, compared to his last brilliances, such as Goodfellas and Taxi Driver. The characters are not defined at all. The only aspect of the writing that is decent is the characterization of Boston. But that doesn't make a good movie. Instead of relying on the characters, this film relies on the plot, which is a terrible mistake. I don't know how Scorsese made this screenplay into a decent movie. No one else could, and I guess that's what separates some directors from others. Only a true genius like Scorsese could make this Bourne-esque movie into a barely decent one.… Expand
  4. BR
    4
    Okay this is not 'Goodfellas'. Cartoony is the best adjective I can use to describe the film. Actually I was expecting Roger Rabbit to appear at the end and shoot Walhberg.… Expand

See all 370 User Reviews

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