Martin Scorsese makes a welcome return to the mean streets (of Boston, in this case) with The Departed, hailed by many as Scorsese's best film since Casino. Since this crackling crime thriller is essentially a Scorsese-stamped remake of the acclaimed 2002 Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, the film was intensely scrutinized by devoted critics and cinephiles, and while Scorsese's intense filmmaking and all-star cast deserve ample acclaim, The Departed is also worthy of serious re-assessment, especially with regard to what some attentive viewers described as sloppy craftsmanship (!), notably in terms of mismatched shots and jagged continuity. But no matter where you fall on the Scorsese appreciation scale, there's no denying that The Departed is a signature piece of work from one of America's finest directors, designed for maximum impact with a breathtaking series of twists, turns, and violent surprises. It's an intricate cat-and-mouse game, but this time the cat and mouse are both moles: Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is an ambitious cop on the rise, planted in the Boston police force by criminal kingpin Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hot-tempered police cadet who's been artificially disgraced and then planted into Costello's crime operation as a seemingly trustworthy soldier. As the multilayered plot unfolds (courtesy of a scorching adaptation by Kingdom of Heaven screenwriter William Monahan), Costigan and Sullivan conduct a volatile search for each other (they're essentially looking for "themselves") while simultaneously wooing the psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga) assigned to treat their crime-driven anxieties.

Excellent Movie... Good Transfer.... But.....

I'm not going to review the movie, but I'm going to state some observation. I bought the DVD version of the movie a while back, the limited edition with the metal casing. Once I got my PS3, and I played the DVD on my PS3 with HDMI cable, and it looks AWESOME because it unconverted DVD's to 1080p. But since I essentially have a BluRay player now, I'm eager to get my favorite movies on BluRay. I got the BluRay version yesterday from Amazon, I popped in this edition in the PS3, and there are some obvervations I'm noticed.

I don't see ANY DIFFERENCE between the Video quality. I mean, there are some scenes like sceneries that I can see maybe a sharper picture, but I don't see a difference between picture quality between the excellent DVD transfer and the BluRay version. So, I kind of wasted $25 on the BluRay version, and now the question is which do I sell. I like the metal casing for the DVD version, but BluRay is BluRay, so.......

Also, there is a special feature missing from the BluRay version, and it's the "Feature-Length TCM Career Profile Scorsese on Scorsese". Don't know why they left it out, I mean BluRay has a lot of capacity, so why do that. It makes the point of BluRay having more capacity than HD-DVD mute.

I don't see a difference between the unconverted 1080p DVD and the BluRay edition, unless somebody can point it out to me.

infuriating

i was comparing the picture quality of this blu-ray dvd to the hbo hd broadcast and i was shocked to find that the dvd is not in true cinemascope as advertised...but a regular full screen ratio CROPPED AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN to give it the APPEARANCE of cinemascope. so not only is it lacking the width of the original in theater version...but cropping off the top and bottom of the picture. what a rip off! i intend to return this product.

Beware: the Moles are inside!

This review is done for the movie and not on the technology Blue-ray
"The Departed" (2006) is Scorsese's most recent released film and IMHO one of his best works. It has allowed him to deservedly win his first Oscar.

The story is about two moles symmetrically infiltrating enemy organizations: Massachusetts State Police Headquarters and Mob's Boss Entourage.
This unimaginable & improbable situation gives birth to an exciting & intelligent film!
Each mole is followed from the first step he gives to penetrate the organization. The film explores differences and similarities in each career. There is one basic trait that deeply affects both of them: a mounting life-stress due to that they are basically and emotionally the opposite of what their daily life is.
Both organizations become simultaneously aware that they are infiltrated by the Enemy. HQ and Big Bosses grow increasingly mad & apply pressure to their spies to discover who the rival is. Action is more and more frantic until the end.

I think the movie has many strong points.
First: a very intelligent screenplay from Hong Kong born Siu Fai Mak and Felix Chong adapted by Oscar winner William Monahan.
Second: Scorsese's direction at par with his most successful precedents "Raging Bull" (1980), "Taxi Driver" (1976) and "NY, NY" (1977).
Third play acting: Jack Nicholson once again fleshing a complex character; Leonardo DiCaprio & Matt Damon, as the moles, is convincing and forceful; Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen and Vera Farmiga are solid and last but not least Mark Wahlberg is a step above these last three. This is quite a huge number of excellent performances for just one film!
Fourth: film editing in charge of multiple Oscar winner Thelma Schoonmaker, with a long story of association with Scorsese.
This movie is one of the best action films I've seen lastly!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.