Make no mistake about it (how could you?), but Martin Scorsese is the preeminent director when it comes to mobster movies. True, Francis Ford Coppola set the bar to almost untouchable levels with his Godfather trilogy, but Scorsese stands on equal ground in the pantheon of gangster films.
In The Departed, Scorsese brings in a cast of Hollywood heavyweights – Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Mark Wahlberg – all of whom could teach a masterclass in acting. The film, written by William Monahan, is loosely based on the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang.
The character of Frank Costello, played by Nicholson, is based on crime boss Whitey Bulger, while the character Colin Sullivan (Damon) is based on John Connolly, a corrupt FBI agent.
Scorsese’s Mobster movie masterpiece tells the story of mob boss Frank Costello, a man who runs things in South Boston. As a way to keep tabs on what the police have on him or if they are getting close to any of his operations, he has planted a spy inside the Massachusetts State Police.
This informant, Colin Sullivan (Damon) has moved into the Special Investigations Unit and is privy to everything the police have on Costello.
At the same time, the State Police have one of their own deep undercover and inside Costello’s organization. Billy Costigan Jr. (Di Caprio) is a trusted member of Costello’s gang, so trusted that Costello talks about all of his operations with Costigan.
Things become tense for both Sullivan and Costigan when both sides discover there are informants within each organization. The race becomes who finds the other first.
Watch The Departed on Netflix.
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