The story rattles along at such a lick there's little time to ponder the plot holes -- no mean feat in a film of this length and with so many fine actors competing for our attention.
Comment
02/20/08
The Departed (2006)
92
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:225
Fresh:208
Rotten:17
Average Rating:8.2/10
Consensus: The Departed is a thoroughly engrossing gangster drama with the gritty authenticity and soupy morality that has infused director Martin Scorceses past triumphs. Featuring outstanding work from an excellent cast that includes Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon, some critics say the film even tops its source material (the Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs). The Departedmarks a triumphant return to form for Scorsese; it's his best-reviewed film since GoodFellas.
Theatrical Release:06-10-2006
Synopsis: Director Martin Scorsese returns to his trademark style with the violent, bruised, and bloody feature THE DEPARTED. Scorsese filched the basic storyline from Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak's... [More]
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Vera Farmiga
Director: Martin Scorsese
Reviews for The Departed
Top CriticMartin Scorsese returns to gangland in The Departed, a slick, soulful retelling of overrated Hong Kong actioner Infernal Affairs.
10/10/06
Top CriticMartin Scorsese has got his groove back.
10/07/06
Top CriticCrackling with energy, featuring great actors sinking their teeth into the meatiest of roles and a plot that bubbles with tension, this is Scorsese’s finest film since Goodfellas.
10/06/06
few directors can compose a movie with the power, grace and assurance that Scorsese brings to each shot and scene, and The Departed is more fun, and certainly more funny, than his last few films.
10/05/06
Top CriticSuperbly written and brilliantly acted, this is a return to form for Scorsese - if this doesn't get him the Best Director Oscar, nothing will.
10/05/06
Owes a heavy debt to the original version, but this is a masterpiece all its own.
10/05/06
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.
10/02/06
Top CriticThe film is superbly shot, and the rapid-fire editing and shaky camera fit the constant flux that the main characters find themselves in time and again.
09/19/09
You must understand farce before you can understand tragedy, and Scorsese understands both
08/28/09
Much splat, little art
07/23/09
Scorsese isn’t about plots; he’s about people, places, and times, and until he departs from that, this film is a return to genius.
04/23/09
One of the year’s very best and most exciting films.
11/20/08
Scorsese has made an incredible cover version of the original, imbued with every ounce of his artistic personality transforming it into something both familiar and new.
04/18/08
The Departed heralds Martin Scorsese's return to the top of his game and simultaneously secures for the film a place in the pantheon of the very best of American crime cinema. Welcome back to Scorsese's mean streets.
02/28/08
... a fantastically entertaining crime thriller, crackling with energy from beginning to end. ... But Nicholson's outrageous over-acting becomes a distraction.
09/21/07
Scorsese revisits old territory in The Departed, and he doesn't do anything he hasn't done brilliantly several times before.
07/30/07
Scorsese is clearly a master filmmaker but in my opinion, he's only phoning it in here. THE DEPARTED is a matter of been there, done that. Second tier Scorsese is still good, it just doesn't rank up there with his best work.
07/14/07
Probably the director's most taut piece of storytelling since Goodfellas.
07/14/07
What makes this a Scorsese film, and not merely a retread, is the director's use of actors, locations and energy, and its buried theme. I am fond of saying that a movie is not about what it's about; it's about how it's about it.
07/06/07
Top CriticLatest News for The Departed
December 29, 2008:
Scorsese Rounds Up Departed Gang for New Mafia Pic 
According to the Boston Herald, Martin Scorsese is plotting a return to Mafia territory for his next project -- to tell the story of hitman-turned-snitch John Martorano. More...
April 09, 2008:
Total Recall: The 10 Most Corrupt Cops in Movies
In honor of David Ayer's Street Kings we did a little bad-to-worse survey of the boys who soil their blue. Some of them are hot, some of them caustic, but all of them are... More...
March 04, 2008:
Rush Hour 3 Takes '07 DVD Rental Crown
It may not have been quite the box-office phenomenon that its predecessors were -- and critics may have disliked it enough to keep it down at 20 percent on the Tomatometer --... More...
January 24, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Rambo Leads Army of New Films Into Battle
The resurrection of yesterday's movie heroes continues with Sylvester Stallone's new film Rambo which finds the vet in Southeast Asia where he is pulled into another battle with... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
Competitions
Get the Flixster App Now
Download it from iTunes and get Tomatometer scores straight to your iPhone.
RSS Feeds
