by John Conrad

Created on: March 07, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

Martin Scorsese may have finally directed a movie that outshines his cult classic American crime caper, Goodfellas.
I know what you're thinking, "Did he just say better than Goodfellas?" But wait, at least hear me out before you have me "whacked."
Scorsese's latest, The Departed, stars an onslaught of A-List actors, at the top of their form. The story begins with two boys growing up in South Boston (or "Southie"), Billy Costigan, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and Collin Sullivan, played by Matt Damon.

Sullivan is taken under the wing of charismatic Irish American mob boss, Frank Costello, chillingly portrayed by Jack Nicholson. After the boys are grown, they both train to be Boston policemen.
The pressure rises as Sullivan, who is secretly a mole for Costello, joins the Boston organized crime unit that is hunting Costello. Costigan coincidently joins Costello's crew as an undercover police informant, whose identity is unknown, even to the organized crime unit he works for.
Tensions build to the boiling point as Sullivan and Costigan attempt to sniff the other "rat" out. Supplemental excitement is produced as the pair share employers (on both sides of the law), contacts, therapists, and even a romantic interest.
"I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me," remarks Costello as the film begins. This is exactly what Scorsese and writer, William Monahan, have done, making this film their own.
The film is actually a remake of the 2002 Japanese gangster film, Internal Affairs. Monahan rewrote the film, setting it in his native Boston. Taking only the plot from the original film, Monahan has filled in the gaps with insights into his hometown, including class structure, the region's culture, and the harshness of the Bostonian underworld.
Scorsese, with the help of some great editing, catapults audiences through this movie. In the entire 2-1/2 hour film, I barely had time to catch my breath. This, coupled with Monahan's writing, are a match made in heaven, or I guess Boston as the case may be.
I say Oscars all around. This film could easily take home Oscars in many categories, but the one I'm most interested in is best supporting actor.
Mark Wahlberg portrays his role as Police Sergeant Dignam with more complexity than his character in Boogie Nights and more emotion than he's shown in his entire career with The Funky Bunch. Giving such substance to a role that demands a mere 20 minutes of screen time is quite an accomplishment for Marky Mark.
If you still want to hurt me because I said this film might be better than Goodfellas, do me a favor and see it first. As to me really thinking this film is better than Goodfellas or not, I plead the fifth.
4 stars

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