Overview
In a world where loyalty is tested, two men live double lives in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- gritty
- paranoid
- propulsive
- late night thriller viewing
- crime film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an engrossing, gritty gangster drama elevated by Martin Scorsese’s direction and an outstanding ensemble cast.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Billy Costigan infiltrates Costello's syndicate while Colin Sullivan secretly feeds information to the same criminal organization from within the state police.
Billy's undercover assignment consumes his personal life and psychological stability as he performs loyalty to Costello's gang.
Colin rises inside the Special Investigation Unit while secretly serving Costello, making the police force itself vulnerable to organized crime.
The film grounds its mob conflict in Irish-American organized crime, South Boston networks, and fiercely personal communal loyalties.
Films like The Departed, and why
Infernal Affairs
Hong Kong crime thriller about police and gangland moles living mirrored undercover lives; the source for this remake.
Goodfellas
Scorsese crime epic centered on organized crime, compromised loyalty, and morally damaged protagonists.
Donnie Brasco
Gritty undercover crime drama in which institutional corruption and criminal infiltration destabilize law enforcement.
Heat
Dark police thriller built around divided loyalties, informants, and escalating betrayal.
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Release Date
- 2006-10-04
- Runtime
- 151 min
- Rating
- 8.2 / 10 (16706)
Cast
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Matt Damon
- Jack Nicholson
- Mark Wahlberg
- Martin Sheen
- Ray Winstone
- Vera Farmiga
- Anthony Anderson
- Alec Baldwin
- Kevin Corrigan
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- YouTube TV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Departed about?
- Two infiltrators on opposite sides of Boston’s criminal divide race to expose each other before their false identities collapse.
- What is The Departed like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Departed as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Departed violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Departed as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Departed?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an engrossing, gritty gangster drama elevated by Martin Scorsese’s direction and an outstanding ensemble cast.
- Which films are like The Departed?
- Films with a similar feel include Infernal Affairs, Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco, and Heat.
- How long is The Departed?
- The Departed runs 151 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Departed?
- In United States, The Departed streams on YouTube TV.
