THE DEPARTED (2006)
Label: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 151 Minutes 18 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.40:1)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson, James Badge Dale
Martin Scorsese's tense crime-thriller The Departed (2006) is based on the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs (2002), it's set in South Boston, where there's been a long-brewinging cat and mouse game played between between the State Troopers and an Irish American gangster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson, Chinatown), who has proven near impossible to slap the cuffs on. Costello enlists gangster Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon, Dogma) to finish State Trooper Academy and to infiltrate the police force – meanwhile a young State Trooper fresh out of the academy named Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception) is recruited by cynical Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam (Mark Wahlberg, Boogie Nights) and Captain Oliver "Charlie" Queenan (Martin Sheen, Apocalypse Now)
Martin Scorsese's tense crime-thriller The Departed (2006) is based on the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs (2002), it's set in South Boston, where there's been a long-brewinging cat and mouse game played between between the State Troopers and an Irish American gangster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson, Chinatown), who has proven near impossible to slap the cuffs on. Costello enlists gangster Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon, Dogma) to finish State Trooper Academy and to infiltrate the police force – meanwhile a young State Trooper fresh out of the academy named Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception) is recruited by cynical Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam (Mark Wahlberg, Boogie Nights) and Captain Oliver "Charlie" Queenan (Martin Sheen, Apocalypse Now)
to go undercover within the gang, going to the lengths of creating a cover story of assault and battery, with Costigan serving a brief stint in prison to sell his fallen-cop character, finding his way into the gang through his street-connected cousin. The tension comes when the two moles realize the existence of the other, and both set out to uncover each other first, while both men start to lose themselves in their double-lives, with Costigan earning the respect of boss Costello, and Sullivan becoming involved with police psychiatrist Madolyn Madden (Vera Farmiga, TV's Bates Motel), who also happens to meet with Costigan as part of his court-ordered therapy, leading to some interesting cross wires.
While this is a rich crime story with a truly phenomenal cast this isn't top-tier Scorsese for me, but it is very well made and expertly crafted, the interweaving storyline is beautifully edited, Scorsese is traversing pretty familiar territory here, this is sort of his "thing", but he's such a craftsmen and the cast is so superb that I don't mind, I am here for the ride, and the flick delivers the good. Perhaps my favorite component here is Jack Nicholson as the increasingly unhinged boss, chewing on the scenery, contorting his face and rolling his eyes, it's a bit much probably, but it's also Nicholson doing what he does best, just perfection. I also loved seeing Kevin Corrigan (Some Guy Who Kills People) as Costigan's shit-for-brains drug-dealing cousin, and Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) as Costello's loyal right-hand man "Frenchie", and Alec Baldwin (Beetlejuice) as State Trooper, Captain George Ellerby - I told you this cast was bonker good, even if some of the Southie Boston accents seem to border on parody in my opinion.
Audio/Video: The Departed (2006) arrives on 4K UHD from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment in 2160p Ultra HD framed in 2.40:1 widescreen with HDR10 color-grading, advertised as 4K master by WB's Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) facility with participation by Scorsese's long-time editor Thelma Schoonmaker (Raging Bull). Surprisingly I have never owned this on Blu-ray, and have not seen it since the cinema, so I won't have any meaningful comparison. Taken on it's own though it's mighty impressive, grain is nicely resolved, fine details and textures impress, black levels are deep with excellent shadow detail, and depth and clarity are premium. The HDR10 color-grade elevates primaries quite nicely, at times the flesh tones might veer a tad warm, but my memory of the theatrical is a bit faded and this might just be the way it looked in theaters. Regardless, it really makes late cinematographer Michael Ballhau (After Hours, Goodfellas) look terrific. On the audio side of things we do not get an Atmos remix, but a rock solid DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track with optional English subtitles. This is a dialogue heavy and front-centric presentation, everything is well-balanced, gun shots are piercing and full-bodies and the Howard Shore (The Brood) score is well represented.
Extras include the 63-minutes of archival featurettes from the previous Blu-ray release, which are terrific, plus a new one, we get the 15-min Guilt and Betrayal: Looking into The Departed with Scorsese recalling working on this after The Gangs of New York, being impressed by the source novel, adapting it, and the impact of watching gangster films Little Caesar and The Public Enemy in his formative years. It's pretty breezy stuff but Scorsese is always a fantastic storyteller and a joy to listen to, his passion for films ever evident.
The single-disc 4K UHD arrives in handsome SteelBook with a matte finish featuring a not that inspired floating heads image of stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson with the "X" motif that appears throughout the film on the front and an illustration of rats on the back. Inside there's a composite image of the same three stars and Wahlberg as well, also uninspired. In my opinion I would have rather had a landscape image of the final scene of the rats crawling across the window pane. Anyway, uninspired artwork aside there's redemption code for a digital copy of the film.
Special Features:
- NEW! Guilt and Betrayal: Looking into The Departed (15:05)
- Stranger than Fiction: The True Story of Whitey Bulger, Southie, and The Departed (21:07)
- Crossing Criminal Cultures (24:04)
- 9 Deleted Scenes with introductions by Martin Scorsese (19:23)
WBDHE did fantastic work bringing The Departed to 4K UHD - it looks amazing and sounds great, I appreciate the new and archival extras, and the Limited Edition SteelBook packaging, even if I don't love the artwork, the flick has never looked better.
Buy It!
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