The Departed (2006) Warner Bros. Pictures 📢 Director: Martin Scorsese. 💰 Producer: Brad Pitt, Brad Grey, Graham King. 👫 Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin. 🏆 Awards ceremony: -79th Academy Awards: February 25, 2007. Kodak Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. 🎭 Other films nominated for Best Picture this year: -Babel. -Letters From Iwo Jima. -Little Miss Sunshine. -The Queen. 📕 Plot summary: Frank Costello (JACK NICHOLSON) is an Irish Mob boss living in Boston. He is under surveillance by the police who send a young rookie cadet (LEONARDO DICAPRIO) to infiltrate Costello and his gang to get their confidence. Meanwhile, Costello has the protection of a corrupt cop (MATT DAMON) whom is feeding him information about a rat within his group. 💥 Standout scene(s): Jack Nicholson producing a black rubber dildo in the porn theatre and his line: "Maybe because it's always been so easy for me to get cunt, that I never understood jacking off in a theatre." Only Jack! 🔑 Facts: -The 79th Academy Awards. -Nominated for 5 Academy Awards, it won 4: Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Editing. -This was the third Best Picture outing for Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Terms Of Endearment). -The second Best Picture appearance for Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic). -Martin Scorsese FINALLY bagged his first Oscar for Best Director after being snubbed by the Academy for so many years. The standing ovation he received during the awards ceremony spoke volumes. 🙂 Personal opinion: Nope, I just don't see it? I honestly think the Academy recognised Scorsese's previous body of work and an opportunity came up to finally have an excuse to give him the award after so many years of him putting out quality films. But this is not his finest hour. A great cast with some bankable names but a slightly confusing plot which requires some concentration and too much energy to keep on top of half the time. Jack Nicholson makes the most of his screen time and, as always, puts in a fine performance, showing the younger guys how it's done. Mark Wahlberg was an absolute pain in the arse and annoying to watch in just about every scene he appears in. Then we have Vera Farmiga, who does everything she can to make herself look as attractive as can possibly be with a face like hers but jumping into bed with both Matt Damon - and later Leonardo DiCaprio just reeks of slutty. Nice body though! Admittedly, it's a well made film with a high production quality and delivered by a high standard of cast members, including Jack Nicholson, who took third billing, but in terms of Scorsese's films it isn't CASINO, or GOODFELLAS. It falls short. Quite a bit short. Didn't see that ending coming though, I must admit. Did it deserve the Oscar? ❓DEBATABLE. It's a decent film, but it's not Scorsese's best. In my opinion the award was a sympathy vote. 6/10

Review date: 06 June 2025