Modern Classic R-Rated Crime Thriller Belongs In Every Physical Media Collection

By TeeJay Small
| Published 21 seconds ago

If you’re a fan of high-octane action thrillers, you’re probably already aware of Martin Scorsese‘s hit 2006 film The Departed. Doubly so if you’re from the Boston area, since many fans see the film as the most quintessential Boston movie of all time.

Right now, The Departed is streaming on MGM+, but it desperately needs a better streaming home, where a wider selection of viewers can marvel at this masterpiece. With all due respect to the MGM+ subscribers in our midst (all five of you,) I think a Best Picture winner from one of the greatest living filmmakers deserves a little more prestige than a streaming service most people have never heard of.

A Cinematic Masterpiece All Around

In case you’re out of the loop on this one, The Departed is a crime thriller loosely based on the real life story of infamous Boston mobster Whitey Bulger. It also serves as a remake of a 2002 Hong Kong film titled Infernal Affairs. The film centers on a Whitey stand-in by the name of Frank Costello, as well as his coterie of criminals, crooks, and dirty cops on the payroll. As one of the most dangerous men in Boston, Costello commands a crew of murderers, thieves, and full-on terrorists, even as undercover police infiltrate his inner circle.

One of the most impressive elements of The Departed, besides Scorsese’s impeccable direction, is the absolutely stacked cast. Costello is portrayed by a scenery-chewing Jack Nicholson, while multiple A-listers including Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, and Alec Baldwin offer some of the best performances of their entire careers. Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, and Kevin Corrigan also appear in highly memorable bit parts.

Gets Better With Each Repeated Viewing

As a thoroughbred Bostonian dirtbag myself, I grew up on a steady diet of The Departed, with frequent rewatches each year. At this point, I can practically quote the movie from front to back. While I wouldn’t necessarily put it on the same level as Goodfellas, I think that The Departed is the best modern mob story, showcasing the ways organized crime has evolved in the 21st century and beyond.

The academy certainly seemed receptive to the film as well, since The Departed swept four categories at the Oscars in 2007. Most notably, the film took home the statue for Best Picture, though it also serves as Scorsese’s only win in the Best Director category.

If you’ve got an MGM+ subscription, be sure to throw The Departed on your watch list before it bounces to yet another streamer. Otherwise, consider renting it on digital stores like Amazon, or do yourself a real favor and pick up a 4k Blu-ray. Watching the movie from the comfort of your couch is guaranteed to bring all the charm of Boston to your personal abode, without the exceptional cost of a visit to the city on the hill.