Ah, The Departed. Wherever you place it on your list of favourite Martin Scorsese films there’s no denying that it’s iconic, if for no other reason than the fact that it finally secured the masterful director his first Best Picture and Best Director Academy Awards in his illustrious career. That may be hard to believe given the powerhouses he released early on in his career, such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas, but it’s true. This does happen from time to time when great artists go long enough without winning an Academy Award. Eventually it reaches a point where if they do something that’s at least good enough to warrant the nod, they’ll be a frontrunner and win with the unspoken understanding being along the lines of, “this is also for everything else you did prior that we probably should’ve properly recognized at the time.”
This kind of sounds like a negative start to the review of what is a great film, but that’s not the case. We’ll get to the movie a bit more after, but speaking of cases, let’s first focus on the Limited Edition Steelbook that this 4K release can be found within.
I absolutely love this Steelbook, as it’s both simple, yet also gorgeous in its simplicity. It has a matte finish, with gray, shadowy visuals that see Damon on the left side of the case, DiCaprio in the center, and Nicholson to the left, slightly behind DiCaprio. There’s also an X subtly cast over the trio, which is something Scorsese likes to use as imagery at certain points in his crime films. Is it technically just floating heads? Sure, you could say that, but sometimes it doesn’t need to be anything more. Sometimes the simplicity of it just works, and the X subtly splashed over top is the chef’s kiss that ties it all together masterfully.
The back, much like the front, is simple. Some may not like that we’ve got the billing block on the bottom, and can understand that. I think it’d look great without it and I think Steelbooks are the time where it works just letting the artwork speak for itself. That said, I’m also fairly indifferent to it, as it doesn’t wreck it for me personally. It’s neat and tidy, so it’s not distracting, and we still have the rats center stage. Yes, the back has almost line-art that makes up a pack of rats, because, well, it’s a crime thriller about moles and undercover agents! It’s great, it’s subtle, and it’s a perfect choice for the back of the case.
The interior slipcase brings colour back into the game, and we get straight side by side shots of the film’s main characters. We’ve got DiCaprio on the left, alongside Damon, with Nicholson and Wahlberg over on the right. It’s simple, it has a crime movie panel feel, it showcases the star-studded talent the film has, and it’s honestly probably the best route to go for what could’ve been used within the case. The only other thing I can think of off the top of my head is a scenic shot of South Boston, but really, this is a character focused film, so the focus here being on the characters makes the most sense.
The Departed came out in 2006, and is an English adaptation of the 2002 Hong Kong action thriller Infernal Affairs. It’s a story packed with deceit, suspense and loads of violence – oh, and plenty of stars. We’ve got Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Alec Baldwin, and Ray Winstone just to name those you’d probably recognize by name alone. The story centers around Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Damon), with Costigan being an undercover cop who infiltrates Irish Mob Boss Frank Costello’s (Nicholson) organization, and Sullivan being a mole that Costello has placed inside the Massachusetts State Police. As I mentioned, there’s deceit abound in this one!
What’s fun – and scary – about reviewing films that I remember seeing theatrically and loving is that there are generations now that either don’t know this movie exists, know about it by name, or just know it as an older movie. And who am I kidding, it is! We’re going on 20 years soon enough, but what’s so great about it is that you can recommend it to these fresh pairs of eyes and they get to experience it for the first time. Because while The Departed isn’t Scorsese’s best film, it’s an incredibly well-made, fully engrossing, pull-no-punches-in-your-face violent movie that still holds up wonderfully to this day.
Scorsese is known for long films and on that front The Departed ranks about average coming in at 151-minutes. It’s paced brilliantly though (which is likely why Scorsese’s longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker took home the Oscar for Best Editing), is continuously captivating with everyone trying to stay one step ahead of the other, and the acting from everyone involved is phenomenal, so this is one Scorsese film where I wouldn’t say the length is an issue (which can’t be said for all of them.) The film’s score and soundtrack both bring the viewer right to South Boston, and the work done by cinematographer Michael Ballhaus is top tier.
I don’t want to get too much into the story itself, as it is older, so if you’ve seen it you know everything already and if you haven’t then the true fun of the movie is getting to witness all the cat and mouse shenanigans firsthand. For those in the first group who’ve seen The Departed and feel it warrants – or already holds a place in your collection then the 4K upgrade is a must, and the Steelbook is worth the extra if you’re looking for sleek packaging that’ll look great on the shelf and always warrant a look when you go to take the disc out. For those generations that may not have experienced this bloody (and I use that term quite literally) epic crime thriller, then there’s no better time than now to do so, as the film hasn’t looked this good since it’s theatrical release almost two decades ago.
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
This 4K remastering was completed at Warner Bros. Discovery’s Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) alongside Schoonmaker, so when I say the movie was given the proper treatment in the upgrade department, you know it to be true. We’ve got deeper darks, blacks, blues and levels of rich detail that simply weren’t possible in prior home releases. The whites in contrast will illuminate your screen, and this is exactly what you want as a viewer so that when you transition from an exterior day shot to a darker interior shot in a backroom, there’s no noise residue, or jarring visual adjustments. If you own the film on Blu-ray just know that they did right by the 4K remastering and it’s been long enough that the double-dip is more than warranted.
On the audio side of things we’ve got a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that works nicely alongside the visual update. The dialogue is clean and clear, which is arguably the most important thing in the majority of films, and the score can fill the room at times, while the sound effects do a great job at feeling locational in a surround sound setting – especially during the numerous gun fights throughout the film.
Special Features:
**New!**
Guilt and Betrayal: Looking Into The Departed – Something that doesn’t always happen with these 4K upgrades is fresh special features, but here fans do get a 15-minute retrospective that sees Scorsese talk about The Departed. I’ll definitely take it, as it’s a great watch and it’s always fun to see artists look back at their works and provide more insight on it; however, I also wouldn’t argued against it being 15 minutes longer. Geez, I never thought I’d watch something Scorsese was involved in and actually say it wasn’t long enough! Still, great to have an updated feature here for fans to enjoy.
Legacy Features:
Stranger Than Fiction: The True Story of Whitey Bulger, Southie and The Departed – This is a 21-minute feature previously released on the Blu-ray that talks about some of the inspiration for this particular adaptation.
Crossing Criminal Cultures – This is a 24-minute feature that focuses on all of Scorsese’s crime films.
Deleted Scenes
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents The Departed. Directed by: Martin Scorsese. Written by: William Monahan. Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Alec Baldwin, Ray Winstone. Running time: 151 Minutes. Rating: R. Released on 4K Blu-ray: April. 23, 2024.
