The Departed is a worthy big-screen drama. Utterly violent, very funny, certainly Boston, The Departed is mostly set in the present, but a few early scenes play in the era just after Bag Men (nice coincidence for me).
The almost parallel characters played by Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio draw you in, and the usual screen dominance of Jack Nicholson doesn’t go too far (although it doesn’t feel new for him). Perhaps the best praise I can give the movie is that I didn’t look at my watch once in 2 hours, 30 minutes. I didn’t anticipate the outcome, really, and yet the surprise wasn’t total, or unbelievable. Pretty impressive, overall.
Metacritic weighs in with a very high 87 — probably deserved. It’s rare that I can give a movie recommendation while it’s still early enough for most people to view in the theaters, but I’d encourage you to see The Departed.
There was a child under the age of 5 at this movie, with her parents. That was unbelievable, and sad in a way. This movie’s violence splashes across the screen repeatedly. Not for children.