In 2006 legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese remade the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs with his own spin on it for The Departed. The film features an insanely awesome cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson, and James Badge Dale. It was nominated and won numerous awards including Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director.
 

The Departed follows a long-simmering hostility between the police department and an Irish American gang led by Frank Costello is primed to explode.  The fuse is lit when a gangster is chosen to infiltrate the police force – a young cop goes undercover within the gang.  Now, when the two moles uncover each other’s identity, the battle begins.
 

When a film with such critical acclaim as Infernal Affairs is attempted to be remade it is typically more miss than hit. With this powerful cast and the iconic Scorsese at the helm it comes as no surprise that he managed to deliver an excellent adaptation that holds up. I haven’t watched this film since it was originally released and so glad I did with this new release as I was reminded how great it is.
 

Of all of Scorsese’s films I have always gravitated to crime films like Goodfellas and Casino but tend to like most if not everything he does. This one sent him back to that world in the best way possible featuring powerful performances from not only the leads, but every person that stepped onto the screen. Despite its long run time it is fast paced, whipping between both story lines as they close in on a collision course of violence.
 

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