The Departed
Short description
The Departed is a crime thriller set in Boston, where the state police are trying to bring down the organization run by Irish-American mob boss Frank Costello. Billy Costigan, a young officer from the same working-class neighborhoods, is sent undercover into the gang to gather evidence from the inside. At the same time, Colin Sullivan has risen quickly through the police ranks and joined the elite unit that investigates Costello, but he secretly reports back to the mob boss who groomed him. Neither side knows who the other's informant is, and once both the police and the gang suspect a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin each have to identify the other before their own cover collapses. The strain of living double lives wears on both men as the hunt closes in.
Martin Scorsese directed the film, the twenty-fourth of the thirty-eight features listed for him in chronological order, arriving between The Aviator and Shutter Island. William Monahan wrote the screenplay, with Alan Mak and Felix Chong credited as well, and Brad Pitt, Brad Grey and Graham King produced. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Billy, Matt Damon plays Colin, Jack Nicholson plays Costello, and Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Ray Winstone appear in supporting roles among a large credited cast.
Released in October 2006, the film cost about 90 million dollars and took in roughly 291 million worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 8.5/10 from around 1.5 million votes, and on TMDB 8.2/10 from more than 16,000 votes. A critics' rating of 8.4/10 from 285 reviews places it in line with, or slightly above, those audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Initially, Jack Nicholson rejected the offer to star in the film, but after meeting with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, he agreed to play Frank Costello. Jack changed his mind because, he said, he had recently been filming too many comedies and wanted to play a villain again.
- The role of Madeline could have gone to Kate Winslet and Hilary Swank.
- The word “fuck” is uttered 237 times in the film.
- The film opens with “Gimme Shelter,” a classic song by The Rolling Stones. It is not included on the film’s soundtrack; instead, “Comfortably Numb” performed by Roger Waters and Van Morrison takes its place.
- Leonardo DiCaprio was originally intended to play the lead role in 'The Good Shepherd' (filmed concurrently with 'The Departed'), but declined, preferring to star in the latter. Matt Damon then took on the role, also appearing in 'The Departed.' Robert De Niro, director of 'The Good Shepherd,' relinquished the role of Quinnan to star in his own film.
- The cover art for the recording of Colin Sullivan's (Matt Damon) and Frank Costello's (Jack Nicholson) phone conversations is the cover of The Rolling Stones' album 'Exile on Main St.' The song 'Let It Loose' from the same album also appears in the film.
- Initially, the filming of the movie was supposed to take place in Boston, where the events of the film unfold, but due to financial considerations, most of the filming took place in New York.
- Tom Duffy was a technical consultant on the project. He worked in the organized crime unit for almost 30 years. Tom also participated in the capture of the notorious Boston gangster Whitey Bulger, whose image was partially the basis for Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson).
- To better prepare for the role, Matt Damon worked for some time at one of the police departments in Massachusetts.
- The prototype for Colin Sullivan, played by Matt Damon, was former FBI agent John Connolly, who maintained close ties with the Boston Mafia, particularly Whitey Bulger.
- Initially, Gerard McSorely was supposed to play the role of Quinn, but he was unable to participate in the film due to commitments to other projects.
- Tom Duffy was a technical consultant on the project. He worked in law enforcement for nearly thirty years, dealing with organized crime. Tom was also involved in the capture of the notorious Boston gangster Whitey Bulger, whose character partially served as the basis for Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson).
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