The Departed

Martin Scorsese's The Departed blasts away both Gangs of New York and The Aviator with this crime epic set in Boston. With a star-studded cast including the likes of Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, and Martin Sheen, this film is all but an Oscar shoe-in. Scorsese returns in this film to what he does best - Crime. This film has what Goodfellas and Casino had - a solid cast and story. In the film Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) works as an undercover police officer who infiltrates the crime boss Frank Costello's (Nicholson) mob crew. In the meantime, Collin Sullivan (Damon) works as a state police officer. However, Sullivan feeds Costello information. As the film progesses, both Costello and the state police realize that each side has a mole. The question becomes - who can find who first?

Throughout the last few years, Scorsese has become one of my favorite directors. With each film he directs, he brings something new to the table while continuing in his quick-cut approach. What I like even more about Scorsese's films is the way they are edited. Thelma Schoonmaker again edits this film so well that it doesn't feel like a 150 minute film, which it is. Schoonmaker won Oscars for both Raging Bull and The Aviator, and if the Academy is smart, they will nominate her again. A+.