The Martin Scorsese Crime Masterpiece Finally Getting The Upgrade It Deserves
Martin Scorsese’s The Departed is finally getting an official 4K Blu-ray release this spring, and you’re definitely going to want to add this one to your collection. If you’re becoming frustrated with the constant wild goose chase that comes along with finding your favorite title on streaming, owning physical copies of your favorite films is the way to go because you can own them forever. And if you still like watching movies on the go, you’ll be pleased to know that The Departed will also come with a digital code so you don’t need to have the physical copy in your possession to watch it.
One Of Many Scorsese/DiCaprio Collaborations
The Departed marks the third of six collaborations between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, and is the only film in which the former received an Oscar for Best Director. Functioning as a remake of 2002’s Infernal Affairs while simultaneously taking inspiration from the activities of the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang, the crime thriller tells a story of police corruption at the highest level.
A Complex Plot
We’d like to say that the plot for The Departed is straight-forward, but we’d be lying because there are so many layers of deception to peel back to understand the entire narrative. What sets Martin Scorsese apart from his contemporaries is that he can take such a complex story and present it in a way that builds suspense while folding in the granular details that allow the viewer to easily digest it. It’s no wonder why the film garnered a 91 percent critical score against a 94 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Costigan’s Quest
The Departed is a story about Leonardo DiCaprio‘s William “Billy” Costigan Jr., who goes undercover to infiltrate the South Boston Irish Mob, which is led by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Though Costigan doesn’t know it at the film’s outset, it’s revealed that Massachusetts State Police Staff Sergeant Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) works for Costello as a spy, and is aware that the mob is being investigated. Neither Costigan nor Sullivan are aware of each other’s involvement, but both know that there’s a rat among the ranks.
Costigan At Risk
As the narrative progresses in The Departed, Costigan’s mental state deteriorates because the stress of maintaining his cover takes its toll on him. Martin Scorsese keeps viewers at the edge of their seats because he has the uncanny ability to shift the narrative across multiple points of view, letting the viewer know more than the film’s principal characters do from their own perspectives. Over the course of two and a half hours, viewers are left guessing whether Costigan’s cover and the entire investigation will be compromised.
A Commercial And Critical Hit
The Departed was a commercial success upon its 2006 release, and the Martin Scorsese film earned $291.5 million against its reported budget of $90 million at the global box office. It appeared on 36 top 10 lists of the best films of 2006, which further cemented the director’s legacy 44 years into his already impressive career.
As of this writing, there is not a set release date for the updated 4K Blu-ray version of The Departed, but it’s currently available for pre-order on Amazon.
Source: Blu-ray.com
