Lies. Betrayal. Sacrifice. How far will you take it?|Oct. 05, 2006|USA|151 Min.|R
Genre: Crime;Drama;Thriller
Description: The Departed (2006) is a gripping crime thriller set in South Boston. The story begins in 1986 when Colin Sullivan is introduced to Irish mob boss Frank Costello. Over two decades, Costello shapes Sullivan into a mole within the Massachusetts State Police. Sullivan joins the Special Investigations Unit, led by Captain Ellerby. Meanwhile, another recruit, Billy Costigan Jr., is given a choice by Captain Queenan and Staff Sergeant Dignam: face dismissal due to his criminal family ties or go undercover to infiltrate Costello’s gang. Costigan’s cover is established as a police academy dropout, and he serves time in jail to gain Costello’s trust.
As Costigan struggles with his deteriorating mental state, Queenan and Dignam reveal there is an informant within the Special Investigations Unit and urge him to continue until a critical deal is completed. Simultaneously, Sullivan begins a relationship with police psychiatrist Madolyn Madden, while Costigan sees her professionally as part of his probation.
The Massachusetts State Police plan to intercept Costello’s sale of stolen computer microprocessors to a Chinese gang, but the deal goes unnoticed, leading to everyone’s escape and Ellerby’s frustration. Costello becomes suspicious of a mole within his ranks and tasks Sullivan with uncovering the traitor. Sullivan devises a plan to cross-reference his crew members using the MSP database.
Costigan discovers that Costello is an FBI informant and reports this to Queenan. When Costello accuses Costigan of being the rat, Costigan denies it. Later, Costigan follows Costello to a theater, witnessing him hand an envelope to Sullivan. Queenan instructs Costigan to identify Sullivan visually before making an arrest. Costigan pursues Sullivan but fails to see his face. Sullivan realizes he’s being followed and accidentally kills someone while trying to eliminate Costigan. He escapes but discovers both he and Costigan were captured on a security camera. Despite efforts to identify Costigan, Sullivan remains unsuccessful. The film builds to a tense and dramatic conclusion as the lines between loyalty and betrayal blur.
Cast director: Martin Scorsese
Cast actor: Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Vera Farmiga, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Anthony Anderson, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Corrigan
Original name: The Departed