"Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio Matt Damon"

• The Departed (2006) | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £4.47   |  Saving you £19.52 (436.69%)   |  RRP £23.99

  Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon star in Martin Scorese's gritty gangster thriller.

• The Departed | Blu Ray | (17/04/2019) from £10.75   |  Saving you £19.24 (178.98%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon star in Martin Scorese's gritty gangster thriller.

• Departed | Blu Ray | (07/05/2013) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-12.22 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.77

  Martin Scorsese makes a welcomed return to the mean streets (of Boston, in this case) with The Departed, hailed by many as Scorsese's best film since Casino. Since this crackling crime thriller is essentially a Scorsese-stamped remake of the acclaimed 2002 Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, the film was intensely scrutinized by devoted critics and cinephiles, and while Scorsese's intense filmmaking and all-star cast deserve ample acclaim, The Departed is also worthy of serious re-assessment, especially with regard to what some attentive viewers described as sloppy craftsmanship (!), notably in terms of mismatched shots and jagged continuity. But no matter where you fall on the Scorsese appreciation scale, there's no denying that The Departed is a signature piece of work from one of America's finest directors, designed for maximum impact with a breathtaking series of twists, turns, and violent surprises. It's an intricate cat-and-mouse game, but this time the cat and mouse are both moles: Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is an ambitious cop on the rise, planted in the Boston police force by criminal kingpin Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hot-tempered police cadet who's been artificially disgraced and then planted into Costigan's crime operation as a seemingly trustworthy soldier. As the multilayered plot unfolds (courtesy of a scorching adaptation by Kingdom of Heaven screenwriter William Monahan), Costigan and Sullivan conduct a volatile search for each other (they're essentially looking for "themselves") while simultaneously wooing the psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga) assigned to treat their crime-driven anxieties. Such convenient coincidences might sink a lesser film, but The Departed is so electrifying that you barely notice the plot-holes. And while Nicholson's profane swagger is too much "Jack" and not enough "Costello," he's still a joy to watch, especially in a film that's additionally energised by memorable (and frequently hilarious) supporting roles for Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, and a host of other big-name performers. The Departed also makes clever and plot-dependent use of mobile phones, to the extent that it couldn't exist without them. Powered by Scorsese's trademark use of well-chosen soundtrack songs (from vintage rock to Puccini's operas), The Departed may not be perfect, but it's one helluva ride for moviegoers, proving popular enough to become the biggest box-office hit of Scorsese's commercially rocky career. --Jeff Shannon

• The Departed/Donnie Brasco/Gangs of New York | DVD | (22/10/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This box set features the following films: The Departed (Dir. Martin Scorsese) (2006): A big-budget Hollywood star power remake of the Hong Kong classic crime thriller Infernal Affairs. Two men operate on different sides of the law; one a mole with the Boston State Police department the other within the Irish mafia. When bloodshed breaks out on the streets each mole is despatched to discover the other's identity in a race against time... Donnie Brasco (Dir. Mike Newell) (1997): The true story of an FBI undercover agent (Johnny Depp) who becomes Donnie Brasco 'The Jewel Man' to infiltrate one of the mob families. Donnie manoeuvres his way into the confidence of ageing hit man Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino) who trusts Donnie and vouches for him to the mob. But Lefty and Donnie become friends when they should be enemies. As Donnie moves deeper and deeper into the Mafia chain of command he realises he is not only crossing the line between federal agent and criminal but it also leading his friend Lefty to an almost certain death sentence... Gangs Of New York (Dir. Martin Scorsese) (2002): The seeds for revenge take place in 1846 when a battle is fought against the Irish and the ""native"" Americans over the five points area of New York City. It is here where ""Bill the Butcher"" (Day-Lewis) slays Priest Vallon whose son Amsterdam Vallon (Dicaprio) is then taken to an orphanage. The plot unfolds when in 1863 Amsterdam returns to the five points to seek revenge against his fathers killer.