Within the first five minutes of the movie, two women were forced to kneel down in the middle of nowhere with their hands tied behind their backs. Two mobsters, each with guns, stood behind them and shot them in the head causing blood to explode through their foreheads. One woman drops to the ground and the other follows and lands on top of her. “The other one fell funny,” said a mobster. This is the type of graphic drama and tickled humor director Martin Scorsese sprinkles sparingly throughout the film, “The Departed.”

This star-studded motion picture includes Hollywood “A-List” actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlburg, Martin Sheen, Anthony Anderson, and Alec Baldwin.

The movie takes place in Boston where Irish Mobster, Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) and his crew shoot and rule over several citizens in Massachusetts. Costello secretly sends one of his team members, Collin Sullivan (Matt Damon), into the police academy, to rise rank-by-rank within the city’s police department and to be the eyes and ears for the mass murdering mobster. Meanwhile, two secret investigators for the police department send police academy graduate Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) into Boston’s streets to find his way into Costello’s mob and to be the eyes and ears for their department.

Punches, gunshots and bloodshed occurred throughout the movie which made it difficult for people to take restroom breaks through this twistful 148 minute film. Just when you think the movie is about ready to roll the credits, a new turn takes place and the move moves in a whole new direction. Because the movie was both tight gripping and comical while rising to a peak of overwhelming proportion, it could possibly be the best motion picture since Scorsese’s “Aviator.”

Each scene and actor in “The Departed” were pitch perfect. DiCaprio especially, who played a near-insane counselor’s patient who had his identity taken away and was given a double life. In this movie DiCaprio shows that his skills are only getting better with time and his paramount acting abilities will never settle for anything less.

“The Departed” is not a family movie because it is drenched with sexual content, detailed images and naughty language. However, this movie is right on the money and each dollar you spend for a ticket will surely be well spent.

Rating: 4 Stars

Total stars possible: 4

Olivia Gray can be reached at [email protected]