The Departed (2006)

Just because a director travels over familiar ground does not necessarily make the journey less interesting. In fact, in very capable hands, such directors can take similar turf and make it unique in its own right. Hitchcock kept making "the innocent man on the run" movies over and over again and they were continually entertaining. Martin Scorcese has made the "gangster/crime family" films repeatedly, each with a relatively unique voice and, through his talented eye, each one effective.

The Departed, which just won for Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards, is based on a very successful and, some will argue, more effective Japanese film called Internal Affairs. The Departed is an intricate and intriguing plot about two moles, one Boston Irish gangster mole in the police force and one police mole in the Boston Irish crime family, each crossing paths, each trying to find out the others identity.

The Departed is filled with a cavalcade of A name stars... DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson, Wahlberg, Sheen and Baldwin. They all work effortlessly together and the film is a great ride full of plot twists, surprises, suspense and violence.

I don't know if The Departed is actually the "best" picture of 2006, but it sure is a good one. And for Scorcese it's another link in his long chain of potent gangster dramas.