Forget ‘The Odyssey,’ Matt Damon’s 10/10 Crime Thriller Is Perfect From Start to Finish
Martin Scorsese’s 2006 crime thriller *The Departed* is presented as a standout in Matt Damon’s career, especially as renewed interest in the actor follows his role in *The Odyssey*. The film matters for its tense story of betrayal and for the way Damon plays against his familiar heroic image.
Set in Boston, it follows undercover cop Billy Costigan, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and state police officer Colin Sullivan, played by Damon, who secretly serves mobster Frank Costello, played by Jack Nicholson. As both sides search for moles, the film combines an ensemble cast that includes Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg and Vera Farmiga with Scorsese’s tightly staged sequences. It also won Scorsese his first Best Director Oscar, after five previous nominations.
- *The Departed* offers Matt Damon a morally ambiguous role.
- The Boston-set thriller stars Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson.
- Martin Scorsese won his first Best Director Oscar for the film.
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The Departed is a 2006 crime thriller set in Boston, where police are trying to bring down mobster Frank Costello. The story centres on two men with hidden loyalties: undercover officer Billy Costigan, who enters Costello’s circle, and Colin Sullivan, a police officer secretly working for the mob.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Costigan, Matt Damon plays Sullivan and Jack Nicholson plays Costello. As the police and the mob each search for the person leaking information, the film explores trust and betrayal; its cast also includes Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg and Vera Farmiga.
The film earned Martin Scorsese his first Best Director Oscar, after five earlier nominations. Its place in Damon’s career is often discussed because he plays a character whose loyalties differ from the heroic roles audiences may associate with him.