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September 11, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
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Kept by Bryan McAllister — short guides, clear facts, and the Canadian angle when it matters.
Screen & Stage • Film

The Departed

The Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan.

Updated September 11, 20261 min readCited sources

The Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller directed by Martin Scorsese, set in Boston and centered on a cat-and-mouse game between an undercover cop and a mob informant. It won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

What it is

The Departed follows an undercover state police officer (Leonardo DiCaprio) who infiltrates an Irish-American crime syndicate led by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Meanwhile, a police informant (Matt Damon) rises within the state police, creating a tense search for each other's identity. The film is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs.

Key details

Directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan, the film was released on October 6, 2006, with a runtime of 151 minutes. It is set primarily in South Boston and features a principal cast including Vera Farmiga, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, and Alec Baldwin. The film was a major box-office success and won four Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

Why it matters

The Departed is widely regarded as a landmark gangster thriller and marked Martin Scorsese's first Academy Award for Best Director. In Canada, it was a widely distributed Hollywood release and is frequently referenced in Canadian film coverage as a standout crime drama.

In short

  • The Departed is a 2006 crime thriller directed by Martin Scorsese, set in Boston.
  • It features Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon as undercover figures on opposite sides.
  • The film is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs.
  • It won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Canadian angle

The film was widely distributed in Canada as an English-language Hollywood release and is commonly discussed in Canadian film coverage as a landmark gangster thriller.

Quick questions

What is The Departed about?
It follows an undercover state police officer and a criminal informant inside the police force as they try to expose each other while working for opposing sides in Boston.
Who directed The Departed?
Martin Scorsese directed the film.
Is The Departed a remake?
Yes. It is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs.

Sources

  1. Encyclopaedia Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Departed
    Supports: Directed by Martin Scorsese; release year; Boston setting; remake status; Academy Award wins; Scorsese's first Best Director Oscar.
  2. Wikipedia — https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Departed
    Supports: Core cast, plot summary, source material, and production details.
  3. Rotten Tomatoes — https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/departed
    Supports: Cast, genre, runtime, release date, distributor, rating, and synopsis.
  4. IMDb — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/
    Supports: Plot premise and principal cast.