Organized Crime has been alive and well in this country probably almost as long as there have been immigrants coming to these shores. All the biggest Cities - New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Boston - have had notorious bosses overseeing their henchmen and their illegal activities. All have been well documented and all have gotten the Hollywood treatment, with dramas such as Goodfellas, The Godfather, Donnie Brasco, Casino, Scarface, etc. A few of these films have been directed by acclaimed director Martin Scorsese including 2006's The Departed. Previously released on Blu-ray, the award-winning film is now coming out in 4K with a Steelbook case.
Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson; As Good As It Gets), head of the Irish mob in Boston, has been grooming Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon; Good Will Hunting) since he was a boy, After making sure Sullivan became a Massachusetts Police Officer, Costello was able to have a mole on the inside. However, The MPS had infiltrated Costello's organization and a fresh, young recruit named Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio; Inception) was privy to Costello's secrets and fed them back to the MPS. With one feeding intel to the Mob Boss and one working within the Irish Mob Organization, there is enough drama and action to fuel about three other movies.
With an all-star cast and Scorsese at the helm, The Departed was set up to become a masterpiece. Besides DiCaprio, Damon, and Nicholson the film includes Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now), Mark Wahlberg (Ted), Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel), and Alec Baldwin. All of these actors intertwine and intersect with one another creating a truly ensemble cast that makes their interactions seem believable. Of course, only a director like Scorsese could assemble such a group of fine actors which he then molds into the characters he needs them to be.
The video is an upscale 4K transfer that offers quite a bit of detail. The codec is presented in HEVC/H.265 which offers the highest color saturation possible and gives the viewer a clear and clean picture. This is a noticeable uptick from the 2007 Blu-ray release and one of a few reasons to purchase this set.
Interestingly but not completely surprising, the audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 instead of a Dolby Atmos upgrade. Sounding very similar to the Blu-ray version, the effects and dialogue blend well and there is plenty of ambient sound to offer a robust and immersive feel overall. While not adding anything new to the mix, the audio track is a solid presentation
Only the 4K Disc and the digital download are housed within an attractive, silk-screened steel book casing. All the extras except for the trailer - have been ported over to this 4K UHD release but Warner Home Video also adds a brand new featurette. The extras include: NEW "Guilt and Betrayal: Looking Into The Departed", "Stranger Than Fiction: The True Story of Whitey Bulger, Southie and The Departed", "Crossing Criminal Cultures" and, Deleted Scenes with introductions by Martin Scorsese.
Arguably, The Departed is one of the many brilliant films in the illustrious career of director Martin Scorsese and though his best Oscar win for the movie may be somewhat controversial, it is still a solid movie with plot twists and turns. Also, like so many Scorsese films, it is too long and gets a little burdened down in the minutia sometimes. Regardless, fans of the filmmaker will enjoy the upgraded technical aspects of this new home entertainment release while appreciating the stylish steelbook case and the new featurette included in the extras.
Grade: A-
