--- title: "The Departed: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-departed/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-departed" critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 6 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Departed (2006): what the critics said Critics' score 82 from 6 reviews: 5 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics greet The Departed as a confident return to crime territory for Scorsese, praising its pace, black humour and forceful handling of the cops-and-gangsters story. The praise clusters around the performances: DiCaprio and Damon make compelling counterparts, while Nicholson’s volatility is a particular attraction for many. The reviews also credit the urgent camerawork and editing with keeping a complicated plot moving, finding considerable pleasure in the dialogue, sudden violence and assured direction. The reservations concern excess, plausibility and whether the film sustains its early tension. Time Out finds the remake more distended than Infernal Affairs, despite enjoying its cast and humour. Slant Magazine objects more strongly to the later narrative bloat and regards Nicholson as cartoonish. The Evening Standard offers a sharper dissent, finding simplified characters and twists without surprise. The spread is therefore wider than the predominantly enthusiastic response might suggest. ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Rating A. 5 October 2006. Scorsese orchestrates a perfect balance between mirroring mole characters with propulsive storytelling and musical symmetry. The film has Goodfellas pop, sharp black comedy, startling violence, fresh details, and supreme confidence in the crime genre. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-departed-1798202080) ## Radio Times — Leslie Felperin Rating 8.5/10. Scorsese returns to familiar cops-and-gangsters form with a superior Boston-set story adapted from Infernal Affairs that earned him an Oscar; the complex script and luminous leads, especially Nicholson, plus scene-stealing support make for extremely watchable entertainment. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-dzelzy/the-departed/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 October 2006. Martin Scorsese has got his groove back with arguably his best picture since GoodFellas: a big, brash, splatteringly violent mob opera. Jack Nicholson gives an outrageous and outrageously enjoyable performance as the ageing sociopath Frank Costello. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/oct/06/thriller.mattdamon) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 October 2006. Scorsese returns to inner-city gangsters with an expertly-crafted, fast-paced genre thriller that is unpretentious and bound to find a large mainstream audience; DiCaprio, Damon and especially Nicholson deliver well, and it stands as one of the best US remakes of a foreign film in years. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-departed/4028919.article) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 5 October 2006. The film starts with feverish, foul energy, violent passion, and urgent cross-cutting that rocks violently in its first half. It later suffers from narrative bloat, operatic excess, and a tonal shift that diffuses tension, compounded by Nicholson's cartoonish performance and contrived elements. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-departed/) ## Empire — Roberto Sadovski Scorsese crafts a superbly violent urban thriller that holds its own with 1970s classics like Serpico. The critic singles out Nicholson's unpredictable, leery Costello as the driving force and praises the balance of DiCaprio and Damon. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/departed-review/) ## Evening Standard The Departed is a disappointing big-budget remake that begins promisingly but fails to deliver. The critic complains that the script flattens characters into basic sinner/saint types and produces a film full of twists but devoid of surprise. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/no-surprise-in-this-pulp-fiction-7389525.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan 6 October 2006. The critic calls the film frequently excessive but never dull, a potboiler that is almost impossible to resist thanks to its crackerjack premise and strong cast. He praises the deepened story and standout performances, especially from DiCaprio and Farmiga, while noting Scorsese's occasional over-the-top tendencies. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-departed-review-20061006-snap-story.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt 3 October 2006. The critic praises Scorsese's return to contemporary crime fiction with a robust, satisfying gangster story that is his best since Casino. Strong performances, gliding camera work, atmospheric sets, tight editing, and relaxed energy elevate the tale to tragedy while delivering ferocious entertainment. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/departed-2006-review-935692/) ## The Independent — Jonathan Romney 7 October 2006. Scorsese is on his mettle with a mean-mouthed cops-and-robbers thriller that feels like a return to form. The critic singles out the crackling dialogue, black humour, editing and macho performances, especially Nicholson's, for praise while noting some awkward female roles. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-departed-18-6231154.html) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis 6 October 2006. The critic finds the film an energetic, fast-paced entertainment that succeeds through its assured direction and editing rather than narrative logic. She singles out the urgent camera work and cutting that maintain momentum amid the story's hall of mirrors. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/06/movies/scorseses-hall-of-mirrors-littered-with-bloody-deceit.html) ## Time Out — Ben Walters 3 October 2006. The critic finds the remake of Infernal Affairs somewhat distended and over-seasoned compared to the original's mathematical tragedy, with a hint of self-pastiche, but praises the strong casting of DiCaprio, Damon and especially Nicholson, along with Scorsese's assured direction and the film's entertaining macho banter and humour. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-departed) ## Total Film 6 October 2006. Scorsese is bordering on his A-game with a balletic and brutal crime film that blends mob and police procedure. The critic praises the urgent camerawork, emotional and physical violence, and DiCaprio's dangerous turn while noting some tangled plot threads. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-departed-review/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Rating 4.5/5. 7 October 2006. Scorsese is back with a vengeance after previous overblown mishaps, delivering a blistering, perfectly structured remake. The performances are riveting, the pace electric, and the dialogue tough, with particular praise for Nicholson's cunning psychopath and the leads' intense portrayals. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-departed-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-departed.md