New York filmmaker Martin Scorsese made his name in the gangster genre, directing classics like Mean Streets (1973), Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995), which remain among his very best work. He would finally win the Best Director Oscar for this Boston-set reinterpretation of the Hong Kong modern classic, Infernal Affairs. The major themes of loyalty, betrayal, corruption and deception may be synonymous to Hong Kong crime cinema but prove just as poignant on the mean streets of Boston, although William Monaghan's script does make a number of changes. Vera Farmiga's police psychologist brings a new dynamic to the central conflict, becoming romantically involved with both undercover cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) and corrupt Special Detective Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon). Conversely, the introduction of Mark Wahlberg's Sergeant Dignam has a more dramatic impact on the story. Boasting a supporting cast that includes heavyweights Jack Nicholson, Ray Winstone, Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen, The Departed is a boisterous and brazenly unglamorous crime saga for the new millennium. Where Infernal Affairs dazzled with its sleek, metallic sheen, Scorsese's film bludgeons its audience into submission with its bloodied knuckles and vitriolic spew of thuggish profanity.

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