It's been some time since I've enjoyed the movies even more so when you consider that the last film I watched, The History Boys, stimulated my homophobic glands as no other film has ever done before. The comeback to the cinema could hardly have been any better when last Friday I went to watch The Departed (review - 93%) directed by Martin Scorsese.

The story is set in South Boston where mobster Frank Costello (Jack Nicolson) is the most wanted criminal by the local police force. A team of police lead by Ellerby (Alec Baldwin) set upon the tracks of Costello and amongst them there is Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) who as a child grew in graces of Costello, and now is a mole in the police force for his old mentor. Billy Costigan (Leonardo Di Caprio) is the other hot-shot who graduated with Sullivan however because of his dirty family history, he is sent as an undercover agent with Costello's gang to incriminate the Irish mob leader.

As the main actors settle in their respective roles the two cross each other's paths without knowing the identity of the respective opponent, and the plot soon turns into a race of who'll manage to outwit the other. This keeps the suspense of the film sky-high while the two struggle with the psychological consequences of their chosen paths, and a shared girlfriend Madolyn (Vera Farminga).

While the cast is great and all the actors are outstanding I couldn't help thinking that Di Caprio's role would have been better suited for somebody else. Without taking anything of his performance, which is arguably the best one in the film, I think his face is too babyish for the role of tough undercover agent.

What I liked most about the film was that it's not the usual gangster film with gangs shooting each other. The idea of two rats on either side of the playing field is so good that you'd wish that you were the one who came up with it. Towards the end there are a couple of twists peaking in the elevator where the whole situation is resolved. I didn't find a boring minute from the 149 that make the film and I think this film well deserves a rating of 90%+ on rotten tomatoes. 4/5 stars.