One of Martin Scorsese’s greatest movies, The Departed, is a contemporary classic. It tells the tale of two men who attempt to lead public lives that are drastically different from their inner selves. Through collapse or deadly betrayal, their attempts threaten to destroy them. A moral maze where virtue and wicked wear each other’s masks is a part of their storytelling. Alan Mak and Andrew Lau’s “Infernal Affairs” (2002), the most popular Hong Kong movie, served as the inspiration for the narrative.
The movie ends tragically when the net closes in, and both characters are slain in startling scenes that rank among the most memorable parts of the film, just as the plot does in the predecessor. Near the end of the film, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character is unexpectedly killed as he exits an elevator. A little later, Matt Damon’s character is shot and killed in his home by Mark Wahlberg’s character. Scorsese told GQ that, except for the studio executives, everyone seemed to like the movie’s test screening.
Speaking to GQ, Scorsese recalled how the audience “walked out ecstatic” during a test screening of the movie. But the director claims that “the studio guys walked out and they were very sad, because they just didn’t want that movie.” Studio executives allegedly wanted both characters to survive so that the movie could become a franchise.
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After being nominated for Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, and The Aviator, Scorsese received his first Oscar when The Departed won Best Picture at the 2007 Academy Awards.
He added, “Then the studio guys walked out, and they were very sad, because they just didn’t want that movie. They wanted the franchise. Which means: I can’t work here anymore.” In fact, Scorsese never collaborated with Warner Bros. again, but he did work with Paramount on Shutter Island, another major studio film. These days, Scorsese finances his films singly, with Paramount handling distribution.
