The Departed (2006)

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Wikidata Q172975, film, IMDb tt0407887, TMDB 1422: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by episode credits Martin Scorsese as director (Our Alternative Academy Awards | The Oscars Show); 14 more episodes agree.

What a model would be handed about it, for corpus:ask.

In the store as #534, The Departed (2006).

The Rewatchables' awards

From ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan (2017-08-17):

Most rewatchable scene

  1. pick The first meeting of Dignam and Costigan at the LRB
    “I think that that is the most rewatchable scene.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:09:30
  2. pick Meeting Martin Sheen on the roof, the body falling in front of Leo
    “I think the most rewatchable part of this movie is meeting Martin Sheen on the roof.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:14:18
  3. floated The Nicholson and DiCaprio showdown (Are you still a cop?)
    “The Nicholson DiCaprio showdown, which is great, and there's something to be said for these movie moments where it's just these two giant stars in a scene together.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:09:38
  4. floated Martin Sheen's death off the roof, the body landing in front of Leo
    “Martin Sheen's death scene off the roof.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:09:59
  5. floated Wahlberg killing Matt Damon at the end
    “Wahlberg killing Matt Damon at the end.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:10:09
  6. floated The Damon and Leo phone call on the dead guy's number
    “The Damon Leo phone call, you're calling it dead guy's number.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:10:11
  7. floated The roof scene where Leo gets killed in the elevator
    “And then finally the roof scene.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:10:16

Best casting, what if? · Who was almost cast, and who else could have played the parts.

  1. pick Brad Pitt: Pitt dropped out of the Damon part and ended up producing the movie.
    “Brad Pitt was supposed to be Damon's part dropped out, ended up producing the movie.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:14:43
  2. pick Ray Liotta as Dignam: First choice for Dignam; Dennis Leary was second and also could not do it.
    “Ray Liotta was supposed to be Dignam.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:14:47
  3. pick Al Pacino as Frank Costello: Nicholson was second choice for Costello.
    “Nicholson, 2nd choice for Frank Costello, who is choice number one.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:15:16
  4. pick Robert De Niro: Turned it down to be in The Good Shepherd.
    “De Niro, turn down Martin Sheen's part because he wanted to be in the Good Shepherd.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:15:27
  5. pick Mel Gibson: First choice, but he was filming Apocalypto.
    “Mel Gibson, couldn't do Alec Baldwin's part.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:15:34
  6. pick Al Pacino as Frank Costello: Thinks Pacino would have been the better Costello and would have owned the cast-smashing scene.
    “I think Costello's better with Pacino.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:16:14
  7. pick Sean Penn as Frank Costello: Imagines Penn doing the opening monologue as unhinged.
    “Like, Sean Penn doing that opening monologue would have been insane.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:51:55
  8. pick Matt Damon as Billy Costigan: Switching the parts: Damon could have played Costigan, maybe better; Leo could not have played Colin.
    “I actually think there's there's a chance he could have been better than Leo was in that role because he the Boston would have felt a little more authentic.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:54:14
  9. pick Josh Hartnett: Wants a more famous younger actor as Leo's killer.
    “That should have been like a Ryan Gosling.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:43:13

What's aged the best · What in the movie has held up best.

  1. pick The title sequence with the Dropkick Murphys, 18 minutes in
    “The title sequence coming in 18 minutes in with Dropkick Murphy.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:17:49
  2. pick The cranberry juice scene with Ray Winstone: Praised for the music, the shot and Winstone's delivery.
    “Cranberry juice is a perfect movie scene.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:18:41
  3. pick The Nicholson death scene
    “Well, one last one.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:18:37

What's aged the worst · What in the movie has held up worst.

  1. nominee Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello: His entire performance.
    “Nicholson's entire performance.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:21:25
  2. nominee Mark Wahlberg's hair
    “Mark Wahlberg's hair.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:21:32
  3. nominee Leo panicking at the end and leaving the envelope in a different place: Out of character for a supposedly super smart guy.
    “completely panics.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:22:18
  4. nominee Leo's plan to trap Damon on the roof
    “Leo's plan to trap Matt Damon's character on the roof.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:22:32
  5. winner Damon texting in his pocket: Chris Ryan agrees it is his pick too.
    “And then finally, um, this is my, this is the winner in my, in my mind, Damon sending a whole complicated text in his pocket.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:23:01
  6. nominee Scorsese using Gimme Shelter a third time
    “Oh, and then this doesn't win, but it's a nominee.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:24:13

Best performance by that guy · The best performance by a familiar face whose name you would not know.

  1. nominee Ray Winstone as Mr. French
    “Ray Winstone, you mentioned him.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:25:43
  2. nominee James Badge Dale as Trooper Kerrigan: The guy who shoots video at the end.
    “Trooper Kerrigan.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:26:26
  3. nominee Anthony Anderson
    “Now he's Anthony Anderson, but at the time he's of that guy.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:26:54
  4. nominee David O'Hara as Fitzy
    “His really name's David O'Hara.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:27:03
  5. winner Mark Rolston: Better known as Boggs from Shawshank.
    “You bet better known as Boggs from Shawshank.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:27:27
  6. winner Kevin Corrigan as Costigan's cousin: Wanted co-winners; Bill and Chris agreed to disagree.
    “How is there a better that guy than Bob? Kevin Morgan.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:27:30

Half-assed internet research · Production trivia the hosts dug up online.

  1. pick Ray Winstone and Jack Nicholson did not get along
    “Ray Winston said him and Jack Nicholson did not get along during the filming.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:28:48
  2. pick Nicholson refused to wear a Red Sox hat and banned Celtics hats on set
    “Nicholson refused to wear a Red Sox hat during the filming and banned all Celtic Cats on the set.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:29:01
  3. pick Leo dropped out of The Good Shepherd to do The Departed
    “Leo dropped out of the Good Shepherd to do the departed.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:29:14
  4. pick Leo's Boston accent coach
    “Leo's Boston accent coach was named J. Gianoni.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:29:32
  5. winner The F word and its derivatives used 238 times
    “I spilled it, but the F word and its derivatives use 238 times.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:29:48

Boston accents · Yes, maybe or no fucking way on each actor's Boston accent.

  1. pick Matt Damon: Yes: the best ever at it.
    “Yes, Damon, the best ever at it.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:30:06
  2. pick Mark Wahlberg as Dignam: Maybe: Damon is better and Wahlberg overdoes it.
    “I think that Damon is better and I think Wahlberg overdoes it.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:30:24
  3. pick Alec Baldwin: Good for the most part.
    “It's for the most part good.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:32:04
  4. pick Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan: Good because Costigan is a chameleon; Bill says it is fine but fades.
    “So I think it works for his character, although I know that I'm in a minority in my opinion.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:32:30
  5. pick Martin Sheen: No way group: he really botched it.
    “He just really botched it.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:33:11
  6. pick Vera Farmiga: No way group: she kind of quit on it.
    “She kind of quit on it.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:34:06
  7. pick Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello: No way group: no one can tell what accent he is going for.
    “And then Nicholson, I don't know.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:34:22

The unintentional comedy award · The funniest things in the movie that were not meant to be funny.

  1. nominee Scorsese's Rolling Stones fetish
    “Scorsese Stone's fetish we covered.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:35:57
  2. nominee Nicholson's dildo
    “Nicholson's dildo.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:36:25
  3. nominee The flip phones
    “The flip phones are just funny now.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:36:37
  4. nominee Damon's impotency issues
    “Damon's weird impetus impotency issues.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:36:42
  5. winner Jack Nicholson running away at the end: A 30-second scene of Nicholson running, body going in all directions.
    “Nicholson leaves his car and starts running, and there's this 32nd scene of Jack Nicholson running.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:37:19

Picking Nits · Nitpicks about a movie they love.

  1. pick Why Leo would agree to the undercover deal
    “Why would Leo agree to this undercover deal?”
    Bill Simmons · 0:38:33
  2. pick Damon's apartment with an impossible view of the State House: A Boston guy's nit.
    “it always struck me that no apartment that I had ever heard of had such a great view of the state house.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:39:16
  3. pick Would Leo and the doctor actually get together
    “Would Leo and the doctor actually get together?”
    Bill Simmons · 0:40:11
  4. pick Why Vera Farmiga's character does not turn Damon's character in
    “Why didn't Vera Fermiga turn Damon's character in?”
    Bill Simmons · 0:41:55
  5. pick Why a more famous actor did not play Leo's killer: His biggest flaw of the movie.
    “This is my biggest flaw of this movie.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:42:37
  6. pick Nicholson not suspecting Leo, or Sheen not suspecting Damon
    “Nicholson, not suspecting Leo.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:44:03
  7. pick The rat on the balcony at the end: Chris Ryan reads it as a bow on the movie.
    “Why didn't anyone talk Scorsese out of the rat on the balcony at the tail end?”
    Bill Simmons · 0:44:30

Greatest exchange · The best lines of dialogue.

  1. pick The cranberry juice exchange
    “It's a natural diuretic.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:45:35
  2. pick Nicholson: How's your mother? She's on her way out. We all are.
    “How's your mother?”
    Bill Simmons · 0:45:42
  3. pick Wahlberg: I'm the guy who does this job. You must be the other guy.: His favorite.
    “This is my favorite.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:45:48
  4. pick The Baldwin marriage monologue
    “The Baldwin's whole marriage monologue that ends about ladies see the ring.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:46:38
  5. pick The world needs plenty of bartenders. 2 weeks with pay.: His favorite line.
    “That's my favorite line.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:47:06
  6. pick Costigan to the therapist: why don't you just give me a bottle of scotch and a handgun
    “Why don't you just give me a bottle of scotch and a handgun to blow my fucking head off.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:47:15

Who won the movie · Which star came out on top: Leo, Damon, Nicholson or Wahlberg.

  1. winner Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan: Wahlberg wows at first, but after a while it is Leo's movie.
    “but after a while, I just think it's Leo's movie.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:47:37
  2. winner Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan
    “I'm with you on Leo.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:48:17
  3. nominee Mark Wahlberg as Dignam: Wins the first few viewings.
    “First few years, I think you're just blown away by Wahlberg.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:47:31
  4. nominee Matt Damon: Praised: his best work comes when he plays creeps.
    “Matt Damon's best performances are always the one where he plays the creeps”
    Chris Ryan · 0:47:42
  5. nominee Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello: Says he loses the movie.
    “And now let's have the Nicholson conversation because I think he loses the movie.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:48:20

Departed 2 · A sequel or prequel they would make.

  1. pick Departed 2, a prequel or a follow-up with Wahlberg
    “I think you could argue Departed 2 could have been afterwards with like Wahlberg and you just bring people in.”
    unknown · 0:55:03

Who talked about it

Blank Check — Patreon

The Big Picture

The Rewatchables

Came from

What the speakers say it drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

Infernal Affairs: 1 line the host's read ×1

  1. lineage (remake source): Infernal Affairs ⇒ The Departed (the host's read). The Departed is a remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, which is tighter.
    “It was called Infernal Affairs, the Hark Kong one?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:59:09 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Scarface: 1 line the host's read ×1

  1. lineage (homage): Scarface ⇒ The Departed (the host's read). The film has references to classic gangster films like the original Scarface that feel like pastiche.
    “there's a couple of references in this movie to classic gangster films like the original Scarface”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:45:24 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Led to

What the speakers say drew on it, marked the same way.

No line says another film or person drew on it.

Connected to

Goodfellas: 2 lines unmapped ×1 craft ×1

  1. unmapped (greatest hits): The Departed → Goodfellas. Ryan says The Departed recycles Scorsese's camera moves from his career like a greatest-hits album, with no single shot to rival the Copacabana tracking shot or the Goodfellas freeze frames.
    “there's not one single shot in the departed that you would put up against like the Copacabana tracking shot or any of the slow-mo freeze frame stuff and Goodfellas or Raging Bull”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:11:53 · Chris Ryan (0.75 sure it was them)

Heat: 2 lines unmapped ×1 craft ×1

  1. craft (crafted vs improvised): The Departed → Heat. Heat is long and full of huge stars like this, but Mann's decisions were all considered while The Departed feels like flying by the seat of its pants.
    “I felt like heat was crafted. Every decision he makes is really well thought out”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:58:26 · Chris Ryan (0.70 sure it was them)

No Country for Old Men: 2 lines unmapped ×2

  1. unmapped (perfect vs rewatchable): The Departed → No Country for Old Men. No Country is note perfect but he has watched it far fewer times than The Departed, because flawed movies leave room to check out and ask questions.
    “I have watched it 80% less than the departed because the departed, it actually feels like a roller coaster ride when you're on it.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:57:06 · Chris Ryan (0.65 sure it was them)

A Few Good Men: 1 line people ×1

  1. people (same actor, different result): The Departed → A Few Good Men. Nicholson nailed every line of Sorkin's watertight script in A Few Good Men but is all over the place in The Departed.
    “he nails every line of Sorkin dialogue. It's like watertight script.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:50:13 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)

Apollo 13: 1 line industry ×1

  1. industry (industry): Apollo 13 → The Departed. Movies break into pop-culture lexicon slowly, 10 to 15 years; The Town and The Departed cited.
    “I think it takes like 10 to 15 years.”
    The Rewatchables · A CR Month Mailbag! · 1:19:11 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Blown Away: 1 line unmapped ×1

  1. unmapped (Boston geography): The Departed → Blown Away. Blown Away has its own violations of Boston geography, like a downhill chase for fifteen blocks and a Four Seasons view that does not exist.
    “Blown away with Jeff Bridges, which has its own just severe violations of Boston.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:39:41 · Bill Simmons (0.65 sure it was them)

Boogie Nights: 1 line career ×1

  1. career (career peak): The Departed → Boogie Nights. 1997 was a better year for Leo, Damon, Nicholson and Wahlberg than 2006: Boogie Nights, Good Will Hunting, Titanic, As Good as It Gets.
    “Wahlberg had boogie nights.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:04:58 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Casino: 1 line unmapped ×1

  1. unmapped (repeated song): The Departed → Casino. Scorsese used Gimme Shelter a third time here after Goodfellas and Casino, which they find funny and a sign of his Stones fetish.
    “Scorsese using Gimme Shelter 3rd time.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:24:16 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)

Cast Away: 1 line unmapped ×1

  1. unmapped (flaws make it rewatchable): The Departed → Cast Away. Simmons likes movies with questions to chew on, like Cast Away, which he can talk about for an hour.
    “The flaws do make it more rewatchable, right?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:56:54 · Bill Simmons (0.75 sure it was them)

Dropkick Murphys: 1 line craft ×1

  1. craft (craft): The Departed → Dropkick Murphys. The Dropkick Murphys needle drop over the title sequence is singled out as a high point of the film.
    “The title sequence coming in 18 minutes in with Dropkick Murphy.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:17:49 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)

Gangs of New York: 1 line unmapped ×1

  1. unmapped (audience anticipation): The Departed → Gangs of New York. Simmons felt the same big-names anticipation for Gangs of New York as for The Departed.
    “the other time I remember feeling it was gangs, gangs of New York in 2002”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:02:01 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Glengarry Glen Ross: 1 line unmapped ×1

  1. unmapped (speech): The Departed → Glengarry Glen Ross. Wahlberg dressing down Leo is called the Alec Baldwin Glengarry speech.
    “he gives him the Alec Baldwin Glengarry speech.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:56:00 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)

Infernal Affairs: 1 line lineage ×1

  1. lineage (remake source): The Departed → Infernal Affairs. The Departed is a remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, which is tighter.
    “It was called Infernal Affairs, the Hark Kong one?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:59:09 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

James Badge Dale: 1 line career ×1

  1. career (career): James Badge Dale → The Departed. Dale is in The Departed as the man who shoots Leo and is revealed to be with Nicholson.
    “he's the guy who shoots Leo.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Iron Man 3 · 0:45:29 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Matt Damon: 1 line what-if ×1

  1. what-if (what-if): Matt Damon → The Departed. If Damon had spent the mid-2000s on Avatar he might not have been in The Departed.
    “maybe he's not in the departed.”
    The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:18:55 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Mission: Impossible: 1 line theme ×1

  1. theme (image echo): Mission: Impossible → The Departed. The rat in the air duct at Langley recalls The Departed's final shot, the hunt for a betraying rat.
    “the rat in the air air duct in Langley, like a little bit of like the departed final shot”
    The Rewatchables · 'Mission: Impossible' With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Jason Concepcion · 0:25:07 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)

Robbie Robertson: 1 line contrast ×1

  1. contrast (contrast): The Departed → Robbie Robertson. A host says that for the fee a name like Robertson commands, the Departed soundtrack should beat classic-radio picks like Gimme Shelter.
    “you could do better than every classic radio station in America”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:24:51 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)

Scarface: 1 line lineage ×1

  1. lineage (homage): The Departed → Scarface. The film has references to classic gangster films like the original Scarface that feel like pastiche.
    “there's a couple of references in this movie to classic gangster films like the original Scarface”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:45:24 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Something's Gotta Give: 1 line career ×1

  1. career (career): Something's Gotta Give → The Departed. Nicholson in this film is partway toward his Departed performance.
    “He's like 40% of the way to his departed performance.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Something's Gotta Give with Bobby Finger (Ad-Free) · 1:11:05 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby: 1 line what-if ×1

  1. what-if (Oscar hypothetical): Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby → The Departed. Asking whether Mark Wahlberg in The Departed beats Reilly in Talladega at that year's Oscars.
    “Is he actually better in the departed than John C. Riley is in Talladeganites?”
    The Rewatchables · 'Talladega Nights' With Craig Horlbeck, Danny Heifetz, and Danny Kelly · 1:53:12 · Craig Horlbeck (0.50 sure it was them)

The Color of Money: 1 line craft ×1

  1. craft (directorial style): The Color of Money → The Departed. The fast-cutting montage with a blues soundtrack explosion in the Grady Seasons scene is a Scorsese move they also discussed on The Departed and Wolf of Wall Street.
    “This like super fast cutting montage blues soundtrack explosion thing that he does”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Color of Money’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:35:54 · Sean Fennessey (0.70 sure it was them)

The Irishman: 1 line unmapped ×1

  1. unmapped (Whitey Bulger movie): The Departed → The Irishman. Scorsese's next gangster movie with De Niro, Pacino and Pesci would be de-aged digitally and paid for by Netflix.
    “It's De Niro Pacino and Joe Pesci.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:52:21 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

The Wire: 1 line people ×1

  1. people (that guy): The Departed → The Wire. James Badge Dale shows up in lots of things, and they note Black Hawk Down had every actor.
    “Every single actor was in Black Hawk Down, so you can just say.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:26:46 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Where it came up

What was said about it, by kind

career (3)

  1. career (career peak): The Departed → Boogie Nights. 1997 was a better year for Leo, Damon, Nicholson and Wahlberg than 2006: Boogie Nights, Good Will Hunting, Titanic, As Good as It Gets.
    “Wahlberg had boogie nights.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:04:58 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. career (career): James Badge Dale → The Departed. Dale is in The Departed as the man who shoots Leo and is revealed to be with Nicholson.
    “he's the guy who shoots Leo.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Iron Man 3 · 0:45:29 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  3. career (career): Something's Gotta Give → The Departed. Nicholson in this film is partway toward his Departed performance.
    “He's like 40% of the way to his departed performance.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Something's Gotta Give with Bobby Finger (Ad-Free) · 1:11:05 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

contrast (1)

  1. contrast (contrast): The Departed → Robbie Robertson. A host says that for the fee a name like Robertson commands, the Departed soundtrack should beat classic-radio picks like Gimme Shelter.
    “you could do better than every classic radio station in America”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:24:51 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)

craft (4)

  1. craft (directorial style): The Color of Money → The Departed. The fast-cutting montage with a blues soundtrack explosion in the Grady Seasons scene is a Scorsese move they also discussed on The Departed and Wolf of Wall Street.
    “This like super fast cutting montage blues soundtrack explosion thing that he does”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Color of Money’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:35:54 · Sean Fennessey (0.70 sure it was them)
  2. craft (craft): The Departed → Dropkick Murphys. The Dropkick Murphys needle drop over the title sequence is singled out as a high point of the film.
    “The title sequence coming in 18 minutes in with Dropkick Murphy.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:17:49 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. craft (soundtrack): The Departed → Goodfellas. Asked which soundtrack he prefers, Simmons picks Goodfellas.
    “Which soundtrack do you prefer this or Goodfellas?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:21:18 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
  4. craft (crafted vs improvised): The Departed → Heat. Heat is long and full of huge stars like this, but Mann's decisions were all considered while The Departed feels like flying by the seat of its pants.
    “I felt like heat was crafted. Every decision he makes is really well thought out”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:58:26 · Chris Ryan (0.70 sure it was them)

industry (1)

  1. industry (industry): Apollo 13 → The Departed. Movies break into pop-culture lexicon slowly, 10 to 15 years; The Town and The Departed cited.
    “I think it takes like 10 to 15 years.”
    The Rewatchables · A CR Month Mailbag! · 1:19:11 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

lineage (2)

  1. lineage (homage): The Departed → Scarface. The film has references to classic gangster films like the original Scarface that feel like pastiche.
    “there's a couple of references in this movie to classic gangster films like the original Scarface”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:45:24 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (remake source): The Departed → Infernal Affairs. The Departed is a remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, which is tighter.
    “It was called Infernal Affairs, the Hark Kong one?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:59:09 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

people (2)

  1. people (that guy): The Departed → The Wire. James Badge Dale shows up in lots of things, and they note Black Hawk Down had every actor.
    “Every single actor was in Black Hawk Down, so you can just say.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:26:46 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. people (same actor, different result): The Departed → A Few Good Men. Nicholson nailed every line of Sorkin's watertight script in A Few Good Men but is all over the place in The Departed.
    “he nails every line of Sorkin dialogue. It's like watertight script.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:50:13 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)

theme (1)

  1. theme (image echo): Mission: Impossible → The Departed. The rat in the air duct at Langley recalls The Departed's final shot, the hunt for a betraying rat.
    “the rat in the air air duct in Langley, like a little bit of like the departed final shot”
    The Rewatchables · 'Mission: Impossible' With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Jason Concepcion · 0:25:07 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)

unmapped (10)

  1. unmapped (audience anticipation): The Departed → Gangs of New York. Simmons felt the same big-names anticipation for Gangs of New York as for The Departed.
    “the other time I remember feeling it was gangs, gangs of New York in 2002”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:02:01 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (too satisfying): The Departed → No Country for Old Men. Seeing something that is exactly what you want, like this cast or No Country, can feel weirdly unsatisfying.
    “I had it too when I saw No Country for Old Men because I love that book so much.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:02:24 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
  3. unmapped (star clash): The Departed → Heat. The Nicholson-DiCaprio scene echoes the Pacino-De Niro anticipation of their Heat scene, though with less weight.
    “it was like this anticipation of Pacino and De Niro finally being in a scene together.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:09:47 · Bill Simmons (0.65 sure it was them)
  4. unmapped (greatest hits): The Departed → Goodfellas. Ryan says The Departed recycles Scorsese's camera moves from his career like a greatest-hits album, with no single shot to rival the Copacabana tracking shot or the Goodfellas freeze frames.
    “there's not one single shot in the departed that you would put up against like the Copacabana tracking shot or any of the slow-mo freeze frame stuff and Goodfellas or Raging Bull”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:11:53 · Chris Ryan (0.75 sure it was them)
  5. unmapped (repeated song): The Departed → Casino. Scorsese used Gimme Shelter a third time here after Goodfellas and Casino, which they find funny and a sign of his Stones fetish.
    “Scorsese using Gimme Shelter 3rd time.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:24:16 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
  6. unmapped (Boston geography): The Departed → Blown Away. Blown Away has its own violations of Boston geography, like a downhill chase for fifteen blocks and a Four Seasons view that does not exist.
    “Blown away with Jeff Bridges, which has its own just severe violations of Boston.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:39:41 · Bill Simmons (0.65 sure it was them)
  7. unmapped (Whitey Bulger movie): The Departed → The Irishman. Scorsese's next gangster movie with De Niro, Pacino and Pesci would be de-aged digitally and paid for by Netflix.
    “It's De Niro Pacino and Joe Pesci.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:52:21 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  8. unmapped (speech): The Departed → Glengarry Glen Ross. Wahlberg dressing down Leo is called the Alec Baldwin Glengarry speech.
    “he gives him the Alec Baldwin Glengarry speech.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:56:00 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
  9. unmapped (flaws make it rewatchable): The Departed → Cast Away. Simmons likes movies with questions to chew on, like Cast Away, which he can talk about for an hour.
    “The flaws do make it more rewatchable, right?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:56:54 · Bill Simmons (0.75 sure it was them)
  10. unmapped (perfect vs rewatchable): The Departed → No Country for Old Men. No Country is note perfect but he has watched it far fewer times than The Departed, because flawed movies leave room to check out and ask questions.
    “I have watched it 80% less than the departed because the departed, it actually feels like a roller coaster ride when you're on it.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:57:06 · Chris Ryan (0.65 sure it was them)

what-if (2)

  1. what-if (Oscar hypothetical): Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby → The Departed. Asking whether Mark Wahlberg in The Departed beats Reilly in Talladega at that year's Oscars.
    “Is he actually better in the departed than John C. Riley is in Talladeganites?”
    The Rewatchables · 'Talladega Nights' With Craig Horlbeck, Danny Heifetz, and Danny Kelly · 1:53:12 · Craig Horlbeck (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. what-if (what-if): Matt Damon → The Departed. If Damon had spent the mid-2000s on Avatar he might not have been in The Departed.
    “maybe he's not in the departed.”
    The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims · 0:18:55 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Fun items about it

  1. fun, about The Departed: The F word and its variations appear 238 times, making it a tough fit for basic cable.
    “there's 238 swears or variations of the F word in this movie”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:03:12 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about The Departed: Casting what-ifs: Pitt (producer) was Damon's part, Liotta then Leary for Dignam, Pacino for Costello, De Niro for Sheen's part, Gibson for Baldwin's.
    “Brad Pitt was supposed to be Damon's part dropped out, ended up producing the movie.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:14:43 · Bill Simmons (0.75 sure it was them)
  3. fun, about The Departed: Wahlberg and Baldwin were shot first because the production only had them for about four days.
    “Mark Wahlberg had to film all the scenes at the beginning of the filming because they only had them for like 4 days.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:14:54 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
  4. fun, about The Departed: The title card arrives 18 minutes in, after a long Nicholson voiceover; Leo pulling up in jail is where the title lands.
    “The title sequence coming in 18 minutes in with Dropkick Murphy.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:17:49 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
  5. fun, about The Departed: Worst-aged plot point winner: Damon texting a long message from inside his pocket on a flip phone, the triple crown of texting.
    “It's the triple crown of texting.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:23:28 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
  6. fun, about The Departed: Ryan's overarching theory: Leo and Damon are two ways of living in America, compartmentalized ambition vs vulnerability, and America destroys both while guys like Dignam survive.
    “either way, even no matter which road you choose, America will destroy you.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:40:56 · Chris Ryan (0.70 sure it was them)
  7. fun, about The Departed: The film's biggest ridiculous plot points: Leo's roof plan, the invented Boston State House apartment view, the rat on the balcony.
    “Why didn't anyone talk Scorsese out of the rat on the balcony at the tail end?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:44:32 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
  8. fun, about The Departed: Best lines: cranberry juice, 'Maybe, maybe not', 'We all are. Let's act accordingly', and 'The world needs plenty of bartenders. 2 weeks with pay.'
    “And then uh, the world needs plenty of bartenders.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:47:01 · Bill Simmons (0.55 sure it was them)
  9. fun, about The Departed: Departed 2 rumors existed; Wahlberg pitched a sequel to Scorsese over dinner.
    “There are more stories to tell in this world.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:55:13 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)
  10. fun, about The Departed: The Departed is cited as the Oscar-winner test: with Guy Ritchie directing it would have had no chance; only the Scorseseiness won it.
    “It was only the Scorseseiness that did that.”
    The Big Picture · Our Alternative Academy Awards | The Oscars Show · 0:10:48 · Wesley Morris (0.40 sure it was them)

Who the speakers said made it

As said on the shows, not checked against the real credits.