The Departed is as close to Shakespeare as I’ve seen in some time. From individual lines imbued with multifold meanings, to thematic motifs, to overarching plot structures, The Departed has it all. The script alone is enough to marvel at, but Scorsese proves his expertise – as if he hadn’t already – once and for all by telling the story with class and finesse. The film has a style to it rivaling that of Tarantino and hints of Wes Anderson in its composition. What could come off as light hearted, however, is played out so as to simply engage our attention while maintaining the air of menace that permeates the film.

Scorsese gets as much from his actors as he does from his film work. Jack Nicholson plays Frank Costello, a complex devil – the leader of an Irish mob with elusive motives. Under his wing are Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), who unbeknownst to Costello, is an undercover policeman, and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), an apprentice of Costello who’s managed to work his way up the Boston police department. Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, and Alec Baldwin also bring life to the Boston police force.

The police eventually discover there’s a mole in the mob and the mob figure out there’s a mole among the police. Costigan and Sullivan are looking for each other and they’re all looking for Costello – but while the plot is crafty and clever, it’s given significance by the characters who manage to become fully realized characters in the midst of all the thematic and narrative complexities being drawn out around them.

I want to believe the film is a creative reworking of one of the bard’s plays, but its origins go no further than a Japanese action film from which it gets its general plot. It is, otherwise, an original modern Shakespearian tragedy.