The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese, is a cops-and-robbers story about organized crime in Boston. An elite unit, commanded by Captain Ellerby (played by Alec Baldwin), has a new recruit, Colin Sullivan (played by Matt Damon), who plays a key role in the unit but is a mole reporting to crime boss Frank Costello (played by Jack Nicolson), who has done favors for him since he was six years old. Although Billy Costigan (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) has flunked out of the police academy, he is selected as an ideal undercover cop, since he grew up in the tough neighborhood of South Boston and easily starts fighting when he loses his temper. Captain Queenan (played by Martin Sheen) arranges to have Billy imprisoned on an assault charge so that he can inveigle his way into Costello’s good graces after he is released. Although Costello could be apprehended on several charges, the FBI wants him to operate freely so that they can get hold of his cache of microprocessors, which he plans to sell to agents of the People’s Republic of China. The microprocessors would provide China with a strategic tool (which might be used in an attack on Taiwan). While the intrigue plays out, both Billy and Colin befriend Madolyn (played by Vera Farmiga), the police psychiatrist, and become romantically involved without knowing that she is juggling boyfriends. The term “the departed” refers to those who die as the caper proceeds. MH