Scorsese is back!

Not that he's ever left, but after putting together a competent period drama about Howard Hughes, producing a dutiful PBS series on the blues, and composing an intriguing study of Bob Dylan, Martin Scorsese has returned to the genre that he strides like a colossus with The Departed.

Loosely adapting Siu Fai Mak's Infernal Affairs into a contemporary gangster-noir set in Boston, Scorsese imaginatively probes fresh nuances. Early in the film, Irish Mafia kingpin Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) emphatically plants a recurring theme: "When I was your age, they would say you could become cops or criminals. What I'm saying is this: When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?" Not that this ambiguity is unique--Scorsese has previously explored man's dual nature, as have many film directors ranging from Hitchcock to Wilder to Woo. The freshness comes from the details and exploration of character depths rarely found in crime dramas.

Part of Scorsese's genius lies with being keenly aware of his internal inclinations and special interests. Growing up in Manhattan's Little Italy made him the ideal filmmaker to translate that neighborhood in Goodfellas to create the finest Mafia film in history; The Departed makes a fine companion piece. To get its south Boston details right, Scorsese ingeniously collaborates with Irish-American screenwriter William Monahan (Kingdom of Heaven), who hails from Boston. Scorsese also prominently sprinkles his incredible ensemble cast with two key actors that he'd never worked with before—Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg, who both could easily slip back into their Boston-bred accents.

A California-bred actor that Scorsese has worked with previously (and is already signed on to Scorsese's next project about Teddy Roosevelt) is Leonardo DiCaprio, whose conflicted, street-tough Billy Costigan character must slip between dual personas--most pointedly demonstrated during Dignam's (Wahlberg) intense recruiting interrogation where he asks Costigan if he's capable of behaving like a south Boston native. DiCaprio indirectly responds with a pitch-perfect Bostonian accent. DiCaprio and Scorsese have become as tightly connected as De Niro/Scorsese; this is DiCaprio's most mature role to date.

Essentially, the story revolves around dual protagonists Costigan (DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Damon), two brilliant young men in parallel ambiguous universes that crisscross between the Massachusetts State Police Department and the state's most notorious crime ring, headed by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). The complicated character study flows seamlessly through Scorsese's roving camera lens and deft editing that sketch both insightfully. Early we witness Costello take in and mentor young Colin to become a solid citizen--an ideal mole within the state police. Meanwhile, Billy strives to overcome his seedy underworld family past by joining the police force, only to find that his only option is to go undercover to infiltrate the very world that he's trying to escape from.

As you can imagine, this causes a myriad of complications in a crazy mixed up world that blurs the lines between the good guys and the bad. Both Costigan and Sullivan are complex lone wolves, who both discover that there's a mole within their ranks that they must discover and eliminate before they are found out—meaning that each must play both the fox and the hound roles. Unbeknownst to each other, they both develop a relationship with the same woman (Madolyn, played by Vera Farmiga)--a therapist who allows both men to reveal their more vulnerable sides. She also represents a part of life that neither man can fully attain, all reinforced by Scorsese's thrice-repeated Patsy Cline selection:

Sweet dreams of you
Things I know can't come true
Why can't I forget the past, start loving someone new
Instead of having sweet dreams about you

What especially stands out (and what will draw the crowds to the theater) is the acting—a real tour de force, ranking among the finest ensemble casts ever gathered. Both DiCaprio and Damon could land Best Actor nods, and several Best Supporting Actor candidates populate the film. Perfectly cast, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, and Alec Baldwin all contribute faultlessly, but most moviegoers will rave about Nicholson. The Yankee fan reportedly refused to don a Red Sox cap, but Nicholson delivers the goods. In fact, he totally chews up the scenery and dominates whenever he appears, whether he's cracking a joke about the way his latest victim plops after an execution or whether he's literally sniffing for the underworld "rat" when conversing with Costigan. It's effective--adding dashes of dark humor within the serious text.

Although The Departed ranks among Scorsese's best work, don't expect an Oscar breakthrough this time. It does falter a bit at the end when it resolves various "issues" too easily, but that's not what will block the film from Best Picture consideration. It's far too dark and bloody for Academy taste. And that is a good thing. Scorsese tried playing the Hollywood game the last time around with more palatable fare and still didn't win. This time he's back on more familiar ground, and that means that movie lovers are the winners.