Recent Film Noir: The Departed

'The Departed' is an example of the classic Film Noir genre but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in Film Noir of the 1940s and 1950s.


Two men from opposite sides of the law are undercover within the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish Mafia, but violence and bloodshed boil when discoveries are made, and the moles are dispatched to find out their enemy's identities.

In The Departed, another in the long line of Martin Scorsese classic films, the opening scene tells you exactly what you are in for. You get an idea of what kind of person Nicholson's character is.You can tell he runs the show. You can tell people are scared of him. You can tell he gets whatever he wants. This is good because the audience know instantly the background of the character and what to expect in the rest of the film. This film opening is highly effective and draws the audience in to make them watch more.