Fridae

There are more major stars in this film than you have fingers in one hand � Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin. Have your jaws dropped yet?

But the biggest star of them all is the one who prefers to stand behind the camera, Martin Scorsese. Any movie buff, movie-maker or critic must be aware of the towering achievements of this man.

His early masterpieces like Taxi Driver and Mean Streets redefined the portrayal of street violence in cinema. His later works like The Age of Innocence and Casino demonstrated his continuing commitment to his craft. It is no wonder then that he has managed to assemble some of Hollywood's biggest male stars for this remake of Hong Kong's electrifying blockbuster Infernal Affairs.

Retitled The Departed, this is a beautifully acted and perfectly-crafted crime drama pitting the cops against the mob. Just as the cops have planted an agent (Leonardo DiCaprio) among the mobsters (led by the menacing Jack Nicholson), the mobsters too have planted a mole (Matt Damon) in the police department. When the men discover their real identities and the fact that they have fallen for the same woman (the new and very talented Vera Farmiga), hell breaks loose.

Although The Departed may be studded with superstars who carry their weight with strong performances, you will leave the movie just as impressed by their performances as by Martin's magisterial direction. The director's skilled use of a wide array of camera, editing and scoring techniques will astonish any cinephile who understands the vocabulary of filmmaking. He has proved once more than when it comes to crime drama, no one does it better than he.