Set in the gritty neighborhoods of South Boston, director Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning The Departed is a dizzying thriller that follows the lives of two scrappy, talented young police officers with personal connections to the powerful Irish-American mafia. The first is Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), a street-smart officer assigned to infiltrate the syndicate mafia ring led by criminal mastermind Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). The second is Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a skilled detective whose side-job is to serve as an informant to Costello, the powerful man he has been loyal to since childhood.
As the movie develops, both characters do their best to protect their secret identities at any cost. For Costigan, it means covering up the fact that he is an undercover cop by establishing a firm relationship with Costello and his blood-thirsty henchmen led by Mr. French (Ray Winstone). However, after the word leaks out that one of the members of the gang is a rat, Costigan's fear of getting caught nearly pushes him to the edge.
On the other side, Sullivan's objective is to swiftly move up the ranks to the powerful Special Investigation Unit while still trying to serving as the secret eyes and ears inside the police force for Costello. Along the way, Sullivan's forceful approach to carrying this through eventually leads to the brutal death of one of only two trustworthy police detectives (played by Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg) Costigan can contact when he's in trouble.
Thus, without protection and no one left to turn to, Costigan's only way out is to expose the mafia link in the police department before it's too late. This mission ultimately leads to the thrilling battle of wills between Costigan, Sullivan, and Costello -- an intensive showdown that is not resolved until the last shot is fired.
The Departed is a rousing cinematic corker fueled by an all-star cast and an intricate plot stacked high with layers of lies, corruption and (typical of Scorsese) ample bloodshed. In many ways, it is a film that demands attention and electrifies the senses in much the same way a glass of deep, dark and complex red wine can excite the palate.
A delicious example of this strong and assertive style of wine is the Arrowood 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Monte Rosso Vineyard, Sonoma Valley ($70*), a big, bold and powerful wine with alluring aromas of fresh tobacco, leather and cedar, dense flavor of ripe blackberries, currants, cassis and black licorice, gripping tannins, and a touch of finesse on the long-lasting finish.
The fruit used to make this memorable wine was picked from special rows of vines planted in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s at the historic Monte Rosso Vineyard, an isolated southwestern-facing site that towers over the Sonoma Valley at elevations of 700-1,200 feet. Known for its red iron-rich volcanic soils and dry climate, this steep and rugged vineyard has earned a solid reputation for producing bold mountain-style fruit loaded with intensity and power since the first grapes were planted on the property in the 1850s. Like the characters in the movie, the secret stories of survival these old vines might tell if they could only talk!
* Prices quoted in U.S. dollars
