‘The Departed’, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg, was released in 2006. The creators of the thriller particularly remembered one improvised scene involving a real firearm.
Martin Scorsese’s film tells the story of two young men assigned to spy on their respective organizations. Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), recruited by the Massachusetts State Police, secretly works for crime boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), a police officer and Colin’s former classmate, infiltrates the mob to conduct an investigation. What follows is a deadly game in which each side tries to eliminate the other. This thriller, a true spy den, won four Oscars in 2007: Best Picture, Best Director (the first and only Oscar of Martin Scorsese’s career), Best Editing and Best Screenplay. The actors gave everything to make the film as powerful as it became…
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In addition to its gripping plot, the film boasts an exceptional cast: besides the stars already mentioned, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga and Alec Baldwin also appear on screen. All of this for a result as breathtaking as it is surprising. And it wasn’t only the audience who were stunned. During filming, Jack Nicholson pulled a stunt that shocked everyone. According to The Telegraph, “when the two actors faced off in a pivotal scene, Nicholson pulled out a gun, much to the surprise of DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese.”
Scorsese says he still trembles at the possible consequences of the incident when he thinks about it. Speaking about that scene, he said: “Suddenly, he pointed a gun at DiCaprio. He didn’t tell me he had a gun. It was shocking.” In editing, the director decided to keep Leonardo DiCaprio’s completely natural reaction in that moment.
The Film Could Have Had a Different Ending
The Departed was released after Casino (1995) and Gangs of New York (2002). But according to GQ magazine, which interviewed Martin Scorsese in 2023, the third film might never have been made — nor the memorable gun scene. “And yet, a few years later, he convinced himself to make The Departed again with DiCaprio.” However, Warner Bros. asked Scorsese to keep one of the film’s two main characters (played by DiCaprio and Matt Damon) alive. “They wanted a franchise. It wasn’t a moral question of life or death for one character. It was about leaving someone alive for a sequel.”
Scorsese recalled a test screening of the film, after which everyone — the audience and the filmmakers — walked out ecstatic. “And then the studio guys left, and they were very upset, because they simply didn’t want this movie. They wanted a franchise.” Fortunately, the director refused to change the ending. And rightly so, because The Departed ultimately earned him both an Academy Award and a BAFTA.
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