The Departed currently beats E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 59–41
Scorsese's rat psychology outmaneuvers Spielberg's childhood fable.
The Verdict Decade Duel
The moment you realize that Costigan and Sullivan are mirror images — both informants, both performing a version of themselves for an audience that would kill them if the performance slipped — is when The Departed stops being a crime thriller and becomes something closer to existential horror. Scorsese and screenwriter William Monahan built a Boston where identity itself is the weapon, and DiCaprio and Damon play it like they're both drowning. E.T. is constructed with equal intelligence but in service of sentiment rather than dread. At 59 to 41, voters prefer the film where nobody can be trusted. The gentler Spielberg has been, the harder Scorsese hits by contrast.
The Numbers
| E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | The Departed | |
|---|---|---|
| Head-to-Head | 41% | 59% |
| Overall Win Rate | 46% | 60% |
| Championships | 5 | 39 |
| Avg Decision | 1.2s | 1.0s |
| Budget | $11M | $90M |
| Return | 75.9x | 3.2x |
Where This Matchup Sits
The Departed is in the top quarter of Drama among 88 on BingeBracket.
When facing other films, both run into the same wall: Jurassic Park beats them both on BingeBracket, regardless of how they perform against each other.
The box office favored E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The bracket favors The Departed. What sells tickets and what wins a head-to-head are two different questions.
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