The Departed
The Departed doesn't have favorite matchups — it wins them all at roughly the same rate. 57% across 402 head-to-head matchups, steady regardless of round or opponent. Scorsese finally getting his Oscar gave this film a coronation narrative that still clings to it. It's propulsive, vicious, and endlessly quotable — the kind of film voters pick with zero hesitation and zero guilt. 1.4s avg decision time (platform avg: 3.5s). No deliberation needed.
Synopsis
To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.
The gap between The Departed's best and worst round is just 6 points. That kind of steadiness is unusual — most films look different depending on when you check on them. This one doesn't.
At 49%, the matchup with Saving Private Ryan is the tightest in The Departed's record — close enough to go either way. The extremes tell a clear story — 83% against The Shawshank Redemption at one end, 15% against GoodFellas at the other.
Spielberg vs. Scorsese is The Departed's bracket: it clears the early rounds consistently but meets its ceiling in the final against GoodFellas (15%).
#2 of 4 in Martin Scorsese's filmography. GoodFellas sets the pace at 60%, but The Departed is competitive with the top of the catalog.
#3 of 8 in Spielberg vs. Scorsese.
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