Netflix fans can finally watch 'greatest gangster movie of all time'

An American gangster flick hailed as an "absolute must-see" and the "best of its genre" is set to land on Netflix on August 8.

The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese, boasts a star-studded line-up including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg.

Other big names in the film include Ray Winstone, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, and Anthony Anderson.

READ MORE: ‘Best period drama’ hailed ‘alternative Austen’ leaves fan vowing to ‘watch series always’

READ MORE: GMB star scammed out of entire life savings before job is axed in brutal ITV cuts

This 2006 thriller spins the tale of an undercover cop and a police mole who try to unmask each other whilst infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.

Such was the acclaim for the film it bagged four Academy Awards - for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay Writing - and a Golden Globe, reports the Express.

Interestingly, The Departed is an English-language remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, and draws inspiration from the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang. The character of Frank Costello, portrayed by Jack Nicholson, is based on the notorious Irish-American mobster Whitey Bulger.

Despite the widespread praise, Martin Scorsese later revealed his struggles during the making of The Departed. In a 2016 interview with The Telegraph, he admitted: "Moral Ground Zero, I call it.

"All the characters killed at the end, basically everyone, and there was no place to go, after that."

He continued by revealing that whilst he enjoyed the film, he found creating it, especially during post-production, "highly unpleasant" and stated: "I felt it was maddening."

Martin added: "I said, I don't care how much I'm being paid, it'll kill me. I'll die. Very simply."

The Departed boasts a 91% Tomatometre score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 94% on the Popcornmetre.

One review branded it a "must-see movie", saying: "Great movie I have literally lost count of how many times I've watched it now."

Another hailed it "Martin Scorsese's best" and highlighted the "absolutely stacked cast of amazing talent".

Another admirer wrote: "Insanely good movie. The cast is next level and the storyline plays out so well.

"Damon, Dicaprio, Nicholson, Baldwin, Sheen and Wahlberg just to name a few in the killer ensemble."

One critic remarked: "One of the greatest police vs mob movies of all time..

"Also one of the highest starpower ensembles ever assembled that never distracts."

It emerges that one of the supporters' favourite scenes in the film was ad-libbed by Jack Nicholson, who arrived on set during shooting with a surprise planned.

He revealed to Variety: "There's a scene in a bar where I'm scaring the s*** out of Leo's character with a gun. There wasn't any gun in the script ...

"I wanted to come up with something different, so I asked the prop master to hide a gun on the set, and to bring a fire extinguisher as well. The look on his face when I asked for that fire extinguisher was priceless."

Despite this, the actor, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance, initially considered rejecting the film. However, he was persuaded to take on the role by Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese.

Speaking to Variety, he said: "I guess you can say I was attracted to the company."

The Departed is currently available on Amazon Prime and will be joining Netflix's roster on August 8.