The films begins with a title a name of a place being shown and setting the time frame of what is next to be shown. The film is set in Boston which the title suggests. The soundtrack in the background is Rolling Stones Geniwine Shelter, which is an unusual song choice for the opening of a thriller which definitely grabs the audiences attention.

The Director Martin Scorsese is well known and infamous for making Italian Gangster films such as Goodfellas, this is portrayed in The Departed but with a mixture of Irish, Black and Italian people.

Next to be shown is a montage of clips of the past and what has been happening through out the years. We know this because we are told in the narration and also in the mise-en-scene e.g. with how people are dressed. The camera technique being used in the montage is steadicam, evidence of this were the numerous shots being zoomed in and how the camera was very mobile which gave an effect of being in the mist of the action. Also it could be perceived as a collection of clips that were documented which again tells us that this was what happened in the past. While the montage is being shown there are numerous non digetic sounds such as a voice over which is the narrator and the music. The narrator expresses his strong points of view which gives us an incite to the narrators character. The music has a melancholy feel which complements the opening shots because it makes you reflect on the past since the music is from the 70s and the montage we assume is from that era. Finally you see the struggle and violence that occurred in the past through mise-enscene with police in riot gear and windows broken. Its also filmed like a news report to show its important and serious which makes it very unique in the way its filmed.

Next is an establishing shot of Boston. Which gives us a setting for the film. We also get a feel of how vast this city is and establishes the mise en scene and atmosphere to come. Also the camera zooms in on a specific part of the city telling us the audience where exactly the next scene will take place.

The main character and also the person who was the narrator is then brought to the scene. The character is introduced to the scene via a tracking shot.

The Character when first looked upon is in shadow and his identity is hidden through chiaroscuro lighting. By covering up the identity of this character brings a mysterious element to the film and makes us concentrate on this character entering the scene. The tracking shot reinforces this affect on the audience and especially the silhoutte shot makes the character seem intresting and crafty.

The scene then quickly cuts to a point of view shot of the person walking towards the shop. Which makes you see whats going on through the characters eyes. As he enters the shop you see that no one looks at him or even seems to notice him.

The point of view shot is followed by an over the shoulder shot which shows where the character is looking without giving away the characters identity yet. This shot also shows that the character is about to interact with the other.

Upon entering the shop it seems as if the shop owner respects this man due to his manners towards him and believes he's of a high authority and it is if the man is scared this is shown from his fearful attitude. Before words are exchanged he quickly hands the guy over some money which suggest this happens regularly between the two characters.

It also seems that time is a symbol of something in this opening scene. Notice how the clock of his watch is facing the wrong way round, and the clock face can be clearly seen. This is not the only occurrence in the opening scene that there has been clear a shot of the watch , the watch again is shown later on in the clip. Also this shot is at a certain angle which is used to portray an uneasiness and tension in this scene.

This known as a two-shot shows the character still with his Identity hidden showing his authority again but not to the owner this time but rather to another female employee. Once called upon she rushes towards him by a wave of his hand again showing his dominance and authority. The female is illuminated while the main character is in shadow. The light and dark contrast in my opinion was a reflection on both the characters personalities. With the woman in light all innocent and good. And the man in shadow associated as a bad and devious person.

The female worker provides a humble attitude toward the other character even though he's taking money from the owner, this shows she is fearful of the man who is being given the money and she doesnt want to cause further problems. However the mid close up of the woman shows her disgust when she takes the money offered from him from her expression and body language.

This medium close up shows the owners reaction towards the man and his reactions whilst the man was talking to the female worker. This reaction shot shows the owners true feelings towards the mysterious man. There also is an reaction shot of the child who is in the shop at the time

Incidental music from the beginning of the film is still being played out during this scene. The music gets quiet while words are exchanged but at the end of every sentence the volume picks up and is played out loud again to give tension to the scene.

Again as you can see again there is a close up of the mans watch but this time it shows time has moved on, its no longer at 2:50 but rather at 3:00. these shots are therefore continuous and shows how the man is on a tight schedule and that he is meticulous with time. This could also be a symbol of the slogan 'time is money' as you see the clock on backwards with the childs hand holding coins.

This mise -en-scene shot shows a change in scenery as you can see the scene has now changed to a church where various religious activities take place with the young boy. As we associate a church with all good things we get a sense of the young boy being innocent. Also in the long shot of inside the church we see all the different nations of flags on the ceiling which tells the audience that in church all nations are equal and of one in the house of god. This shot is used so that we can see the difference between the opening montage of the past where their were problems with race to that of what we are seeing. This also suggests a number of years has past.

In the final scene of the opening sequence with his face still not being able to be seen the character is shot over the shoulder showing the characters line of sight while talking to the child. It is also a tracking shot as it follows the character toward the young boy. Also it is at a high angle shot showing the young boy as a feeble and inferior character compared to the man. Further evidence of this is when the young boy backs up slightly when the man approaches him. As the male character says a big statement his identity is shown. His identity being revealed while he says this statement makes what he says a whole lot more powerful and it is done in a close up showing his facial expressions in almost a sly humorous manor, he says When I was your age people said that you can become cops or criminals but today Im telling you when facing a loaded gun what's the difference?... Eh thats my boy This statement brings about the main morale issues of the film and shows an amount of intelligence from this character. Also some people could have a certain dislike for the character to be saying that to a young boy especially since young boys are very impressionable. Once this is said the clip is cut to the present day ending the opening sequence.