Martin Scorsese won his only Best Director Oscar for The Departed, but he hasn’t repeated the one thing that makes the gangster movie stand out from his filmography. The Departed also won Best Picture and two other Oscars, making it one of Scorsese’s most successful movies during awards season.

In many ways, The Departed shares common DNA with many of Martin Scorsese’s best movies. It’s a stylish gangster movie with a streak of dark humor running throughout it, and an excellent ensemble cast. However, The Departed also differentiates itself from the likes of Goodfellas, Casino and Gangs of New York in one important way.

The Departed Is Martin Scorsese’s Only Movie Set In The 21st Century

The Director Has Been Making More Historical Dramas

In the early years of Martin Scorsese’s career, he made several movies in a contemporary setting, including Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, The King of Comedy and The Color of Money. However, such movies have become few and far between, as Scorsese has shifted his focus more towards historical dramas.

The Departed is Scorsese’s only contemporary movie made in the 21st century, apart from a few scenes in The Irishman, although the gangster epic mostly sticks to the 1960s and 1970s. This makes it stand out, but it also gives the drama a little more urgency and unpredictability.

The Departed features a complex web of cops and criminals, with moles on either side to make matters even muddier. It’s packed with twists and turns, and the contemporary setting creates a completely immersive atmosphere. This makes The Departed‘s shocking ending hit even harder.

Why Scorsese Makes So Many Historical Dramas

Scorsese Isn’t The Only Modern Director With A Fixation On The Past

Raging Bull was an early indication that Martin Scorsese had something special when it came to historical dramas, but this obsession of his has developed significantly since the 1980 boxing movie. He’s drawn to real-life stories, like Goodfellas and the Wolf of Wall Street, which obviously means that he makes more period pieces than most other directors.

With so many book adaptations and real-life stories, it’s no surprise that Scorsese hasn’t found time for movies with contemporary settings recently. However, there’s something deeper going on, since Scorsese isn’t the only director who seems disinclined to make movies set in the 21st century.

Quentin Tarantino is another good example of a director who told contemporary stories in his early career, but has since focused more on different historical periods. Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott and Christopher Nolan have followed similar patterns, while just two of the 10 Best Picture winners from the 2010s were set in the modern day.

In this context, it’s unsurprising that Scorsese hasn’t made another movie with a contemporary setting since The Departed. Some filmmakers have been able to make thrilling, unpredictable, relatable movies set in the here and now, but many are yet to make this technologically advanced era both visually appealing and narratively exciting.