I don't mean to be negative, but I thought that "The Departed" was very overrated. It was well done, yes, but it seemed like half of the movie was people getting shot in the head and their blood splattering on to the wall behind them. I lost count of how many times that had happened. I didn't like it.
I did, however, like "Curse of the Golden Flower," which was similar in that most of the characters died bloody deaths, but I found it much more appealing to the eye, and I found the plot much more gripping. But then, I prefer ninjas to gangsters.