Why did The Departed earn Martin Scorsese his first Academy Award for best director?

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Martin Scorsese smiling in a tuxedo and bow tie, holding an Oscar statuette at the Academy Awards, with a gold Oscar statue in the background. — Martin Scorsese American film director Martin Scorsese, 2008.

The Departed (2006) earned Martin Scorsese his first Academy Award for best director following a highly successful run as one of the industry's most respected filmmakers. While the film was a remake of the Hong Kong action thriller Infernal Affairs, it became one of Scorsese’s biggest box-office hits and was critically acclaimed for its tense narrative and performances, particularly that of Jack Nicholson as a crime boss based on Whitey Bulger.12

The film's success at the 79th Academy Awards—where it also won for best picture, editing, and writing—marked a significant milestone in Scorsese's career, finally securing him the directing Oscar after previous nominations for films such as Gangs of New York and The Aviator.12