Why was Martin Scorsese’s The Departed controversial abroad?

Yes, Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed,” which went on to win Golden Globes and garner Oscar buzz, faced a serious obstacle: It was banned in China. The main culprit? A subplot about the purchase of military equipment by Chinese criminals – a storyline that didn’t sit well with the country’s censors.

According to sources at The Hollywood Reporter and Reuters, the Chinese government was not enthusiastic about the conspiracy over Beijing’s interest in purchasing fake microprocessors for missile guidance. An anonymous source pointed out: “You can talk about Iran or Iraq, but there is no reason to include China.” The refusal to change this part of the plot sealed the film’s fate in China. A source within China’s film regulator revealed that the decision was about more than just the violence. The subplot seemed “unnecessary” and politically sensitive to them, especially when it came to the Chinese government.

However, this wasn’t the first time Scorsese’s work came into conflict with China. In 1997, Kundun, a biographical drama about the Dalai Lama, also faced major opposition, leading to a public apology from Disney’s then-CEO. This set the stage for Hollywood’s difficult relationship with China, where content was often tailored or outright altered to comply with the country’s strict censorship laws.

As for The Departed, the ban had a significant impact. Although pirated copies of the film were widespread, it still represented a missed opportunity for Warner Bros. to capitalize on the booming Chinese market. By then, China had become an essential part of Hollywood’s global box-office strategy, and this ban highlighted the Chinese government’s growing influence in shaping which films could be shown to its vast population.

Executives at Media Asia, the film’s distributor in China, were confident negotiations would resolve the issue. However, the film’s violence and political themes were simply too much for the country’s censors. The film contained violent scenes of bloodshed and the subplot about military procurement was deemed inappropriate for Chinese viewers. “It is difficult to cut out all these violent scenes,” admitted a spokesman for the film office, emphasizing that the content of the film does not comply with censorship standards.

Despite the ban, The Departed had a huge impact. Not only did the film win major awards, including the Golden Globe, but it also marked a pivotal moment in Scorsese’s career. But for Chinese audiences, the film’s absence from theaters was a significant loss, especially given its star-studded cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson.

The fallout from “Departed” wasn’t just about a single film — it symbolized Hollywood’s broader struggle to navigate the censorship and political sensitivities of the Chinese market. From editing storylines to reworking entire scenes, studios have learned that China’s film regulations can affect the global success of major theatrical releases.

In the end, The Departed became a reminder that while films may be universal, not all stories can cross boundaries without prejudice. For Scorsese, it was another battle in a long career of pushing boundaries, even if those boundaries were set by powerful global forces.

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