10 Greatest Musical Moments In Martin Scorsese Movies
6. The Departed: The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
As we all already know, Scorsese is an absolutely huge fan of The Rolling Stones and the band’s extensive back catalogue has been utilised on plenty of occasions in his movies. In the case of Gimme Shelter, it’s actually used in three separate outings.
It appears in Goodfellas when Henry discusses his Pittsburgh scheme, in Casino when the exploits of the mob in Vegas are being explained, and finally a third time in The Departed. For me it’s this final example however where the song is used to its greatest effect.
In The Departed it rings out early on as we get a brief summary of inner-city Boston’s social ills, followed by the introduction of Jack Nicholson’s fearsome Frank Costello. Frank duly arrives on screen and intersects the music with his own twisted narration, filling us in on his character in all its appalling glory. The haunting refrain of “rape, murder, it’s just a shotaway” feels disturbingly fitting.