Set in Boston, we follow the rise and fall of two Boston state police officers, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon). But all is not what it seems. Sullivan is actually a plant by the Irish Mafia boss, Costello (Academy Award Winner Jack Nicholson), who uses his adopted son as a way to always stay ahead of the game. In comes Costigan, who sacrifices his badge and his honor to become a plant for the special ops unit of the Boston state police. His job is to become part of Costello’s crew and find the traitor in the department.

Things only become even more complicated when both Sullivan and Costigan start falling in love with the same women. By now you realize, however it ends, it will end violently and it will end soon.

On Sunday, “The Departed” (2006) joined the ranks of Best Picture winners at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, beating out feel-good-favorite “Little Miss Sunshine” and three bitterly emotional dramas, “The Queen,” “Babel” and “Letters from Iwo Jima.”

After last year’s Best Picture “Crash” garnered only three Oscars, it would have been nice had “The Departed” shown it was more than just a good movie in a bad year.

So how does this gritty crime drama set in South Boston compare to the films that have come before? Five of my favorite movies of all time just so happen to belong in the exclusive Best Picture club also: “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003), “American Beauty” (1999), “Unforgiven” (1992), “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975).

So do I rank “The Departed” up there with them?

Best Picture is more than just a good film. It’s a badge of honor, something that will, or at least should be remembered forever, something that left its mark on cinema. I doubt I need to express the impact “The Lord of the Rings” or “The Silence of the Lambs” had upon movie patrons. In 10 years’ time will we still reference “The Departed” as an example of greatness in cinema?

Now I don’t want to seem like I hate the movie, I don’t. It’s a wonderful piece of cinema. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon are pitch-perfect as the young yet ambitious cops, on either side of the fence. The supporting characters, especially Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg, add the icing to this cake. They bring a great slice of much needed comedy while becoming human and utterly watchable. Witnessing Nicholson’s slow descent into near-madness is riveting.

The music, composed by Academy Award winner Howard Shore (of “The Lord of the Rings” success) keeps the fast-going pace, and darkness of the movie, without overshadowing any scene. The beginning credits alone get you energized for the movie. But is a wonderful movie the same as Best Picture?

Despite its greatness as a film, what cinematic brilliance did “The Departed” actually achieve? Is it the first good crime thriller? Of course not. Did it give us a unique and intriguing view of the lives of the Mafia in Boston? Not really. Was it the actors’ personal best work? Was it Scorceses’ best work? No and no. I look to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” which not only houses Jack Nicholson’s greatest performance, but also one of cinema’s greatest villains in Nurse Ratched.

The accolade of Best Picture should have gone to “Little Miss Sunshine.” How many people have already added it to their favorite movies list? It came out of nowhere and was the smash hit of the year. To move an audience to laughter and tears so effortlessly is a rare gift, and “Little Miss Sunshine” also earned Best Supporting Actor for Alan Arkin as the soulful, but heroin-addicted grandpa. It should have won. And like “Brokeback Mountain” last year, “Sunshine” will outlive the wrongly crowned Best Picture.

The title Best Picture should’ve been reserved for “Little Miss Sunshine,” which will be remembered long after “The Departed” is forgotten.

Overall: A wonderful crime drama, which sees the return of Martin Scorsese to what he does best. Dominated by an all-star cast of fine actors, it is truly a film to write home about, but just not worthy of Best Picture status.

Ellis J. Wells is a senior in performing arts from Portishead, England