Since Martin Scorsese’s shocking conclusion to “The Departed,” a convoluted story of parallel lives, hidden identities, organised crime, and police corruption, fifteen years have passed. The 2002 Hong Kong thriller “Infernal Affairs,” which was remade for American viewers with a Boston setting, served as the inspiration for the crime drama. The fictional Frank Costello is based on Irish-American mobster Whitey Bulger, and it was also partially modelled on the real-life Winter Hill Gang. (Johnny Depp most recently portrayed Bulger in the mostly mediocre 2015 movie “Black Mass. )
Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), an undercover police officer in South Boston, appears in “The Departed.” He is tasked with infiltrating Costello’s mob organisation, and he swiftly earns Costello’s trust. The mob’s informant, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a hardened criminal with ties to Costello’s organisation, starts to advance through the ranks of the police force. Each is constantly in danger of being discovered since they are both consumed with their multiple lives. The other man must be exposed if you want to live, but both of you are so deeply involved that it might not be possible.
It’s simple to become a little disoriented in a movie with this many turns, twists, and secrets. So let’s examine “The Departedconclusion “‘s and unravel each plot thread one at a time. Spoilers ahead, of course.
The Importance of the Tape
When Costigan and Sullivan are at their most confused about who the other is, Sullivan learns that Costello is an FBI informant. In order to permanently remove Costello from the scene, Sullivan plans a raid with the cooperation of Costigan out of concern that Costello could uncover his own nefarious transactions. After a shootout, Sullivan locates a hurt Costello and keeps shooting him. It serves as both self-defense and a little measure of retaliation for Costello’s betrayal by approaching the FBI.
Costigan receives a weird cassette after Costello’s passing. It contains recordings of Sullivan and Costello that show Sullivan to be Costello’s snitch in the Boston police department. To alert Sullivan that his secret is no longer secure, he makes copies of the tapes and sends some to him in a manila envelope.
And Then There Was Madolyn
The friendship between Costigan and Sullivan and therapist Madolyn is one significant obstacle in each of their lives (Vera Farmiga). Sullivan and she first fall in love, but as he becomes more absorbed with his double life on the force, their relationship starts to deteriorate. Things become even more complicated when she begins to fall for one of her patients, the undercover Costigan, despite the fact that they are both sworn enemies who are unaware of one another.
Madolyn, Sullivan’s housemate, checks the manila package Costigan left for him when she notices it. After hearing the recordings, she concludes that Sullivan is a mob informant. She is listening to the tapes when Sullivan enters the room and attempts in vain to reassure her. He then makes a call to Costigan, who warns him that unless Sullivan helps him regain his civilian identity, he has more copies of the recordings and would expose Sullivan’s deception to the police. Since Sullivan played a role in Costello’s death, he is practically forced to remain hidden.
To assure Costello’s return to a normal life, the two meet up to exchange the recordings and papers, but things go awry. Another officer, Barrigan (James Badge Dale), ambushes them and murders Costigan while also revealing to Sullivan that he was a mole for Costello. Barrigan is killed by Sullivan, who then makes up a fantastical tale about how Costigan discovered Barrigan was the mole all along. He suggests Costigan be given a posthumous honour and appears to believe that’s it.
Just Revenge, or a Cover-up?
Sullivan is ambushed by Dignam, his police supervisor, as he is returning home from the grocery shop in the last scene of “The Departed” (Mark Wahlberg). Dignam, who had assisted Costigan during his covert mission, shoots Sullivan to death before departing.
Dignam’s actions are most likely explained by Madolyn giving him the Sullivan and Costello tapes after Costigan passed away. He is aware that Sullivan is not just a rat, but that he also killed Costigan. Dignam wants to kill Sullivan rather than take him to internal affairs. It’s retaliation, pure and simple.
The other explanation is that Dignam was affiliated with the FBI and was aware of Sullivan’s treachery before things turned violent. In this instance, his motives for killing Sullivan were less to exact retribution and more to hide the FBI’s knowledge of police corruption in South Boston. In either case, shooting Sullivan is Marky Mark’s best screen performance to date.
What’s With the Rat?
There has been a lot of debate about “The Departed’s” last scene. The camera pans up to reveal a rat creeping across the patio railing after Sullivan passes away and Dignam turns to go. Some fans thought the parallel was too obvious, and one man even started a crowdfunding campaign to have the rat removed digitally.
A “rat” is a term used to describe someone who violates the faith and camaraderie of the group they have sworn allegiance to. Costigan was a mob rat in “The Departed” because he was tipping off the police. By providing crucial intelligence to Costello, who was also a rat to the mob through his reports to the FBI, Sullivan was a rat to the South Boston police.
Look ma, a rat in a narrative about rats! The real rat is merely a small joke. Otherwise, that ending is quite depressing, so perhaps Scorsese just wanted us to laugh a little bit.
