makes sense. but can anyone dare to explain to how or why Scorsese chose an seemingly Italian surname, character - Costello as the head of movie about the Boston arm of the Irish mob? Since day one I could never make sense of it?? I'm open to all interpretations
@@qp4367 Quick google search will tell you that despite the name sounding Italian because it ends in a vowel and sounds similar to many Italian names, It is in fact Irish in origin. Costello is the anglicization of the Gaelic Coisdealbahaigh.
@@jonniemactyler7929 Thanks! Absolutely fascinating, it begs the question why Scorsese chose that duality of surnames, perhaps because he's Italian American himself and I never prefer to outsource my mind to google, prefer human intelligence and interaction this was the second response back to back of someone telling me to consult the 'almighty' algo lol too funny, if not disheartening
Yea, but Costigan's evidence fingered Sullivan. Maybe Dignum suspected, but once he got that, he had proof that Sullivan was the rat, and ultimately responsible for Queenan's death, imo.
I mean, Billy gave Madelyn a package with something inside to open it something happened to him, so once he was killed, she opened the package and likely sent whatever was all in it to Dignum, which would show that Sullivan was the rat the whole time and so he goes to his apartment and kills Sullivan, thus avenging the deaths of both Queenan and Billy.
One of the major themes of the film is corruption and how it lurks everywhere. Dignam didn't want to bother trying to get justice through the broken system, because odds were good no justice would be done. So he smoked the guy and went on his way.
Simplest explanation: Costigan gave Madeline the info and his backup plan for "2 weeks" was for her to go to Dignam and expose everything. That Costello was a rat to the FBI, Sullivan and others were moles within the state police. Yes, Dignam could have taken the info and built a case, but why bother when all the major players are already dead. Queenan and Dignam had years of work put into Costello and his crew (as did the rest of the state police). It didn't matter if Sullivan lived or died. Get a little revenge release Costello's tapes to Alec Baldwin's unit and let them clean up the mess.
And this is exactly what I thought when I saw the film, and re-watched it, and re-watched it, and re-watched it. To me, dinkum is the kind of guy who would be like, I’m’gonna end this shit wons’n’fah fuhkin’all! No triahl, no cushy fuhkin prisen sentence. I’m gonna get these’cohksuhkus! Oh…. Wutcha namin th’baby?” “William Costigan Jr.” “Guess that lil cunt prick gets’ta live on! Scrappy lil bastuhd! Say hi tuyuh motheh’fah’me Cahmin!” Carmen was a women betrayed and scorned. And we all fucking know that hell hath no fury like a women scorned. She probably replayed the thud of Sullivan’s body hitting the floor.
Costigan was under the command of Queenan and Dignam, so it wouldn't be surprising that Madeline was appointed to Costigan as his shrink by Queenan himself. Dignam would have known this, and would likely have liaised with Madeline after his suspension for information regarding Queenan's death. Madeline received the tapes, and found out Costigan was murdered, she would have told Dignam everything.
What I love about Sullivan’s death scene is it’s simplicity in almost no dialogue. There’s no long winded speech from Dignam about how he knew he was the informant or Sullivan over dramatically pleading with Dignam not to kill him or blow the whistle on him. Just the simple “Okay(😒)” from Sullivan said it all - he knew everything would eventually catch up to him and he just had to accept his punishment.
Yeah it was almost like the actors tried to make it look like it was a real life murder. In Boston I’m told when people get shot they don’t always get an explanation….
I was training in the sw desert and a civilian had the name plate of Costigan on her desk. So I tell her, “sounds like it belongs in Boston”…she says-“yeah my brother was roommates with the writer of The Departed back in college so he named one of the characters after him,” which makes me wonder if Dignam or Queenan have real life counterparts.
Dignam's character trait as a hot headed, and quick to action cop would eventually catch up to him however, when later he unfortunately shot Derek Jeter during a World Series game. Forever giving him the nickname "The Yankee Clipper"
Then he would take down an entire corrupt organisation trying to defraud the Police pension fund, and later get married. At least he got a happy ending 🙂 RIP Billy 😞
Costigan left the tapes with Madolyn and to give them to Dignam if he were to die. Once Dignam got the tapes he listened to them, they implicated Sullivan as the mole and Dignam killed Sullivan because he was the mole, and responsible for the deaths of Costigan, Queenan, Brown, and Barrigan.
Queenan's death clinched it for Dignum, but he didn't know what recourse he had at the time and perhaps he hoped that Billy could bring Colin down, so he quit to protect Billy's identity. After learning through the grapevine about Billy's death and the bullsh*t story Colin gave about what happened, he figured it was time to strike, otherwise Colin was going to get away with everything.
One thing I caught but didn't seem to be addressed in the film is the envelope Costigan gives to Madolyn, and tells her not to open it unless something happens to him. But it's not brought up again. I think this envelope has the information of what happened, who Sullivan is and who to bring that information to... Dignam. Which I believe is why we see the end scene of Dignam ending Sullivan. After the CD is mailed to Madolyn she knows who he is, and I'm guessing she knows who the baby's real father could be, she also seems to love Costigan on a deeper level than Sullivan, and feeling betrayed on top of doing the right thing with the envelope led to the ending. Just my theory.
You are totally right about it, not to metion the fact that in the movie, Costigan said: let's see how things go after 2 weeks. Which is the time Dignam got suspended, so it makes total sense the package Madolyn was keeping went straight to Dignam's hands. I like your logic about Madolyn's baby wich i totally agree. In the end, Costigan got what he wanted, he got recognition to his name aside from his deliquent family and he will have a son with the woman she trusted the most.
Thumbs up for you both. İf you want to see the real life corruption of Police, State Troopers, DA's, judges then it is going on NOW. The Karen Read case in Canton, Mass. Commonwealth are trying to destroy a young woman by saying she killed her Boston cop BF John Okeefe back in Jan 2022. Outrageous to watch LE just lie on the stand while Judge and Prosecutor allow it and help with it
I never thought Dignam killed Sullivan for revenge or anything like that. I always assumed he'd just wanted to administer his own brand of justice to the rat, since probably no one else would at that point.
Dignam knew that Sullivan was guilty because his undercover no doubt revealed the evidence to him. He knew there would be no way to prove it in court with all the loose ends being killed off, so he took matters into his own hands.
The answer is Qeenan. Sullivan's actions led to the murder of Qeenan. Dignam couldn't get to Sullivan officially so he took him out in vengeance for Qeenan. No need to overthink.
I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be ambiguous. Maybe Dignam’s a rat, maybe he’s an avenger, maybe he’s a third thing. I think it was just a nod to the movies theme summed up in this quote: “When you decide to be something, you can be it. That's what they don't tell you in the church. When I was your age they would say we can become cops, or criminals. Today, what I'm saying to you is this: when you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?”
@@kurtwpg Exactly. I can’t believe so many people are thinking he was a rat too. It makes zero sense. He was administering justice that wouldn’t happen through normal channels, here.
@@kurtwpgDignam never even crossed my mind to being a rat. To me he seemed like one of the straightest shooters in the movie, sure, crass and a bit unorthodox but I think he came across as completely solid.
That’s interesting you thought there was more questions. I think it wrapped up nicely. Story over. Dingham finally caught the rat. After all else failed. He took matters into his own hands. The overall point of the movie was they were all playing the same game. Just on different sides. In the end. There was no real difference between them. That’s the game.
In the literal sense Dignam was just cleaning house for his boss, his boss died and he had to pick up all the loose ends and Sullivan was the target of their investigation.The case died with him. In the symbolic sense, Dignam is the only character that doesn't care about his social status AKA Class. He is street smart and educated. He is competent and earned his position with skill. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE else in the movie is obsessed with the social status of themselves and everyone else. Thats all they really class about. .....you lace Curtin Irish MFers...
It's one thing that's never brought up is how out of thin air he tells him " I think we have a rat in our Special Investigations ." after that scuffle . And when he says " Are you fucking serious ? " Watch how the camera goes immediately back to his facial expression . I always felt he used that moment to through him off .
I appreciate the time and effort that went into the making of this video, but honestly, I think the ending is straight forward. I think Dignam killed Sullivan for the reason it appeared that he did, which was simply payback or justice for all Sullivan had done. There are Easter eggs to be found in these type of films, but in this case I think it's straight forward. I didn't hear enough from you to make me think any of the theories you put forth hold water. Great video though and definitely a great film.
@06:02 "So, is it possible that Dignam's actions in killing Sullivan were partially motivated by a desire for revenge?" - Incorrect. Dignam was a cybernetic assassin robot sent back from the year 2029 to terminate Sullivan and therefore not driven by human motives such as revenge
I suspected Billy left a [voice] message to Dignam before they could confirm what he [Billy] suspected, and Dignam figured out the rest. But we have to remember Delahunt's dying 'confession.' Many fans have concluded that Delahunt was a CI or an undercover operative, possibly working for the Feds. Even the director has 'hinted' at this due to a deleted scene that was cut due to pacing. If Delahunt acted on behalf of the State or the Feds, he might have given information (before his death) regarding key details regarding the 'mole(s)' and Dignam pieced together who was the likely suspect(s).
That said, there is one question many haven't thought through. Why assassinate Colin instead of bringing him in? Street Justice? No, there were more moles yet uncovered, and Digman couldn't take the chance Colin would escape justice. Remember, a treatment was written that would have continued the story but from Digman's point of view. Why a continuance when 'all' of the villains had departed? Because they hadn't. Sleep well.
Dignam was avenging both Costigan and martin Sheen. Dignam may also have learned of Sullivan being the rat from the tapes that Costigan gave the therapist; with that possibility that is how he had the key to Sullivan's place.
Cool video. I always thought Dignam was avenging his bosses death and Costigan's. If the baby were actually Sullivan's I think she would've been more likely to reconcile with him. She knew he was a lying piece of shit working for Frank and since she had no ties (the baby) she broke it off. She was actually in love with Costigan also.
the first time sullivan caught dignam's attention was in the first meeting re: microprocessors. instead of focusing on a way to get costello, sullivan tries to shift focus to solve the myles kennefick death. this planted the seed in dignam's mind that sullivan might not be legit. from there, he kept an eye on him
This movie is an American version of the Asian film called "Infernal Affairs." It's a trilogy. This would had been great if Scorsese did the other 2 parts. The third part of the trilogy would had shown Nicholson's character and the police chief use to be friends when they were young.
I think Dignam killed Sullivan out of a sense of justice. Back in the day, cop killers rarely ever survived arrest in real life. Dignam was old school. He was deliberately cast to be the old school, gruff veteran cop, and the only thing worse than a cop killer is a cop who betrays other cops, especially the way Sullivan did. Dignam killed him because just like a father refusing to trust in the law for justice by killing his child's abuser, some things transcend the legal system.
To me, there was never any question of what his motive was for the killing. He knew what Sergeant Sullivan was and who he was, and that all the other players were dead so it only makes sense that’s a wrap the case up he made sure the job got done.
One could argue that Dignam was really a shape-shifting lizard creature. Fine. Let's see the evidence of such. There's nothing in the Departed to suggest that Dignam was anything other than a cop who was fiercely protective of his agents. He even walked away from his career before he gave up DiCaprio. And killing Sullivan was an act of vengeance for the murders of Sheen and DiCaprio.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's as simple as Costigan telling Madeline to tell Dignum about Sullivan. He then took the law into his own hands, thinking Sullivan might get off the hook if he went through the legal means of justice.
What I don’t get? Is that Sullivan erased Costigan’s file then he could claim that Costigan wasn’t a Massachusetts State Trooper he was just a gangster who worked for Costello. When did he put the file back? At that point who’d believe Dignum? I just can’t figure out how Sullivan didn’t expect Dignum to return. Sullivan did know why he was there. When Sullivan said ok.
@@mikespenser4013 I think Sullivan wasn't sure who in the police/FBI/Troopers knew about Costigan's UC status. Idk if he ever actually 'put Costigan's file back' but Costigan had already revealed himself in a police building after Costello was killed, so perhaps Sullivan just figured it didn't matter since Costigan was dead anyway. Sullivan had no idea Costigan gave Madeline those tapes incriminating him as a rat for the mob, and obviously had no idea those tapes would wind up in the hands of Dignam
Meh, to me it just seemed like he was avenging his bosses death and the death of Costigan. He didnt like Costigan much, but the guy was a noncorrupt cop and Dignam likely respected him for it, particularly when he was killed for his loyalty to the force and thus proving he wasnt corrupt to Dignam. The final rat crossing by after Sullivan gets shot is just a symbolic way of saying he was the rat the entire time.
Since Dignam’s focus seemed to be primarily protecting his boss and the case, it could be that he simply didn’t want Sullivan to be discovered as a double agent, thereby dragging the investigation and the officers working on it through the mud. Or exposing their methods by putting Costigan in Costello’s crew to begin with. Revenge was just a bonus, not the motivating factor in my opinion.
I always thought Dignam killed Sullivan to avenge Costigan, fulfilling the classic movie trope where the irredeemable jerk redeems himself by going to the ends of the earth for the guy he torments. Like how in Full Metal Jacket, Animal Mother is the biggest racist out of the bunch and torments 8 Ball, but when 8 ball is hit, he’s the only one willing to risk his life to save his friend.
Not hard to figure out! Costigan told and gave the tapes to Madeline. Told her what to do if something happened to him, which obviously was to seek out Dignam and show him the tapes! Dignam took care of the rest! Revenge for Quenan and Costigan, and also kills the mole!
I always thought Dignam was the back up plan for the Mob, and that he was watching Sullivan and ready to take him out if he folded or tried to "rat" on the Mob. I think Dignam was an inside enforcer for the Mob.
It is pretty obvious to me. Dignam's character was a wild card character a character that didn't exist in the superior movie this movie was adapted from which is Infernal Affairs. If you see the original movie you'll kind of understand why the movie ends the way it does.
It was simple process of elimination. Literally elimination. Everyone else that could have been the rat was dead, and Sullivan had killed a few of them himself, including killing Frank. How does one man survive all of this betrayal? By being the rat.
Not complicated…(Sullivan was involved of the deaths of Costello,Billy, and Queenan…He’s the rat..that can’t be coincidence, hence why he killed him) but I will explain… *when Queenan* (Martin Sheen’s Character) *died…* (Mark Wahlberg’s Character) *Dignam knew* (Matt Damon’s Character) *Sullivan was the rat…Sullivan raised suspicions when he was confronted by Dignam on why he commanded cops to trail Queenan, Sullivan said it was bc he had suspicions that Queenan was the rat…right then and there Dignam was livid…cause he knew that was a fucking lie…both Queenan and Dignam were working together to find the rat knowing full well it couldn’t/wouldn’t be them especially bc of the history both Queenan and Dignam have with Costello…they hate Costello…they even exchanged heated words with Costello together simultaneously..so that rules out that Queenan was completely not a rat in his own case with Dignam…so there is where Dignam knew but need more information/time…fast forward to right after Costellos death..undercover cop Billy Costigan* (Leonardo DiCaprio) *was in Sullivan’s office where he discovers that Sullivan was the rat…Billy Costigan then flees…later on Billy receives tapes from Costellos lawyer…evidence of Sullivan being the rat..now before calling and meeting with Sullivan he calls his former partner from the Boston Police Academy Brown* (Anthony Anderson’s Character) *and then tells Brown to meet with him and Sullivan without revealing to Brown that he intents to arrest Sullivan for being the rat as he has evidence to prove it…however Billy also tells Brown to bring Dignam to the Sullivan meeting to close the case on the rat for good…plan is motion..Billy meets Sullivan…Billy ambushes Sullivan and arrests him…Brown shows up without Dignam..I would assume from this standpoint that Dignam didn’t show up bc it was a precaution to avoid any failures of potentially blowing the chance of capturing the rat since in his perspective…Sullivan wasn’t a clear case of a sole rat…from his standpoint they’re could be multiple rat working in the police department still infiltrating the police department* (which eventually was later discovered that there was another rat) *so he needed to be sure that there were no loose ends on Costello’s Rat infiltrations plus he wasn’t allowed to work in the police department bc he was force on a leave of absence since his department was accused of having a rat thus having it compromised….now back to the Billy and Sullivan…once Billy sees that Brown is alone he takes the arrested Sullivan down stairs to the elevator where there Billy meets his demise by the second rat named Barrigan…* (James Badge Dale’s Character) *Barrigan aka the second rat after freeing his rat companion in Sullivan and shoots and kills Brown, he dies at the hands of Sullivan…now this is where it shows or reveals how Sullivan is the sole rat..Sullivan walks away from a crime scene that would only leave people who only work closely to the uncover case baffled and extremely suspicious as he is unscathed afterwards..not only he claims Barrigan is the rat but insist that Billy should be awarded the medal of merit…surely a sincere gesture but seeing that supposedly as Sullivan as he tells it was that he shot the rat in Barrigan and that Billy and Brown was already dead…so in Sullivan story he didn’t see Billy do a courageous thing but not only that…Brown wasn’t recommended for that medal of merit even though he was a cop and also died in the line of duty…that seems suspicious..too suspicious…given the circumstances that both Sullivan and Dignam couldn’t stand each other…this insistence that Billy…Dignam’s undercover cop..was awarded a medal and died in a scene where Sullivan was there…that adds to another tragedy in his Undercover department…he lost Queenan and lost Billy only two people beside Dignam that were working exclusively together on this classified case of catching the rat….nuff said…Sullivan is the rat…Costellos rat…he got away scot free from any suspecting cops outside of Queenan and Dignams department..and now has no mob boss to follow orders…simple..Dignam knows Sullivan needs to be killed..and when he does him…Dignam takes on the mantle of being the “rat” bc now people in the police department will now continue to suspect of a rat in the department bc Sullivan was never considered to be a suspect..he’s remembered as a good upstanding cop that took down Costello and was killed for it…holding inside information that only he knows…the end*
I know that Dingham hated the guy (And for good reason .), but he was shown as a pretty good cop . He wasn’t shown to be corrupt or anything . I love the movie , but this never felt right to me .
Yes, BUT - he was suspended 2 weeks with pay, which insulted him (ridiculous - he just got a vacation) So he was angry at the department too. I guess he heard the tapes.
Yeah, I thought for a quick second. That Dignam was a rat also. Cleaning up loose ends perhaps. But the longer I thought about it, the less it seemed to fit. It definitely in my opinion was a vengeance killing. And I think it was meant to illustrate what Frank said in the very beginning. "You can become cops or criminals. When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference? "
Dingam received copies of all the stuff Costello kept on everyone. He also knew Sullivan put a tail on Queenan, and leaked his location to the mobsters who killed him. Dingam stated very clearly, he thought Sullivan was a rat and got into a fight with him later., Even a dumb person could put two and two together to figure out Sullivan was involved in Costello's death, so he avenged both Costello and Queenan. There is nothing more to it. And as with all Scorsese movies, the "crime does not pay" motif, all the bad guys had to die or go to prison, anyway.
Read or heard years back… that the two had an intimate relationship with one another…. But once Dingham finds out that Sullivan got his buddy/boss/father figure killed and his undercover, game over.
Another idea could be that when Queenan died he was being tailed by the police. Who ordered the tail? Sullivan. I am sure the other cops would have let Dignam know who gave the order.
Love Matt D... yet can't remember being so glad a guy took one to the third eye. Dignam was straight up PD. Of course, it was revenge... also. Good video. And thanks for decent volume. Paz y luz, everyone.
I don't understand why nobody talsk about the parrt where costigan was helding sullivan hostage and asked the black cop why didn't he bring dignam with him after he asked it for
It’s not that complicated. Madeline had nothing to do with him finding out, Dignam is a good detective that’s how he found out: -Colin was involved in both Queenen and Costigan’s death. -Colin provided zero evidence as to why he had Queenen under surveillance. -Costello’s death made the news there was no reason for Costigan to be in hiding or still work as an undercover. -Colin being the sole survivor of a meeting with him, Costigan and Troopers Barrigan and Brown was sus. Dignam kills Colin because he not only knows he is the rat and responsible for the deaths of Queenen and Costigan, but he is righting a wrong that he did. Had Dignam not lost his temper and quit after Queenen’s death he still would’ve been in the department and Costigan wouldn’t have died trying to take down Colin by himself.
So many theories that can’t be proved or disproved. Maybe Dignam knew Costello was a protected informer, knew Sullivan was dirty, & pushed Sullivan to eventually take out Costello. Costigan was a Plan B. A question is how did Barrigan know Sullivan was part of Costello’s group but knew instinctively to shoot Costigan & Brown. This clouds both Dignam & Queenan’s involvement as Queenan knew Costello was an FBI informant. It could be Ellerby was the only straight cop as Dignam, following Queenan’s murder, had to report to Ellerby. So much info but it was a good movie.
Dignam was part of the FBI which is why he was smart enough to use latex gloves and shoe covers when he killed Sullivan. Literally none of them were at that level of coverup.
Somebody here mentioned "the envelope Costigan gives to Madolyn, and tells her not to open it unless something happens to him. But it's not brought up again." That's a good point. The envelope isn't quite a McGuffin, but it could in fact have contained anything we care to speculate on. Maybe it was a device with a specific purpose or intention, like in case anything happened to Costigan. Scorcese makes us speculate, knowing that audiences like to see closure and all the ends tied up.
My question is why when Leo’s character has Matt Damon gunpoint does he say “I told you to bring dignum with you” doesn’t make sense for dignum not to have his back especially knowing of everything that’s been happening
But Dignam also callously says 'he's dead already?' when Costigan tears off the hidden microphone in the bathroom. I think Dignam was just that kind of guy, you're working for us, if you die you die, if you live you live. He was using Costigan as a tool or weapon for the greater good. Nothing personal, it's the job kind of thing. Once Queenan is killed, Dignam is suspended with pay, he is investigating on his own, sees or hears about the murder spree by the elevators and finds that Sullivan came out alive with the package left by the girlfriend/lover...Street justice played out right in view of the courts in the distance...
The look on dignam face right before he shoots matt demon explains everything, even matt damon understood what will happend and he didt even explain him self, he just said ok and turned his face
That ending literally left zero room for interpretation. I axly feel dumber now that I listened to this. He was only one left alive who knew what was going on. Pretty straightforward
Yo this movie is completely on point . I live 30 min from Boston and have hung out there my entire life. This was probably the most clear depiction of Boston in the 90s
There's so many movies that I haven't watched until recently. I'm 33 and just watched this movie and holy smoking toledo. Damn was this a great movie. Absolutely great.
This movie was adapted from a mainly Cantonese (Hong Kong Chinese) speaking trilogy called Infernal Affairs. It's well worth watching all three of those films because they're great. They were actually an adaption of The Godfather!
@@olliephelan Not just that, both are so very similar, including how the movies are structured. Watch both trilogies and then you'll understand what I mean.
WOW what a video! Almost 8 minutes of simply recapping what any viewer of the movie already knew, by watching the movie! No insights, new revelations, and certainly not a shred of evidence that supports the Dignam's actions were anything more then revenge for Sullivan being responsible for his friends' and coworkers' deaths. Bang up job, buddy!
Feel like Dignum straight arrow so straight that he felt like you needed to work hard in order to move up in the ranks and he didn’t like how Sullivan moved up so quickly
Dignam was avenging the murders of both Queenan and Costigahn. Although Matt Damon didn’t personally kill either one, he was the only one left who bared some responsibility. At least that’s how I see it. Good video though. Any excuse to talk about Marky Mark’s Dignam character is okay with me.
To me it’s not that complicated:
-Madeline exposed Sullivan to Dignam.
-Dignam avenged Costigan and Queenan.
Yep. It’s simple.
Correct.
makes sense. but can anyone dare to explain to how or why Scorsese chose an seemingly Italian surname, character - Costello as the head of movie about the Boston arm of the Irish mob? Since day one I could never make sense of it?? I'm open to all interpretations
@@qp4367 Quick google search will tell you that despite the name sounding Italian because it ends in a vowel and sounds similar to many Italian names, It is in fact Irish in origin. Costello is the anglicization of the Gaelic Coisdealbahaigh.
@@jonniemactyler7929 Thanks! Absolutely fascinating, it begs the question why Scorsese chose that duality of surnames, perhaps because he's Italian American himself and I never prefer to outsource my mind to google, prefer human intelligence and interaction this was the second response back to back of someone telling me to consult the 'almighty' algo lol too funny, if not disheartening
How you stretched this out to over 7 minutes while telling me nothing I didn't already know, is quite impressive.
perfection
@matthewlee8725 he gave you a platform to voice your unimpressive opinion
@@drippinwet774I loved, and was very impressed by his opinion.
FACTS
Yeah I'm a little pissed off
I always thought that Dignum was avenging the death of Martin Sheen's character.
Yea, but Costigan's evidence fingered Sullivan. Maybe Dignum suspected, but once he got that, he had proof that Sullivan was the rat, and ultimately responsible for Queenan's death, imo.
Hell yeah
Yes. He was. Nothing in this video taught me anything new.
I mean, Billy gave Madelyn a package with something inside to open it something happened to him, so once he was killed, she opened the package and likely sent whatever was all in it to Dignum, which would show that Sullivan was the rat the whole time and so he goes to his apartment and kills Sullivan, thus avenging the deaths of both Queenan and Billy.
@@Jared_Wignall it was also foreshadowed that Sullivan’s downfall would be a women, ( aside from her cheating on him of course )
One of the major themes of the film is corruption and how it lurks everywhere. Dignam didn't want to bother trying to get justice through the broken system, because odds were good no justice would be done. So he smoked the guy and went on his way.
That's exactly what I took from it.
Good old fashioned street justice. Them Boston boys know it well.
this isn't a real video, it's a fake watchtime hack
kinda like what Bob Lee Swagger did at the end of Shooter.
Simplest explanation: Costigan gave Madeline the info and his backup plan for "2 weeks" was for her to go to Dignam and expose everything. That Costello was a rat to the FBI, Sullivan and others were moles within the state police. Yes, Dignam could have taken the info and built a case, but why bother when all the major players are already dead. Queenan and Dignam had years of work put into Costello and his crew (as did the rest of the state police). It didn't matter if Sullivan lived or died. Get a little revenge release Costello's tapes to Alec Baldwin's unit and let them clean up the mess.
Pretty much. No mystery. WYSIWYG with Dignam.
Exactly. It's all spelled out in the film itself.
Yeh. And he already handed in his papah’s first. 📝
And this is exactly what I thought when I saw the film, and re-watched it, and re-watched it, and re-watched it.
To me, dinkum is the kind of guy who would be like, I’m’gonna end this shit wons’n’fah fuhkin’all! No triahl, no cushy fuhkin prisen sentence. I’m gonna get these’cohksuhkus! Oh…. Wutcha namin th’baby?”
“William Costigan Jr.”
“Guess that lil cunt prick gets’ta live on! Scrappy lil bastuhd! Say hi tuyuh motheh’fah’me Cahmin!”
Carmen was a women betrayed and scorned. And we all fucking know that hell hath no fury like a women scorned. She probably replayed the thud of Sullivan’s body hitting the floor.
I don’t know. Seems to me that Baldwin would have done the same. We all know he’s trigger happy.
Dignam was the only truly honest person in the film.
What about Queenan?
He committed murder...
The only good guy.
@@matthewmanuele4499 being honest and committing murder are not mutually exclusive
@@matthewmanuele4499 He didn't commit murder, he delivered justice.
Madeline told Dignam about Sullivan including the tapes that Costigan gave Madeline. Dignam took it from there.
I think that Sullivan wanted Dignam to get them . He knew that Dignam would do something .
Costigan was under the command of Queenan and Dignam, so it wouldn't be surprising that Madeline was appointed to Costigan as his shrink by Queenan himself. Dignam would have known this, and would likely have liaised with Madeline after his suspension for information regarding Queenan's death. Madeline received the tapes, and found out Costigan was murdered, she would have told Dignam everything.
Sullivan seemed to be about to get away with everything, so Dignam got justice for his team.
What I love about Sullivan’s death scene is it’s simplicity in almost no dialogue. There’s no long winded speech from Dignam about how he knew he was the informant or Sullivan over dramatically pleading with Dignam not to kill him or blow the whistle on him. Just the simple “Okay(😒)” from Sullivan said it all - he knew everything would eventually catch up to him and he just had to accept his punishment.
Yeah it was almost like the actors tried to make it look like it was a real life murder. In Boston I’m told when people get shot they don’t always get an explanation….
I was training in the sw desert and a civilian had the name plate of Costigan on her desk. So I tell her, “sounds like it belongs in Boston”…she says-“yeah my brother was roommates with the writer of The Departed back in college so he named one of the characters after him,” which makes me wonder if Dignam or Queenan have real life counterparts.
For real, dude?
Not sure why Nicholson didn’t get nominated for an Oscar. He was absolutely terrifying and unhinged; on par with Bill the Butcher and Tommy DeVito.
Absolutely man. I agree 100 percent. How did Martin not win for Best Picture is beyond me
@@Blainprime It did. It won Best Picture and Best Director. As was fitting. It's an amazing film.
The man of the film is Leo Di Caprio, all the anxiety, fear and rage on his shoulders.
@@killlersano yes! Totally agree. He was stellar in that film.
Nicholson's performance was awful.
It's easily the worst of his career.
Dignam's character trait as a hot headed, and quick to action cop would eventually catch up to him however, when later he unfortunately shot Derek Jeter during a World Series game. Forever giving him the nickname "The Yankee Clipper"
Then he would take down an entire corrupt organisation trying to defraud the Police pension fund, and later get married. At least he got a happy ending 🙂 RIP Billy 😞
Man!!! I thought the same thing.
taking down that Biracial Angel
WTF the other guys? lol 😂
He’s a peacock! You’ve gotta let him fly! 😂😂
That wasn’t murder that was justice!
Costigan left the tapes with Madolyn and to give them to Dignam if he were to die. Once Dignam got the tapes he listened to them, they implicated Sullivan as the mole and Dignam killed Sullivan because he was the mole, and responsible for the deaths of Costigan, Queenan, Brown, and Barrigan.
And possibly poor Jimmy Pappas.
Queenan's death clinched it for Dignum, but he didn't know what recourse he had at the time and perhaps he hoped that Billy could bring Colin down, so he quit to protect Billy's identity. After learning through the grapevine about Billy's death and the bullsh*t story Colin gave about what happened, he figured it was time to strike, otherwise Colin was going to get away with everything.
One thing I caught but didn't seem to be addressed in the film is the envelope Costigan gives to Madolyn, and tells her not to open it unless something happens to him. But it's not brought up again. I think this envelope has the information of what happened, who Sullivan is and who to bring that information to... Dignam. Which I believe is why we see the end scene of Dignam ending Sullivan. After the CD is mailed to Madolyn she knows who he is, and I'm guessing she knows who the baby's real father could be, she also seems to love Costigan on a deeper level than Sullivan, and feeling betrayed on top of doing the right thing with the envelope led to the ending.
Just my theory.
You are totally right about it, not to metion the fact that in the movie, Costigan said: let's see how things go after 2 weeks. Which is the time Dignam got suspended, so it makes total sense the package Madolyn was keeping went straight to Dignam's hands. I like your logic about Madolyn's baby wich i totally agree. In the end, Costigan got what he wanted, he got recognition to his name aside from his deliquent family and he will have a son with the woman she trusted the most.
Thumbs up for you both. İf you want to see the real life corruption of Police, State Troopers, DA's, judges then it is going on NOW.
The Karen Read case in Canton, Mass.
Commonwealth are trying to destroy a young woman by saying she killed her Boston cop BF John Okeefe back in Jan 2022.
Outrageous to watch LE just lie on the stand while Judge and Prosecutor allow it and help with it
I never thought Dignam killed Sullivan for revenge or anything like that. I always assumed he'd just wanted to administer his own brand of justice to the rat, since probably no one else would at that point.
Dignam killed Sullivan not Costigan at the end.
@dondee5439 Right right, I misspoke.
Dignam knew that Sullivan was guilty because his undercover no doubt revealed the evidence to him. He knew there would be no way to prove it in court with all the loose ends being killed off, so he took matters into his own hands.
The answer is Qeenan. Sullivan's actions led to the murder of Qeenan. Dignam couldn't get to Sullivan officially so he took him out in vengeance for Qeenan. No need to overthink.
I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be ambiguous. Maybe Dignam’s a rat, maybe he’s an avenger, maybe he’s a third thing. I think it was just a nod to the movies theme summed up in this quote: “When you decide to be something, you can be it. That's what they don't tell you in the church. When I was your age they would say we can become cops, or criminals. Today, what I'm saying to you is this: when you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?”
Dignam is not a rat. A rat would never quit and lose his access.
@@kurtwpg You’re right
@@kurtwpg
Exactly. I can’t believe so many people are thinking he was a rat too. It makes zero sense. He was administering justice that wouldn’t happen through normal channels, here.
@@kurtwpgDignam never even crossed my mind to being a rat. To me he seemed like one of the straightest shooters in the movie, sure, crass and a bit unorthodox but I think he came across as completely solid.
That’s interesting you thought there was more questions. I think it wrapped up nicely. Story over. Dingham finally caught the rat. After all else failed. He took matters into his own hands. The overall point of the movie was they were all playing the same game. Just on different sides. In the end. There was no real difference between them. That’s the game.
In the literal sense Dignam was just cleaning house for his boss, his boss died and he had to pick up all the loose ends and Sullivan was the target of their investigation.The case died with him. In the symbolic sense, Dignam is the only character that doesn't care about his social status AKA Class. He is street smart and educated. He is competent and earned his position with skill. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE else in the movie is obsessed with the social status of themselves and everyone else. Thats all they really class about. .....you lace Curtin Irish MFers...
all they really talk about*
It's one thing that's never brought up is how out of thin air he tells him " I think we have a rat in our Special Investigations ." after that scuffle . And when he says " Are you fucking serious ? " Watch how the camera goes immediately back to his facial expression . I always felt he used that moment to through him off .
I appreciate the time and effort that went into the making of this video, but honestly, I think the ending is straight forward. I think Dignam killed Sullivan for the reason it appeared that he did, which was simply payback or justice for all Sullivan had done. There are Easter eggs to be found in these type of films, but in this case I think it's straight forward. I didn't hear enough from you to make me think any of the theories you put forth hold water. Great video though and definitely a great film.
Sullivans murder was the most satisfying death of the movie
@06:02 "So, is it possible that Dignam's actions in killing Sullivan were partially motivated by a desire for revenge?" - Incorrect. Dignam was a cybernetic assassin robot sent back from the year 2029 to terminate Sullivan and therefore not driven by human motives such as revenge
I suspected Billy left a [voice] message to Dignam before they could confirm what he [Billy] suspected, and Dignam figured out the rest. But we have to remember Delahunt's dying 'confession.' Many fans have concluded that Delahunt was a CI or an undercover operative, possibly working for the Feds. Even the director has 'hinted' at this due to a deleted scene that was cut due to pacing. If Delahunt acted on behalf of the State or the Feds, he might have given information (before his death) regarding key details regarding the 'mole(s)' and Dignam pieced together who was the likely suspect(s).
The movie has deleted scenes?
@@matthewschwartz6607 extended scene(s) that were cut for time.
That said, there is one question many haven't thought through. Why assassinate Colin instead of bringing him in? Street Justice? No, there were more moles yet uncovered, and Digman couldn't take the chance Colin would escape justice. Remember, a treatment was written that would have continued the story but from Digman's point of view. Why a continuance when 'all' of the villains had departed? Because they hadn't. Sleep well.
@@charleslennon1 - Is there a Directors Cut version?
@dutyaccountabilitymedia a 'good person' who worked for a sociopathic murdering criminal?
Dignam was avenging both Costigan and martin Sheen. Dignam may also have learned of Sullivan being the rat from the tapes that Costigan gave the therapist; with that possibility that is how he had the key to Sullivan's place.
Dignam was always my favorite character. He is so angry all the time it’s great.
Wahlberg was born and raised in Boston and he said he was just imitating the cops he met growing up
@@thinkingagain5966 cops are dicks
Cool video. I always thought Dignam was avenging his bosses death and Costigan's. If the baby were actually Sullivan's I think she would've been more likely to reconcile with him. She knew he was a lying piece of shit working for Frank and since she had no ties (the baby) she broke it off. She was actually in love with Costigan also.
He was impotent.
we call it "impotentzinho" here in Brasil @@lymphomasurvive
the first time sullivan caught dignam's attention was in the first meeting re: microprocessors. instead of focusing on a way to get costello, sullivan tries to shift focus to solve the myles kennefick death. this planted the seed in dignam's mind that sullivan might not be legit. from there, he kept an eye on him
bro, no one clicked on this who doesn't know the plot. but thanks so much for the synopsis
Dignam best character. Best haircut too.
This movie is an American version of the Asian film called "Infernal Affairs." It's a trilogy. This would had been great if Scorsese did the other 2 parts. The third part of the trilogy would had shown Nicholson's character and the police chief use to be friends when they were young.
I think Dignam killed Sullivan out of a sense of justice. Back in the day, cop killers rarely ever survived arrest in real life. Dignam was old school. He was deliberately cast to be the old school, gruff veteran cop, and the only thing worse than a cop killer is a cop who betrays other cops, especially the way Sullivan did. Dignam killed him because just like a father refusing to trust in the law for justice by killing his child's abuser, some things transcend the legal system.
To me, there was never any question of what his motive was for the killing. He knew what Sergeant Sullivan was and who he was, and that all the other players were dead so it only makes sense that’s a wrap the case up he made sure the job got done.
One could argue that Dignam was really a shape-shifting lizard creature. Fine. Let's see the evidence of such.
There's nothing in the Departed to suggest that Dignam was anything other than a cop who was fiercely protective of his agents. He even walked away from his career before he gave up DiCaprio. And killing Sullivan was an act of vengeance for the murders of Sheen and DiCaprio.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's as simple as Costigan telling Madeline to tell Dignum about Sullivan. He then took the law into his own hands, thinking Sullivan might get off the hook if he went through the legal means of justice.
What I don’t get? Is that Sullivan erased Costigan’s file then he could claim that Costigan wasn’t a Massachusetts State Trooper he was just a gangster who worked for Costello. When did he put the file back? At that point who’d believe Dignum? I just can’t figure out how Sullivan didn’t expect Dignum to return. Sullivan did know why he was there. When Sullivan said ok.
@@mikespenser4013 I think Sullivan wasn't sure who in the police/FBI/Troopers knew about Costigan's UC status. Idk if he ever actually 'put Costigan's file back' but Costigan had already revealed himself in a police building after Costello was killed, so perhaps Sullivan just figured it didn't matter since Costigan was dead anyway. Sullivan had no idea Costigan gave Madeline those tapes incriminating him as a rat for the mob, and obviously had no idea those tapes would wind up in the hands of Dignam
Meh, to me it just seemed like he was avenging his bosses death and the death of Costigan. He didnt like Costigan much, but the guy was a noncorrupt cop and Dignam likely respected him for it, particularly when he was killed for his loyalty to the force and thus proving he wasnt corrupt to Dignam. The final rat crossing by after Sullivan gets shot is just a symbolic way of saying he was the rat the entire time.
Since Dignam’s focus seemed to be primarily protecting his boss and the case, it could be that he simply didn’t want Sullivan to be discovered as a double agent, thereby dragging the investigation and the officers working on it through the mud. Or exposing their methods by putting Costigan in Costello’s crew to begin with. Revenge was just a bonus, not the motivating factor in my opinion.
I always thought Dignam killed Sullivan to avenge Costigan, fulfilling the classic movie trope where the irredeemable jerk redeems himself by going to the ends of the earth for the guy he torments.
Like how in Full Metal Jacket, Animal Mother is the biggest racist out of the bunch and torments 8 Ball, but when 8 ball is hit, he’s the only one willing to risk his life to save his friend.
Not hard to figure out! Costigan told and gave the tapes to Madeline. Told her what to do if something happened to him, which obviously was to seek out Dignam and show him the tapes! Dignam took care of the rest! Revenge for Quenan and Costigan, and also kills the mole!
You beat me to it lol ...this is what I was thinking happened as well.
Who fast tracked Sullivan? That implies someone way up the chain is working with/for Costello
Well, they killed what was Essentially his Partner ( Martin Sheen)
Eye for an Eye
ALSO. Dingham Left the Rat as a " Calling Card"
Idk why but to me they all look so much alike in a way it’s hard to keep track of the movie and who’s who or who works for who
Sullivan started and ended with a bag of groceries
I always thought Dignam was the back up plan for the Mob, and that he was watching Sullivan and ready to take him out if he folded or tried to "rat" on the Mob. I think Dignam was an inside enforcer for the Mob.
I’m pretty sure the letter Billy gave to Madolyn was for Digman. The letter gave Digman all the information he needed.
It is pretty obvious to me. Dignam's character was a wild card character a character that didn't exist in the superior movie this movie was adapted from which is Infernal Affairs. If you see the original movie you'll kind of understand why the movie ends the way it does.
Can you just say why here? Don't intend on watching that whole movie
@@DarkhorseOldWorlders Let's just say in the original movie the bad guys win and in this movie the bad guys eventually got what they deserved.
It was simple process of elimination. Literally elimination. Everyone else that could have been the rat was dead, and Sullivan had killed a few of them himself, including killing Frank. How does one man survive all of this betrayal? By being the rat.
Not complicated…(Sullivan was involved of the deaths of Costello,Billy, and Queenan…He’s the rat..that can’t be coincidence, hence why he killed him) but I will explain…
*when Queenan* (Martin Sheen’s Character) *died…* (Mark Wahlberg’s Character) *Dignam knew* (Matt Damon’s Character) *Sullivan was the rat…Sullivan raised suspicions when he was confronted by Dignam on why he commanded cops to trail Queenan, Sullivan said it was bc he had suspicions that Queenan was the rat…right then and there Dignam was livid…cause he knew that was a fucking lie…both Queenan and Dignam were working together to find the rat knowing full well it couldn’t/wouldn’t be them especially bc of the history both Queenan and Dignam have with Costello…they hate Costello…they even exchanged heated words with Costello together simultaneously..so that rules out that Queenan was completely not a rat in his own case with Dignam…so there is where Dignam knew but need more information/time…fast forward to right after Costellos death..undercover cop Billy Costigan* (Leonardo DiCaprio) *was in Sullivan’s office where he discovers that Sullivan was the rat…Billy Costigan then flees…later on Billy receives tapes from Costellos lawyer…evidence of Sullivan being the rat..now before calling and meeting with Sullivan he calls his former partner from the Boston Police Academy Brown* (Anthony Anderson’s Character) *and then tells Brown to meet with him and Sullivan without revealing to Brown that he intents to arrest Sullivan for being the rat as he has evidence to prove it…however Billy also tells Brown to bring Dignam to the Sullivan meeting to close the case on the rat for good…plan is motion..Billy meets Sullivan…Billy ambushes Sullivan and arrests him…Brown shows up without Dignam..I would assume from this standpoint that Dignam didn’t show up bc it was a precaution to avoid any failures of potentially blowing the chance of capturing the rat since in his perspective…Sullivan wasn’t a clear case of a sole rat…from his standpoint they’re could be multiple rat working in the police department still infiltrating the police department* (which eventually was later discovered that there was another rat) *so he needed to be sure that there were no loose ends on Costello’s Rat infiltrations plus he wasn’t allowed to work in the police department bc he was force on a leave of absence since his department was accused of having a rat thus having it compromised….now back to the Billy and Sullivan…once Billy sees that Brown is alone he takes the arrested Sullivan down stairs to the elevator where there Billy meets his demise by the second rat named Barrigan…* (James Badge Dale’s Character) *Barrigan aka the second rat after freeing his rat companion in Sullivan and shoots and kills Brown, he dies at the hands of Sullivan…now this is where it shows or reveals how Sullivan is the sole rat..Sullivan walks away from a crime scene that would only leave people who only work closely to the uncover case baffled and extremely suspicious as he is unscathed afterwards..not only he claims Barrigan is the rat but insist that Billy should be awarded the medal of merit…surely a sincere gesture but seeing that supposedly as Sullivan as he tells it was that he shot the rat in Barrigan and that Billy and Brown was already dead…so in Sullivan story he didn’t see Billy do a courageous thing but not only that…Brown wasn’t recommended for that medal of merit even though he was a cop and also died in the line of duty…that seems suspicious..too suspicious…given the circumstances that both Sullivan and Dignam couldn’t stand each other…this insistence that Billy…Dignam’s undercover cop..was awarded a medal and died in a scene where Sullivan was there…that adds to another tragedy in his Undercover department…he lost Queenan and lost Billy only two people beside Dignam that were working exclusively together on this classified case of catching the rat….nuff said…Sullivan is the rat…Costellos rat…he got away scot free from any suspecting cops outside of Queenan and Dignams department..and now has no mob boss to follow orders…simple..Dignam knows Sullivan needs to be killed..and when he does him…Dignam takes on the mantle of being the “rat” bc now people in the police department will now continue to suspect of a rat in the department bc Sullivan was never considered to be a suspect..he’s remembered as a good upstanding cop that took down Costello and was killed for it…holding inside information that only he knows…the end*
Why did he kill him?
To end the film.
Dignam might be an avatar of dignity , he had to kill to satisfy his his code of honour after all the law failed but he kept his dignity.
I think it was just payback for being a rat 🐀 and getting good cops killed….
Alec Baldwin’s character is the glue that binds all these characters together.
It's amazing how you spoke soo much without actually saying anything.
I know that Dingham hated the guy (And for good reason .), but he was shown as a pretty good cop . He wasn’t shown to be corrupt or anything . I love the movie , but this never felt right to me .
Yes, BUT - he was suspended 2 weeks with pay, which insulted him (ridiculous - he just got a vacation) So he was angry at the department too. I guess he heard the tapes.
Yeah, I thought for a quick second. That Dignam was a rat also. Cleaning up loose ends perhaps. But the longer I thought about it, the less it seemed to fit. It definitely in my opinion was a vengeance killing. And I think it was meant to illustrate what Frank said in the very beginning. "You can become cops or criminals. When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference? "
Dingam received copies of all the stuff Costello kept on everyone. He also knew Sullivan put a tail on Queenan, and leaked his location to the mobsters who killed him. Dingam stated very clearly, he thought Sullivan was a rat and got into a fight with him later., Even a dumb person could put two and two together to figure out Sullivan was involved in Costello's death, so he avenged both Costello and Queenan. There is nothing more to it. And as with all Scorsese movies, the "crime does not pay" motif, all the bad guys had to die or go to prison, anyway.
The best part of this movie was Mark doing this! 💯
It's not that deep bro, it was revenge for Queenan
Read or heard years back… that the two had an intimate relationship with one another…. But once Dingham finds out that Sullivan got his buddy/boss/father figure killed and his undercover, game over.
If dignam was a rat he would have given costigan away. He’s definitely not a rat.
Costigan gave Dignum the information just how he sent the therapist the evidence as well
Another idea could be that when Queenan died he was being tailed by the police. Who ordered the tail? Sullivan. I am sure the other cops would have let Dignam know who gave the order.
Dignam saw Collin's pocket when he was typing Costello on the chinese operation, it's seen in a split second.
I noticed while re watching today. Also: “Why the fuck did they all turn off their phones?” - Sgt. Dignam
I think Dingham hated Sullivan almost enough to do it WITHOUT knowing he was dirty.
Love Matt D... yet can't remember being so glad a guy took one to the third eye.
Dignam was straight up PD. Of course, it was revenge... also.
Good video. And thanks for decent volume.
Paz y luz, everyone.
I don't understand why nobody talsk about the parrt where costigan was helding sullivan hostage and asked the black cop why didn't he bring dignam with him after he asked it for
This was excellent- thanks. More please!
Dingman wanted revenge for killing his captain & leo
Frank Castello’s operation seemed like a low budget operation. Didn’t seem worth the efforts of law enforcement.
It’s not that complicated. Madeline had nothing to do with him finding out, Dignam is a good detective that’s how he found out:
-Colin was involved in both Queenen and Costigan’s death.
-Colin provided zero evidence as to why he had Queenen under surveillance.
-Costello’s death made the news there was no reason for Costigan to be in hiding or still work as an undercover.
-Colin being the sole survivor of a meeting with him, Costigan and Troopers Barrigan and Brown was sus.
Dignam kills Colin because he not only knows he is the rat and responsible for the deaths of Queenen and Costigan, but he is righting a wrong that he did. Had Dignam not lost his temper and quit after Queenen’s death he still would’ve been in the department and Costigan wouldn’t have died trying to take down Colin by himself.
7 minutes and 11 seconds I will never get back.
So many theories that can’t be proved or disproved.
Maybe Dignam knew Costello was a protected informer, knew Sullivan was dirty, & pushed Sullivan to eventually take out Costello. Costigan was a Plan B. A question is how did Barrigan know Sullivan was part of Costello’s group but knew instinctively to shoot Costigan & Brown.
This clouds both Dignam & Queenan’s involvement as Queenan knew Costello was an FBI informant.
It could be Ellerby was the only straight cop as Dignam, following Queenan’s murder, had to report to Ellerby.
So much info but it was a good movie.
Dignam was part of the FBI which is why he was smart enough to use latex gloves and shoe covers when he killed Sullivan. Literally none of them were at that level of coverup.
My phone was listening to my movie i was watching. I was just watching Mark Wahlberg's instant family, and bamm the algorithm suggests this video.
Somebody here mentioned "the envelope Costigan gives to Madolyn, and tells her not to open it unless something happens to him. But it's not brought up again." That's a good point. The envelope isn't quite a McGuffin, but it could in fact have contained anything we care to speculate on. Maybe it was a device with a specific purpose or intention, like in case anything happened to Costigan. Scorcese makes us speculate, knowing that audiences like to see closure and all the ends tied up.
The rat was the goofiest thing I've ever seen. Might as well have hsd Damon Wayans pop up and shout, "MESSAGE!"
Dignam is what youd think of Old School cops. Hard, dry humored people who take upholding Justice seriously.
I never thought Dignam was a mole but hell that puts a twist in it.
My question is why when Leo’s character has Matt Damon gunpoint does he say “I told you to bring dignum with you” doesn’t make sense for dignum not to have his back especially knowing of everything that’s been happening
But Dignam also callously says 'he's dead already?' when Costigan tears off the hidden microphone in the bathroom. I think Dignam was just that kind of guy, you're working for us, if you die you die, if you live you live. He was using Costigan as a tool or weapon for the greater good. Nothing personal, it's the job kind of thing. Once Queenan is killed, Dignam is suspended with pay, he is investigating on his own, sees or hears about the murder spree by the elevators and finds that Sullivan came out alive with the package left by the girlfriend/lover...Street justice played out right in view of the courts in the distance...
I'd read that the Damon character was a "boy-toy" for the Nicholson character...
He did say hi to his mother for him.
Dignam cant be a rat, he knows what leo looks like, he wouldve just told Costigan?
The look on dignam face right before he shoots matt demon explains everything, even matt damon understood what will happend and he didt even explain him self, he just said ok and turned his face
That makes no sense, if Digman was a rat, then he would of ratted out Costigan immediately
this video is example of how to find meaning and complication when there is none
That ending literally left zero room for interpretation. I axly feel dumber now that I listened to this. He was only one left alive who knew what was going on. Pretty straightforward
Yo this movie is completely on point . I live 30 min from Boston and have hung out there my entire life. This was probably the most clear depiction of Boston in the 90s
Simple. He learned the truth about Sullivan by Costigan before he was killed
Great video I just think we're reading too much into it It was just a solid ending in my opinion
Easily the best cop/crime movie of all time. It's cast was picked perfect and wonderfully directed.
If you really have to question why Dignam killed Sullivan, you weren't watching the movie..
7 mins 12secs of my life I will never get back😢
There's so many movies that I haven't watched until recently. I'm 33 and just watched this movie and holy smoking toledo. Damn was this a great movie. Absolutely great.
This movie was adapted from a mainly Cantonese (Hong Kong Chinese) speaking trilogy called Infernal Affairs. It's well worth watching all three of those films because they're great. They were actually an adaption of The Godfather!
@@stephencombes1979
The godfather ?!!!
@@olliephelan The Godfather trilogy, I assume you've heard of that? 🙂
@@stephencombes1979
Yes, and how are they based on the godfather ?
Because theres an issue of a betrayal ?
@@olliephelan Not just that, both are so very similar, including how the movies are structured. Watch both trilogies and then you'll understand what I mean.
Why doesn’t Dignam arrest him?
WOW what a video! Almost 8 minutes of simply recapping what any viewer of the movie already knew, by watching the movie! No insights, new revelations, and certainly not a shred of evidence that supports the Dignam's actions were anything more then revenge for Sullivan being responsible for his friends' and coworkers' deaths. Bang up job, buddy!
Feel like Dignum straight arrow so straight that he felt like you needed to work hard in order to move up in the ranks and he didn’t like how Sullivan moved up so quickly
Dignam was avenging the murders of both Queenan and Costigahn. Although Matt Damon didn’t personally kill either one, he was the only one left who bared some responsibility. At least that’s how I see it.
Good video though. Any excuse to talk about Marky Mark’s Dignam character is okay with me.