The Departed wraps up with a brutal chain of betrayals where no one comes out alive. In the final stretch, police officer Billy Costigan finally corners his rival, Colin Sullivan, after years of both men pretending to be something they are not. Costigan, who has been undercover in gangster Frank Costello’s crew, spots an envelope on Sullivan’s desk that proves Sullivan is Costello’s mole inside the police department.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Departed This envelope holds info on Costello’s crew that only Sullivan could have leaked.
Costigan bolts from the station, but Sullivan catches on quick and wipes Costigan’s records to paint him as a dirty cop. Costigan drops off his own envelope of evidence with his girlfriend, Madolyn, who later finds a recording inside that exposes Sullivan’s talks with Costello.https://the-departed.fandom.com/wiki/Billy_Costigan Sullivan pushes for Costigan to get a hero’s funeral, even though Costigan is still alive at that point.
Madolyn, now pregnant, dumps Sullivan after hearing the tape. Sullivan heads home, only to get shot dead by Sergeant Dignam, who has been off suspension and waiting for payback.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Departed Dignam walks out into the street as a wolf howls in the background, showing how the cycle of violence just keeps going.
The movie builds to this because everyone is playing both sides. Costello gets taken out earlier by Sullivan in a shootout, but not before he admits he’s an FBI informant.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Departed Captain Queenan dies trying to save Costigan from Costello’s men. One of Costello’s guys, Timothy Delahunt, even figures out Costigan is the rat before he bleeds out.
It’s all about trust breaking down. Costigan wants out of the undercover life, but Sullivan’s lies seal his fate. The ending hits hard because the good guys, bad guys, and everyone in between all lose.https://nofilmschool.com/movies-where-everyone-loses Madolyn is left alone with the truth, and Dignam gets his revenge, but the streets stay rotten.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Departed
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/movie-twists-best-films-all-time-b2887657.html
https://nofilmschool.com/movies-where-everyone-loses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YErszq4QGuA
https://the-departed.fandom.com/wiki/Frank_Costello
https://the-departed.fandom.com/wiki/Billy_Costigan
