The Departed: Exploring the Shocking and Analysis-Worthy Ending

Unraveling The Departed's Ending

The Departed ending is one of the most shocking and analysis-worthy film finales of the 21st century. Martin Scorsese’s award-winning 2006 movie, a remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, culminates in the collision of the plot's parallel storylines.

James Badge Dale's mole pointing a gun at the end of The Departed

For most of The Departed, characters Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) are deep undercover in the Irish Mob and the Boston State Police force, respectively.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon on a rooftop in The Departed

It isn’t until the end of the movie that the two moles discover each other’s identities and the final confrontation between them is set off. But the explosive and violent ending is a bit confusing on the first watch.

Billy Costigan shot dead in The Departed

Like many of Scorsese’s best movies, The Departed has a large ensemble cast, and with so many characters working either as spies or loyal soldiers within their respective networks, the relationships and the identities of the characters can get lost.

The Departed X Symbolism Example 2-1

Twists and Unforeseen Revelations

In The Departed's ending, nearly everyone is dead except for Colin Sullivan. After years of spying for the mob, he's left as the only one with knowledge about his duplicity.

Jack Nicholson talks to someone off-screen as Frank Costello in The Departed.

A major theme of The Departed is that characters ultimately pay for their two-faced nature and no one stays hidden for long.

A bloodied Matt Damon as Colin Sullivan stands in an elevator with Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan in The Departed.

Colin's girlfriend, Dr. Madolyn Madden (Vera Farmiga), receives a recording proving that he is a rat, leaving Colin completely exposed.

Vera Farmiga in a doorway in The Departed

Exploring Secrets and Betrayals

Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), one of the more evil villains in a Scorsese movie, is revealed to be a rat for the FBI, which changes the motivations for the end of the movie.

Leonardio DiCaprio holding a cellphone as Billy in The Departed.

Billy Costigan becomes even more desperate to get out of the undercover work upon discovering Frank's secret identity, as he has been assigned an impossible task.

Frank Costello and Billy Costigan Jr. leaning on a rail and looking off in the distance in The Departed.

Colin, in the precarious position of being an informant in the State Police, finds out that his only contact could turn him in if given the chance.

Mark Wahlberg in the Departed

The Final Confrontation and Its Ramifications

With Frank and Captain Queenan (Martin Sheen) both dead, Billy and Colin feel safe at last. DiCaprio and Damon are finally on-screen together for the first time at The Departed's ending, and it’s in their meeting that Billy sees the envelope marked “Citizens Trust,' something that only Frank could have had.

Billy and Colin in the elevator in The Departed

Billy may have stopped searching after he was released from his duty and tried to forget everything, but the fact that the informant is right in front of him is enough to galvanize him into acting.

Dignam in the captain's office in The Departed

The Departed ending sees three characters shot in quick succession, with only Colin left standing. In another twist, Trooper Barrigan (James Badge Dale) turns out to also be working for the Irish mob, adding another death to DiCaprio’s movie career.

Dignam points a gun in The Departed

The Departed's Legacy and Potential Sequel

Scorsese has fun with the ending, making it bloody and grim, but overall, farcical. The rapid-fire ending scenes offer a twist every time a location changes, leaving viewers amused at the absurdity of the violence.

The rat in The Departed.

The Departed almost continued as a franchise, with the idea of a sequel centered on Wahlberg's character, but it never materialized due to various reasons including Scorsese's reluctance and failed pitches.

Colin on a police computer in The Departed

In 2016, producer Roy Lee hinted at the possibility of a TV series or sequel, but it never came to fruition.

Conclusion

The Departed's ending is a masterful culmination of deceit, betrayal, and shocking revelations that leave a lasting impression on the audience. With its intricate web of characters, secrets, and consequences, the film's finale continues to captivate and intrigue viewers, solidifying its place as a modern classic.