The Departed
The Departed and the Irish Mob
While not as talked about as the Italian mafia, the Irish Mob is just as violent and proficient in their ways. Taking place in South Boston, the departed depicts a fictitious, but only just, account of the struggle between the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish Mob. Leonardo Dicaprio’s character Billy Costigan is a new member of the MSP and is chosen to become an undercover officer because of his background. Costigan’s father was from South Boston, and Costigan spent time there as a child. He infiltrates the Irish Mob, headed by Jack Nicholson’s character Frank Costello. Frank is the violent head of the Irish Mob that seems to never really be convicted of his crimes. We later come to find out that is in part because of his status as an FBI informant. Costello has an informant in the MSP by way of Matt Damon’s character Colin Sullivan. Sullivan grew up in Costello’s neighborhood and Costello was almost a father figure to him. With his loyalty to Costello, Sullivan was convinced to join the MSP and feed information to Costello. As the movie progresses, both Sullivan and Costigan find out about each other as “rats”, but not necessarily each other’s identities until towards the end. Sullivan upon finding out who Costigan is, erases his file after the death of Captain Queenan at the hands of the Irish Mob and the dismissal of Sargent Dignam. In the end Barrigan, another one if Costello’s men on the inside, shoots Costigan and Sullivan’s partner, Trooper Brown. Sullivan then shoots Barrigan and is later shot in his apartment by Dignam. The camera pans up and shows a rat crawling across the balcony in view of the capital building in Boston.
While this is a fictitious story, it is not too farfetched from the Irish Mob’s actual dealings. In the beginning of the movie Costello talks briefly of the struggle the Irish faced. He says something to the effect of how they were running the city when thirty years ago an Irishman couldn’t
While not as talked about as the Italian mafia, the Irish Mob is just as violent and proficient in their ways. Taking place in South Boston, the departed depicts a fictitious, but only just, account of the struggle between the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish Mob. Leonardo Dicaprio’s character Billy Costigan is a new member of the MSP and is chosen to become an undercover officer because of his background. Costigan’s father was from South Boston, and Costigan spent time there as a child. He infiltrates the Irish Mob, headed by Jack Nicholson’s character Frank Costello. Frank is the violent head of the Irish Mob that seems to never really be convicted of his crimes. We later come to find out that is in part because of his status as an FBI informant. Costello has an informant in the MSP by way of Matt Damon’s character Colin Sullivan. Sullivan grew up in Costello’s neighborhood and Costello was almost a father figure to him. With his loyalty to Costello, Sullivan was convinced to join the MSP and feed information to Costello. As the movie progresses, both Sullivan and Costigan find out about each other as “rats”, but not necessarily each other’s identities until towards the end. Sullivan upon finding out who Costigan is, erases his file after the death of Captain Queenan at the hands of the Irish Mob and the dismissal of Sargent Dignam. In the end Barrigan, another one if Costello’s men on the inside, shoots Costigan and Sullivan’s partner, Trooper Brown. Sullivan then shoots Barrigan and is later shot in his apartment by Dignam. The camera pans up and shows a rat crawling across the balcony in view of the capital building in Boston.
While this is a fictitious story, it is not too farfetched from the Irish Mob’s actual dealings. In the beginning of the movie Costello talks briefly of the struggle the Irish faced. He says something to the effect of how they were running the city when thirty years ago an Irishman couldn’t