The Departed. Huh? spoilers

Cafe Society
1

The last 30 min of the movie confused the shit out of me.
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What was in the envelope Leo gave the shrink?

Why/how/who was Walhberg working for at the end of the movie that made him kill damon?

What was the point of Jack Nicholson being an FBI informant?

Why was Wahlberg such an ass to LEo and why did Sheen let it happen?

Why didn’t Sheen try to escape the baddies that killed him?

Why did Damon just stand there and get shot at the end?

Why did no one get suspicuous when Damon was calling his “dad” to talk about dinner everytime there was something going down? This is especially assinine since they were actively trying to find a mole at the time.

Why was this movie so ridiculous? It wasn’t a BAD movie, but the plot was so far out there and the acting was way over the top. Everyone sounded like they were doing a Boston impersonation through the whole thing.

This thing was quite confusing.

2

Wahlberg and Sheen were the only ones who knew DiCaprio was really an undercover cop working for Frank Costello. When Costello’s goons killed Sheen (Captain Queenan) and Alec Baldwin took over his unit, Walhberg resigned in disgust. After Costello’s death, DiCaprio came forward and Damon killed him, so Walhberg realized Damon was the mole the entire time.

Damon was just surprised to find Walhberg waiting for him in his apartment, the one loose end that hadn’t been taken care of. He wasn’t prepared for an ambush and hardly had time to react. Walhberg, an honest cop who had worked hard to see Costello and his crew put away, killed him to avenge Captain Queenan and DiCaprio, and to kill the mole that had been responsible for so many cops dying.

As for the envelope, DiCaprio realized from the crossed-out handwritten envelope on Damon’s desk that Damon had to be the mole. He put together proof and gave it to the shrink so she could use it to have Damon busted in the event that he killed DiCaprio first.

Incidentally, Mark Walhberg and Matt Damon are both native Bostonians, so what you thought of as “over the top” was probably two actors drawing realistically from the accents they were surrounded with growing up.

I thought The Departed was one of the best movies of the year, and one of Scorsese’s best ever – not “ridiculous” at all. You may or may not know it was a remake of a highly-regarded Hong Kong film, Infernal Affairs, which spawned a sequel and a prequel because the Damon character survived in the original.

3

Here are my answers to the best of my understanding. I might be mistaken on some points, but I think I’ve got things generally correct:

What was in the envelope Leo gave the shrink?
We weren’t shown what was in it, but I believe it identified Damon as the mole in the police department.

Why/how/who was Walhberg working for at the end of the movie that made him kill damon?
I** don’t think he was working for anybody, but he found out/figured out that Damon was the mole and he took it upon himself to see that justice was done.**

What was the point of Jack Nicholson being an FBI informant?
Well, for one thing it showed that even the boss was a rat. It also meant the end of the trust and loyalty that Damon had for him, because Damon knew that Nicholon would flip on him whenever it became necessary.

Why was Wahlberg such an ass to LEo and why did Sheen let it happen?
I think that’s just how that character is–an asshole, but an effective an loyal cop.

Why didn’t Sheen try to escape the baddies that killed him?
He probably knew he couldn’t outrun them and he may have thought he could buy Leo some time. He may not have thought that they would kill him.

Why did Damon just stand there and get shot at the end?
Wahlberg had the drop on him and Damon knew he was already dead. There was nothing else he could do.

Why did no one get suspicuous when Damon was calling his “dad” to talk about dinner everytime there was something going down? This is especially assinine since they were actively trying to find a mole at the time.
I noticed that, too. But it did look a couple of times like Sheen was kind of suspicious. Maybe nothing was said openly about the suspicions because they were trying to smoke him out? They didn’t really have anything solid to accuse him of.

4

Most of these are upfor debate, but here are my two cents… (I’m sure someone will post a thread where most of these are answered)

What was in the envelope Leo gave the shrink?
No definite answer, but likely evidence (or where to find evidence) should he be killed (remember, the CD she listens to was addressed to Damon’s character).

Why/how/who was Walhberg working for at the end of the movie that made him kill damon?
No one. Pure revenge for what he did to his colleagues. That’s what made it so damn good. (Not sure the proposed spin-off sequel will work, though)

What was the point of Jack Nicholson being an FBI informant?
Happens all the time. He turns over guys and info he couldn’t care less about, making them think they’re getting gold, and they cut him some slack. Or did you mean in the movie?

Why was Wahlberg such an ass to LEo and why did Sheen let it happen?
Bad childhood? Hilarious, though.

Why didn’t Sheen try to escape the baddies that killed him?
He was cornered, and sacrificed himself, I guess. Maybe they thought they wouldn’t dare take him down.

Why did Damon just stand there and get shot at the end?
He was cornered, and taking his medicine. He seemed like he was at the end of his rope, anyway.

Why did no one get suspicuous when Damon was calling his “dad” to talk about dinner everytime there was something going down? This is especially assinine since they were actively trying to find a mole at the time.
Yeah, these conversations were totally stilted. I guess he was just such a golden boy, he was never a suspect.

Why was this movie so ridiculous? It wasn’t a BAD movie, but the plot was so far out there and the acting was way over the top. Everyone sounded like they were doing a Boston impersonation through the whole thing.
I liked that it was over the top. Just a fun, unapologetically violent ride (though I could have done with, I dunno, a few non-pathetic female characters. But this is Scorsese) And quite a few of the strongest accents were from actual Boston boys. FYI it was based on Hong Kong’s equally uberviolent Infernal Affairs

5

I’m glad someone brought this movie back up. By the time I saw it, the thread was pretty old.

They’ve been doing kind of an Abbot and Costello bit about the movie on a local radio show. The “dumb” guy of the show says he doesn’t want to spoil the ending, but was the guy who did something with a gun at the end of the movie (Wahlberg) a good guy or a bad guy? Then everyone else on the show says something to the effect of, “Yes, that’s it exactly. We’re so proud that you got that.” He says he doesn’t understand and repeats the question, this goes on for a while and hilarity ensues.

The problem is, as far as I can tell, the ending isn’t meant to be ambiguous. I got the same impression as everyone else (on this and previous threads) - that Wahlberg was a straight-up good guy getting revenge on a straight-up bad guy. Is there some ambiguity that I’m missing or is this radio bit as stupid as I think it is?

6

In my view, Wahlberg’s busting DiCaprio’s chops was (1)simply hazing the “new guy” and (2) a test to see how much verbal abuse he could take before flying off the handle.

As for Nicholson being an FBI informant, his character (Frank Costello) is partially based on Whitey Bulger–the Boston Irish mobster who was also an FBI informant.

If I may add another question, did anyone think Costello’s software deal with the Chinese hoods was really an FBI sting operation (especially since we find out the Chinese guys were nabbed a short time later and that software was fake)? That was my impression.

7

I grew up in Boston and was just back there a week ago. The accent really is that strong, especially for someone from Southie.

8

Obviously it gave the details of the situation, but I think it also gave her instructions to seek out Mark Wahlberg’s character and let him know who the mole was. How else could Wahlberg be sure that Damon was his guy?
Now, the real question is this: Why in the world would the shrink have an affair with DiCaprio? As far as she knows, he’s just a drug-seeking skell, and a patient to boot. If they wanted to make that aspect of the movie at all believable, they should have made her character slightly insane.

9

Matt Damon’s character was suicidal at the end, remember him telling DiCaprio’s character “just kill me”? Likely guilt over killing Jack Nicholas, who was like a father him, put him in that state. When he saw Marky-Mark with the gun, he just said “okay”, with more relief than resignation, IMHO.

10

To be fair, he comes back to her for someone to talk to several times during the course of the movie, before they get down to actually having sex. Matt Damon’s character is very secretive and difficult to get through to, whereas Leo gives the appearance of actually needing her. Also, Matt Damon doesn’t want to hear anything about her past (the childhood pictures scene), whereas Leo seems to be attracted by the idea that she’s not just the very smooth and cultured psychiatrist.

Did anyone else think her accent changed when she followed him out of the office to yell at him? Before that scene, and immediately afterwards, she had that newscaster accent, but for that moment, she sounded a lot more Boston to me. And that was the moment when Leo started to be nice to her instead of just being a jerk. That was the impression I had, anyway.

11

Seriously? I mean, it was a competent movie, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Scorsese’s earlier work like Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, The Age of Innocence, or his masterpiece, Raging Bull. Leonardo DiCaprio at least didn’t suck the life out of it in this one, but Jack Nicholson was totally miscast as a Boston Irish gangster (or indeed, in any role where he’s not playing Jack Nicholson), and I thought Martin Sheen was weak; DeNiro (who was originally cast but backed out in order to work on The Good Shepherd) would have been much better. And while Alec Baldwin was hiliarious in his typical Alec Baldwin role, he seemed to be in his own film entirely.

And like VarlosZ, I too question why the shrink so readily had an affiar with DiCaprio, although I think this was more a function of how underdeveloped the character was; she came off to me as just a plot device. The plot was technically well-organized, but I just couldn’t get involved in the characters, and it was as predictable as hell. I think Revtim has it right about Damon’s character; in the end, having lost everything (his “father”, his fiance, child (which probably wasn’t his), et cetera) he just longed for it to be over. There’s an interesting comparison and contrast between the DiCaprio and Damon characters, who are really similar people in slightly different roles and circumstances, but other than that, it’s a pretty mediocre movie by Scorsese standards. It should have been more interesting–it has a great premise–but I was totally underwhelmed. And Scorsese has officially overused the Stone’s “Gimme Shelter”. Dude, there’s a whole catalogue of Rolling Stones songs, try another next time.

BTW, the accents of Wahlberg and Damon are, as previously noted, genuine. If you’ve ever been to Southie, you’ll know that they do speak in that exaggerated “Bwahhston” accent.

Stranger

12

I had the same -meh- reaction that the OP had. Too much cat-mouse-cat-mouse-cat-mouse etc. and way too much cell phone.

I can still take a few of questions though.

Why/how/who was Walhberg working for at the end of the movie that made him kill damon?

It seemed like wet stuff to me. Wahlberg sensed that Damon was some how tied-in to the bad guys and might take over himself or that he would be discovered later on and make things look bad for the Boston PD. Easy solution? Waste him.
What was the point of Jack Nicholson being an FBI informant?

Just another of WAAAAY too many red herrings. Others that appeared: Damon having an affair with the shrink (already noted), the sale of the electronic widgits to the Japanese mafia (was this an indication of something even more sinister about to happen?), the other cop on the inside (the dude who played Bogs in Shawshank), the suspicious looks to Damon at various times by Sheen, Whalberg, Baldwin, and so on. Too many ends that remained untied for my tastes.

Why was Wahlberg such an ass to LEo and why did Sheen let it happen?

Easy. Wahlberg was quite obviously channeling the “bad cop” to Sheen’s “good copy”. This one was so patently obvious, I kept waiting for DiCaprio to call him on it. And though perhaps over-the-top, I liked Wahlberg’s character the best.

Why didn’t Sheen try to escape the baddies that killed him?

He probably figured that as the Chief of Police, back-up was on the way or that the bad guys would remember that you can’t shoot a cop (just like it worked for the guy in Scarface).

And now for an obvious inconsistency on my part. Can anyone explain how / why the other cop working the inside “knew” that DiCaprio was also working both ends when all he did was give the wrong address to the meeting point?

He told him the number was 714, the actual building was 744 which wouldn’t be more than a half of a block away in my estimation. Despite the minor goof which could have been explained any number of ways, if DiCaprio saw a fallen body in the street and it wouldn’t take much to deduce that this was the meeting point. This “proof” used by the other cop was so weak, why didn’t DiCaprio just tell him that it wasn’t that difficult to figure that this building was obviously the one. Otherwise what was he going to do, see a body laying on the street and keep going to the address that he was told and wait there?

13

I may be misremembering, but it looked to me as if the DiCaprio character managed to screw up when “called” on being a cop. When the other cop said he knew who he was, DiCaprio froze - thereby revealing himself. The actual “evidence” was irrelevant, it was his reaction that gave him away.

Still have no idea what the point of that scene was…

14

I just saw this last night ( I saw ALL of the Best Picture nominations yesterday - don’t ask :stuck_out_tongue: ). It was supposed to be 344 Wash, the wrong address given was 314 Washington. Not just wrong number, but wrong street.

  • Tamerlane
15

i agree with the points above vis-a-vis the OP’s questions. The movie, however, is dreadfully overrated. It was convuluted and utterly silly at times. The ending (including Nicholson putting himself in harms way like that) was just stupid.

And Jack Nicholson can’t play anyone other than Jack Nicholson.

The rat juxtaposed against City Hall at the end, yea we get it real subtle :rolleyes:

16

Sorry, I’m askin’–which one was the best!!! :smiley:

I just saw The Departed last weekend so the movie is still fresh in my mind. Good discussions here, I think most of the OP’s questions have been answered.

My take on Colin’s (Matt Damon) “Just kill me…” comment: He knew being dead was better than being a cop-killing cop and being dragged through the IA investigations, going to prison, etc. Being shot in the head by Leo would be the weasel’s weasely way out.

I was kinda hoping that when the elevator opened Mark Wahlberg would be standing there, though. I think that would have been a better climax than what transpired, but maybe that was too much of a “happy” ending if Leo would have lived.

17

Thank you for saying this.

18

The sad thing is that this isn’t actually true. There are a credible number of films (Chinatown, Five Easy Pieces, About Schmidt) where Nicholson shows himself to be an excellent actor, easily due the kudos often otherwise undue his performances. And even when he’s “Jack” he can be fun to watch. But as a character in a film that isn’t about “Jack” he just sucks you right out of the film. I think Ray Winstone (Jack’s henchman, Mr. French) would have been much better in the role…but of course, he wouldn’t have been a name.

Scorsese needs to go back to making the kinds of films he used to make before he set out to make winning an Oscar a career goal. The fact that he’s been repeatedly snubbed says less about his filmmaking ability than the shallowness and useless of AMPAS.

Stranger

19

The problem is, he was “Campy Jack,” which is a bit too much like The Joker for my taste. He should have played the role straight and balked at his character going to the warehouse.

20

Sheesh, was Little Miss Sunshine out of stock? It wasn’t quite as “confusing.”

Great movie, I hope it wins tonight.