A question about The Departed (Spoilers in OP)

ziedth

So I was in work today and I got thinking about The Departed (I have a very boring job) and something occured to me that having watched it three maybe four times I can't for the life of me remember how Mark Wallberg knows the Matt Damon is the Informant at the end before he shoots him in the last scene. Anyone remember?

Sad Professor

I don't know, but I assume he found out from Vera Farmiga. DiCaprio gave her an envelope with everything before he was killed.

ziedth

So it's plot hole of sorts? Thank god for that because I usually never forget things like this in films. Your explanation definatley makes the most sense.

maximoose

Doesn't he give the girl the recordings and tell her to post them to Wahlberg if anything happens to him?

Or am I imagining that

Riskymove

maximoose wrote: »

Doesn't he give the girl the recordings and tell her to post them to Wahlberg if anything happens to him?

Or am I imagining that

yes I think so, I definitely remember thinking the woman told the wahlberg character

Sad Professor

There's actually two envelopes: one which he leaves with her and tells her only to open if something happens to him, and another which he sends to Damon but which she opens and inside finds a recording of him and Nicholson. We don't know what was in the previous envelope, but I assume it was a copy of the same tape. It doesn't really matter either way though. All she had to do was ring up the cops and tell them. Wahlberg already had strong suspicions about him over Sheen's death anyway.

I wouldn't consider it a plot hole. It's not explicitly stated, but there's no other way Walhberg could have found out except from her. She was upset about DiCaprio's death, knew Damon was a mole and sold him out to the cops.

DeepBlue

It seemed a daft, tacked on ending anyway to appease those that would be upset that the bad guy "won".

Sad Professor

Wait, I’ve been thinking about this and what I posted above doesn’t really make sense. If she gave the cops the tape, Wahlberg wouldn’t have needed to murder Damon in the manner that he did. So I’m thinking he possibly found out as a result of his own investigation following Sheen's death but had no proof. This would mean that Farmiga didn’t sell Damon out - he was the father of her child after all. Either that or Wahlberg did get proof but wanted revenge for the death of Sheen, DiCaprio, etc.

nix

Perhaps there was a 3rd envelope which he mailed to Whalberg? He did know him after all and he knew where Sheen lived, so i predict he knew where Whalberg lived too.

keane2097

Possibly the film most ruined by its own ending I've ever seen.

Sad Professor

nix wrote: »

Perhaps there was a 3rd envelope which he mailed to Whalberg? He did know him after all and he knew where Sheen lived, so i predict he knew where Whalberg lived too.

Yeah, but if Wahlberg had proof, why didn't he use it to put him away? The only reason to go murder him like that is because he knew was a rat but had no proof. As I said, he already suspected him over Sheen's death. Then he hears about him walking away from this bloodbath in which three other cops are killed. It wouldn't have been hard for him to put two and two together.

Dont be at yourself

Sad Professor wrote: »

Yeah, but if Wahlberg had proof, why didn't he use it to put him away? The only reason to go murder him like that is because he knew was a rat but had no proof. As I said, he already suspected him over Sheen's death. Then he hears about him walking away from this bloodbath in which three other cops are killed. It wouldn't have been hard for him to put two and two together.

I think he just wanted to kill him himself rather than put him behind bars, vengeance for killing Martin Sheen's character. His character wasn't particularly by-the-book, after all.

nix

Yeah i thought he was killing him for killing sheen, as markie and the old man were close. Who knows

Although it wasnt Damon that killed the old man himself so putting him away would have been the thing to do, a sloppy end indeed i guess, god damnit!

FortuneChip

Sad Professor wrote: »

This would mean that Farmiga didn’t sell Damon out - he was the father of her child after all. Either that or Wahlberg did get proof but wanted revenge for the death of Sheen, DiCaprio, etc.

Was he though? Are we not given the impression that Damon's equipment doesn't work to the fullest? He's over-zealous to tell Baldwin that he's not gay and he's working overtime. That scene is shortly after the breakfast scene where Farminga tells Damon that "it's a common thing, most guys make too big a deal out of it."
He's also shocked more than excited when he discovers she's pregnent which leads me to believe it's more likely Leo's kid.

I believe she gave the tapes to Wahlberg, who acted out of revenge rather than follow protocol

tony1kenobi

I thought it was a process of elimination."Everyone else is dead,I know I'm not a mole,so Will Hunting must be".

plastic glass

personally i think he just found out through his own investigation, would not call it a plot hole at all. dont think the audience need to be drip fed everything. saw over in the tinker tailor soldier spy thread people alluding to plot holes when imo we got more than enough suggestions and hints to certain things that were going on so we could make up our own mind. the departed ending is a great ending if you ask me, better than the inferal affairs one which i saw before the departed. though i will admit the infernal affairs one is more layered and open

Frank Black

I agree with the above, I always assumed that he just figured it out.

He was right too.

Essien

I can't help but think it was a result of his own investigation. He went awol after Queenan was killed so to me it makes sense that he would return just as abruptly to exact his revenge.

Off topic and on a lighter note, about 3/4 through the film Dignam (Wahlberg) has this little exchange with one of the cops during a stakeout....

Dignam: This is unbelievable. Who put the ****in' cameras in this place?
Camera Tech Guy: Who the **** are you?
Dignam: I'm the guy who does his job. You must be the other guy.

It always makes me think that's where the idea for "The Other Guys" came from.

Dewey

There was no third letter. Will(Leo) didnt know where Digham lived, cos when he is on the roof with Damon, he screams at the cop who he went to academy with "where is Digham??? I told you to call and bring Digham" So if he did phone Digham to tell him Will wants to meet on the roof where Qweenan died that would of triggered something with him. But he didnt go and the last man staying was Damon, so maybe thats how he know......

But remember, the letter Will gave to Farmiga prob had the evidence and saying "get this too Detective Digham" and lets not forget. He wasnt fired, he was only suspended for 2 weeks with pay

irishh_bob

ziedth wrote: »

So I was in work today and I got thinking about The Departed (I have a very boring job) and something occured to me that having watched it three maybe four times I can't for the life of me remember how Mark Wallberg knows the Matt Damon is the Informant at the end before he shoots him in the last scene. Anyone remember?

i hate that movie and think its quite possibley thee most overated of the past twenty five years , as for why wahlberg ( who was the one charecther i liked in the whole film ) killed damon , id like to think its because he hated him right from the off

ChunkyLover_53

Sheen & Wahlberg were the only 2 who new DiCaprio was a cop.

Damon makes up a statement at the end about the death of Officer Costigan and that he was undercover. IMO this is how Wahlberg discovers that Damon is mole. Damon didn't know that Wahlberg was involved in the case.

Dempsey

Sullivan brings in Costigan legitimately though, surely Dignam would of found that out?