What was the meaning of the ending of "The Departed?"?

Question

I have been trying to find an interpretation on the web but everyone just seems to say "Dignam finished the job by killing Colin." I saw something say that "...presumably, Dignam got the evidence against Colin and that is why he killed him..."

Well - I don't think so... If you look at how Dignam was dressed and prepped for the kill, it was very "mafia-like." From the jogging suit to the booties on his shoes. Also - if he had gotten the evidence - why would he kill Colin? Why wouldn't he have just brought the evidence to the cops? I find it hard to believe that the cop of all cops (Dignam) decided to murder someone in cold blood when he had all the evidence he needed to put him away. Was Dignam with Costello? Was he just out for revenge? Is there a book out that explains the true meaning of the ending?

Answer 1

HERE IS THE ANSWER!!!!!

You guys forgot what Sullivan did in the elevator.....He killed the other rat in the police force who killed Costigan...I think the character that most of us would easily overlook would be the other rat who killed Costigan.  You have to remember that most of the mob guys are connected through family or close friendships.  Obviously when Sullivan killed this unsuspected rat (who says that there are more than one rats in the ranks of the police force) he killed someone who belonged to the mob.  Maybe this guy had an Uncle, cousin, stepfather, godfather, grandfather, father, who was influential in the mob.  And since, Costello was already dead, Dignam (Which I highly suspect IS part of the Irish Mafia, since...hint ...hint....."there are more rats in the police force") would have received orders from elsewhere or from somebody else to kill Sullivan.  You have to put the facts together......Here they are:  Costello tells either Sullivan or Costigan, (it doesnt matter who) but says something like(hint....hint.....hint.....) "you don't know nothing"  and repeats it a couple of times.... He was mentioning the whole complex structure and relationship of the crime ring and the regulating bodies such as the police force and the FBI.  Costello's identity as a FBI informant was revealed, and goes to show that there exists a larger picture in which Costello only plays a minor part.  Also, Dignam resigned as a detective police officer, because no one believed him in that he was telling everyone that Sullivan was the rat.  OK..........  If he was really a good detective or a good guy, he would provide some hard evidence or go to some extent in trying to prove that Sullivan was the rat, ie.  putting surveillance on Sullivan, as Sullivan did on Queenan.  But there were no such actions.  And of course no one believed Dignam, because there was no hard evidence.  Buy simply resigning from  the force, it actually showed a behavioral difference from the original tough guy who we all thought was a seasonal detective. Also, by killing Sullivan in the end, it shows that Dignam was in actuality not a real police officer since he actually committed a murder, or crime.  The execution of Sullivan ( I will call it execution) was more of a professional hit.  You have to see what Dignam was wearing.....the whole nine yards....the protective coverup for the feet, so no footprints are left..to prevent blood from getting on his shoes or clothes...it didn't look like it was his first kill or execution...it looked as though he had done it a couple of times before.  Lack of hesitation...etc......If he was really a good guy, he would have paused and thought about the conflicting moral issue. But there was none....also....it didn't look as though he was worried that he just killed a fellow police officer as he was leaving the scene.  It looked as though he was just moving on.......just as the rest of the crime ring will move on....You have to see the big picture......or remind yourself...that just because Costello, Costigan, and Sullivan are dead that it doesnt mean its the end of the Irish mob.... These three people or characters were only a small part of the world that Costello described as "You don't know nothing!".

Answer 2

I don't really have an answer for this one because the guy above explained it perfectly. So, I agree with Dust.

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Life and Times in Hollyweird (a blog by: John Darko)

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Answer 3

I think Dignam knew that with or without the evidence, the legal system is so screwy that no matter what he would walk, so he had to take matters into his own hands.  I'm sure after fighting to take down the "bad guys" for so long, he probably felt like it was due time to dish out some real justice.