Due to being undercover, Costigan's emotional and psychological state decline, but Queenan and Dignam plead with him to keep his cover. Ellerby informs Special Investigations that only Queenan and Dignam will know their undercovers' names and that Costello's crew has stolen computer microprocessors to sell to a Hong Kong Triad. They believe Costigan's deceased uncle's reputation as a prominent mobster will give him credibility with Costello.Ĭostigan is set up a cover he serves time in jail on phony charges and eventually joins Costello's crew. Another recruit, State Trooper Billy Costigan Jr., is approached by Captain Queenan and Staff Sergeant Dignam to go undercover and infiltrate Costello's crew. Twenty one years later, Sullivan has been groomed by Costello to be a spy inside the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) and joins the Special Investigations Unit, led by Captain Ellerby. In South Boston, Colin Sullivan is introduced to organized crime by Irish-American gangster Frank Costello. DiCaprio was nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (also nominated that year in the same category for Blood Diamond), BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance. The film also received six nominations at the 64th Golden Globe Awards, six nominations at the 60th British Academy Film Awards, and two nominations at the 13th Screen Actors Guild Awards. It became Scorsese's first and, to date, only win for Best Director Wahlberg was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor. The Departed was a critical and commercial success, and won several accolades, including four Oscars at the 79th Academy Awards: for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. When both sides realize the situation, Sullivan and Costigan each attempt to discover the other's identity before they are found out. Irish Mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson) plants Colin Sullivan (Damon) as a spy within the Massachusetts State Police simultaneously, the police assign undercover state trooper Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) to infiltrate Costello's crew. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg, with Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, and Alec Baldwin in supporting roles. It is both a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs and also loosely based on the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang the character Colin Sullivan is based on the corrupt FBI agent John Connolly, while the character Frank Costello is based on Irish-American gangster Whitey Bulger. The Departed is a 2006 American epic crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan.