Dignam told Costigan that he scored 1400 in his SAT, and he is an astronaut, not a cop. I don't understand this, did Costigan have a low score in cop test or high score? If he got high score,why he can't be a cop, why he can be an astronaut?
I dont understand that scene.
It's not you, it's the script.
It's a mess: great scenes and overall storyline marred by:
- unexplained storylines/plot holes (Delahunt's last scene, Billy getting Costello's tapes, nobody realizing Bill is the obvious undercover, Queenan and Dignam saying Billy is not good enough to be a cop but somehow is good enough to be an undercover agent, etc)
- miscast roles or misdirected leads (Nicholson's acting seems like he's doing a sequel to Anger Management instead of a mobster movie, DiCaprio looks all the tim like he's about to cry)
So don't be surprised that many things just don't add up. Seems like there was a great script and either the studio or somebody else made rewrites/additions that totally don't make sense.
well, i like this film a lot, unlike you.
In my opinion, Costigan would be an excellent cop and detective. He is smart, honest and intelligent. I don't understand why Dignam and Queenan insisted he can't be a cop. He would be a better cop than those two. Poor kid.
But I agree with you that Costigan was the obvious rat. Sullivan and Costello should have id'd the rat easily.
It's not a mess. You're just a dope who can't recognize themes.
Things were left unexplained to build the atmosphere of paranoia. And none of those things were plot holes. You're just an idiot who doesn't understand subtext, and not much else either. We're already established how stupid you are, so it's no surprise you think there was miscasting.
GREAT question! Billy aced his SATs and was VERY bright hence Dignam's astronaut remark, and his suspicion as to why Billy would want to be a state trooper at 30K a year when he could use his intelligence for bigger/better things. The majority of his family had been connected criminals and in his mind, he could escape that part of his life as a cop (a good guy). He was also violent, unstable and adept at adopting different personas. Couple those factors with his intelligence, and an undercover is born!
shareDignam: 'Says here you got caught wailing on your gym teacher with a folding chair'.'
The two guys he 'tuned up' in the deli is the type of behavior Dignam and Queenan were afraid he would exhibit as a state trooper, but perfect for someone pretending to be one of Costello's thugs.
Plus, the undercover work paid more and was tax free and was a better use of his intelligence as opposed to handing out parking tickets.
Well, he would be a better state police detective than Sullivan. He could do investigations, lead a unit etc. As far as "being bad-tempered" goes, Dignam is not a saint either. We all saw the way Dignam behaves. If Dignam can be a detective, so can Costigan.
Queenan and Dignam wasted the poor kid. However, Queenan paid for it. I hope Dignam pays as well.
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Dignam even avenged him, in a way
That was real? I saw that movie, I thought it was bullsh*t
He probably scored highly. Dignam was wondering why a kid with 1400s on his SAT would be a police officer. Queenan and Dignam saw his connections to Costello and thought he would be an ideal candidate (compared to the regular morons who graduate from a police academy) to be a part of this very dangerous and delicate operation.
shareOk, but why were those two insulting him? He could've gotten angry and say "f.ck you and you operation" and storm out of the building.
Instead they might say "you are a smart kid, we need you in this undercover operation. Please cooperate with us, when the job is done we will transfer you to an elite unit where you can serve police department with your intelligence" etc.
I mean, I didn't understand why they insulted him. They could ask nicely as well.
Only Dignam was insulting him though, Sheen played the approachable mentor you want to please. Also, I imagine these 2 were reading him, with Dignam pushing his buttons to see how much stress and pushing he can take. They need not only someone with a background into the criminal world, and high IQ, but also someone who can mentally and emotionally survive the life of an undercover cop. If he can't take the initial screening, then he's not right for the job.
Global Warming, it's a personal decision innit? - Nigel Tufnel
Most people that smart don't become cops. They go to some prestigious college and attempt to get a high paying job that makes them a ton of money. They don't take a lower paying dangerous job of a police officer.
Coupled with Costigan's record and family history, he just didn't fit as someone wanting to be a cop.
I took it as they tried to challenge him and to test his limits. To see if he could do the job and to detect if he was not a mob trying to invade them.
I made a parallel with the scene where Nicholson is "interviewing" him by shouting at him and breaking his hand.
They were saying with his temper and prone to physical violence, that with in 5 years, he would not be a State Trooper. Some one on a car stop, a superior officer or other police contact, would mouth off to him, and he would wind up assaulting him. They were giving him a very gracious 5 years before he would most likely swing a fist and lose his badge. He lost it with Sgt Dignam at the bridge and started fighting. It's not hard to think that type of attitude would lead to his dismissal from the State Police.
shareI think people may confuse that scene because he walks right in after Sullivan, who had just joined SIU. Billy was still in the Academy and in that moment, they agreed to flunk him out and sent him deep cover. They chose him specifically because of his violent nature and family connections. They weren't combing the academy for someone to infiltrate Costello and just happened to find Billy. Someone saw Billy and they came up with the operation for him.
There's actually such a thing as "too intelligent to be a cop"...
http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-court-ruled-you-can-be-too-smart-to-be-a-cop/5420630