After being cool under pressure for a year
Costigan panics when he discovers Sullivan is Costello's rat. He really bungled things in the end.
shareHe wasn't cool though... Remember when they talk under the bridge? When he asked them what took them so long to build a case.
… sometimes one life… If it’s the right life… That’s enough. Goodbye, Harold."
John Reese
He also loses his cool when he panics and fumbles his way through removing the wire, dropping it into the river.
He also overreacts and smashes the guy in the teeth who reaches for his cigarettes.
And there are a number of scenes where he certainly is not wearing a poker face - the fear and nervousness is obvious, especially when he's face to face with Costello, accused of being a rat.
Notice how we never ever see any of Costello's other goons look as nervous as Costigan throughout the film.
You're both correct. He's not cool. I should have worded that differently. After outlasting everyone, he panics when he sees the "citizens" envelope. He was so close to what he wanted and then fumbled it.
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