Colin Sullivan

**Colin Sullivan** is one of the two titular protagonists (along with Billy Costigan) turned final antagonist of Martin Scorsese's 2006 crime drama film, *The Departed*. He is a Massachusetts State Police trooper, who in reality, is working and helping Irish mob boss, Frank Costello.

He was portrayed by Matt Damon.

## Biography

### 1985

In 1985, at the age of 14, Colin is encountered by Irish crime lord, Frank Costello, who grooms Colin into the desire of joining the MSP in order to have a man on the inside for Costello.

### 2006

Twenty one years later, Colin graduates from the Massachusetts State Police Academy, where he also befriends, Trooper James Barrigan. Despite now being a police officer, Sullivan kept his promise to Costello, as Colin acts as a mole for Costello, so he can never get caught by the MSP. Around this time, Colin starts dating psychiatrist, Madolyn Madden, who is also having an affair with Billy Costigan, another police officer.

### 2007

Late one night in 2007, Costello begins to inform Sullivan of his suspicions of their being a mole in his crew in an adult theater. Sullivan ensures Costello that he will find the rat for him, as well as receiving an envelope containing information of his crew for Sullivan to cross reference with police records. Unbeknownst to Sullivan, however, he had been followed by Billy Costigan, however the identity of Costigan is never revealed to Sullivan. When Sullivan realizes that he is being followed, he prepares to murder the man following him, but accidentally stabs and kills a Chinese restaurant worker.

The next day, Sullivan attempts to find out the identity of the man, but fails. Eventually, Sullivan prepares to carry out the promise he gave to Costello, by tailing Captain Oliver Queenan, who he knows is having a meeting with the mole. Sullivan informs this news to Costello who sends out various of his men to find and murder the rat. Instead the rat escapes and the men kill Queenan. This leads to a shootout where Timothy Delahunt, one of Costello's men is injured and dies back at Costello's base.

On July 23, 2007, Costello and his men plan to do a drug withdrawal at a warehouse. The MSP follow Costello's car and ambush the warehouse, leading to a giant shootout, killing most of Costello's men. Sullivan encounters a wounded Costello and confronts him about how he had overheard a rumor involving Costello being an FBI informant. Costello confirms this and attempts to shoot Sullivan, before Sullivan murders Costello. The next day, Sullivan learns that Costigan was the mole and after Sullivan returns to the room where he and Costigan sat after stepping out of the room for a second, Sullivan finds the room empty, only to realize that Costigan had found the same envelope Costigan had saw while working for Costello. After this, Sullivan deletes all of Costigan's police files.

After Madolyn breaks up with Sullivan due to her receiving a recording of Costello and Sullivan's conversations from Costigan, Sullivan gets a call from Costigan and plans to meet him on a rooftop. Costigan holds Sullivan hostage, planning to have him arrested, before he is held at gunpoint by Trooper Brown, Costigan's friend who he had called up to the rooftop to have Sullivan arrested. Costigan and Sullivan are let down an elevator by Brown, until Costigan is murdered by Trooper Barrigan, who is revealed to have also been working for Costello. When Brown exits another elevator, Barrigan murders him as well, before Barrigan is murdered by Sullivan. Sullivan reports this event to the MSP, where he then appears at Costigan's funeral.

After Costigan's funeral, Sullivan enters his apartment, where he sees Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam, holding a silenced pistol. Sullivan, accepting his fate, replies "Okay", before being shot in the head and killed by Dignam, in retaliation for Costigan and Queenan's murders.

## Trivia

* Sullivan was based on real life FBI agent, John Connolly, who was associated with Irish mobster, Whitey Bulger.
* He was also based on Inspector Lau Kin Ming from *Infernal Affairs*, the film *The Departed* was a remake of.