I was re-watching The Departed and noticed something interesting about how Billy and Sullivan refer to Frank Costello.
Both characters are essentially living double lives, and when they're operating in the criminal world, they call him "Frank." But when they're acting as cops, as well as other police, they refer to him more formally as "Costello."
Near the end of the movie, when Billy meets Sullivan at the police station, Billy asks what he's going to do about "Costello's rat" in the department. Sullivan responds by asking whether "Frank" ever mentioned a name.
I thought this was a really subtle moment where Sullivan's mask slips. Billy - despite spending all that time undercover with Costello, is speaking like a cop and calls him Costello. Sullivan - who's supposed to be the legitimate cop, instinctively calls him Frank, almost like he forgets which identity he's supposed to be playing or how ingrained the criminal side of him is.
I don't think Billy actually picks up on it. He doesn't discover Sullivan is the rat until he sees the envelope later. I see it more as a little clue for the audience.
Obviously, the audience already knows Sullivan is the mole, but I like the idea that this is an unconscious slip where both of the characters are revealing their true selves. What do yall think?
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