Quotes

Dialogue

Frank Costello: Amen. The Church wants you in your place. Kneel, stand, kneel, stand. If you go for that sort of thing, I don't know what to do for you. A man makes his own way. No one gives it to you. You have to take it. Non Serviam Colin Sullivan: James Joyce. Frank Costello: Smart, Colin.

Dialogue

Frank Costello: Who let this IRA motherfucker in my bar? [the man looks startled] [laughs] Only kidding. How's your mother? Man in Costello's Bar: Oh... I'm afraid she's on her way out. Frank Costello: [walks away] We all are. Act accordingly. [smiles and he straightens tie]

Dialogue

Ellerby: [during a conference briefing about Costello and his crew] Staff Sergeant Dignam is our liaison to the the undercover department, his undercover work is extensive. He's here to give us his report. Sergeant Dignam. Dignam: OK. My people are out there. They're like fuckin' Indians. You're not gonna see 'em you're not gonna hear about 'em except from me or Captain Queenan. You will not ever know the identity of undercover people. Unfortunately, this shithole has more fuckin' leaks than the Iraqi Navy. Ellerby: Fuck yourself. Dignam: I'm tired from fuckin' your wife. Ellerby: How's your mother? Dignam: Good, she's tired from fuckin' my father. Good. Today, girls, what I have for you is microprocessors. Somebody as you may already know stole 20 microprocessors from the Mass Processor Company out on Route 128. These are the kind of processors they put into computers that can put a cruise missile up the ass of a camel from a couple hundred miles away. Now get this, we get a guy worki

Dialogue

Queenan: Congratulations on passing the detective's exam, and welcome to the Special Investigation Unit. Dignam: Whoop-da-fucking-do. Queenan: We won't be working together, that is, directly. You'll be working for Captain Ellerby, but I like to watch everybody. Queenan: You're a worker. You rise fast. Staff Sergeant Dignam: Like a 12-year-old's dick.

Dialogue

Queenan: Do you know what we do here? in my section? Billy Costigan: Sir, yes, sir. I have an idea... Dignam: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's say you have no idea and leave it at that, okay? No idea. Zip. None. If you had an idea of what we do, we would not be good at what we do, now would we? We would be cunts. Are you calling us cunts? Queenan: Staff Sergeant Dignam has a style of his own. I'm afraid we all have to get used to it.

Dialogue

Dignam: Your fuckin' family's dug into the Southie projects like ticks. Three-decker men at best. You, however, grew up on the North Shore, huh? Well, la-di-fuckin'-da. You were kind of a double kid, I bet, right? Huh? One kid with your old man, one kid with your mother. You're upper-middle class during the weeks, then you're droppin' your "R"s and you're hangin' in the big, bad Southie projects with your daddy, the fuckin' donkey on the weekends. I got that right? [Costigan does not answer] Yup. You have different accents? You did, didn't you? You little fuckin' snake. You were like different people. Billy Costigan: You a psychiatrist? Dignam: Well, if I was I'd ask you why you're a Statie making 30 grand a year. And I think if I was Sigmund fuckin' Freud I wouldn't get an answer. So tell me, what's a lace-curtain motherfucker like you doing in the Staties? Billy Costigan: Well, "Families are always rising and falling in America", am I right? Queenan: Who said that? Billy Costigan: Ha

Dialogue

Mr. French: Do you know me? Billy Costigan: No. No. Mr. French: Well, I'm the guy who tells you there's guys you can hit and guys you can't. Now, that's not quite a guy you can't hit, but he's almost a guy you can't hit. So I'm gonna make a fuckin' ruling on this right now: you don't fucking hit him. You understand? Billy Costigan: Yeah, excellent. Fine, fine. Fine. Mr. French: I fucking know you. I know your family. You make one more drug deal with that idiot, fucking cop-magnet of a cousin and I'll forget your grandmother was so nice to me. I'll cut your fucking nuts off. You understand that? Billy Costigan: Yeah. Yeah, I do. Mr. French: What are you drinking? Billy Costigan: Cranberry juice. Mr. French: What is it, your period? Get him a cranberry juice.

Dialogue

Ellerby: Yeah, but cui bono? Who benefits? Colin Sullivan: Cui gives a shit? It's got a fuckin' bow on it.

Dialogue

Frank Costello: I'm going to have my associate search you. Billy Costigan: No, no one's fucking searching me. Searching me for what? Frank Costello: Contra-fucking-band. Take your shoes off. Mr. French: Shoes. Frank Costello: [to Costigan] I knew your father. Billy Costigan: Yeah? You know he's dead? Frank Costello: Oh, sorry. How'd he go? Billy Costigan: He didn't complain. Frank Costello: Yeah, that was his problem. Billy Costigan: Who said he had a problem? Frank Costello: I just said he had a fucking problem. There's a man who could have been anything. Billy Costigan: Are you trying to say he was nothing? Frank Costello: I'm saying he worked at the airport. Mr. French: He's clean. Frank Costello: Arm. Billy Costigan: Arm? What fuckin' arm? Mr. French: [French pulls Costigan to a pool table] Show me your arm. Flip it. mmhmmm, mmhmmm... Frank Costello: It makes me curious to see you in this neighborhood. Mr. French: [removing the cast] He's clean. Frank Costello: And if I can slander

Dialogue

Frank Costello: [Discussing Billy with Mr. French] Do you trust him? Mr. French: Well, these days, who's reliable? Frank Costello: His uncle Jackie was. I don't know...you just can't trust a guy who acts like he's got nothing to lose. Mr. French: I'm reliable. Frank Costello: Arnie, you're one in a million. Mr. French: Ten. Ten million. Frank Costello: What about your wife, Arnie? Mr. French: I thought she was reliable. Frank Costello: [Starts laughing] She wasn't! Mr. French: ...Well, she got reliable. [Scene cuts to French strangling his wife]

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Dignam: This is incredible. Who put the fucking cameras in this place? Surveillance Guy: Who the fuck are you? Dignam: I'm the guy who does his job. You must be the other guy.

Dialogue

Frank Costello: Have a seat, Bill. Do you know John Lennon? Billy Costigan: Yeah, sure, he was the president before Lincoln. Frank Costello: Lennon said, "I'm an artist. You give me a fucking tuba, I'll get you something out of it." Billy Costigan: I tell you Mr. Costello, I'd like to squeeze some fucking money out of it. Frank Costello: Smart mouth. Too bad. [Picks up a bag with a disembodied hand in it] If you'll indulge me– Frank Costello: Now what? Gwen: Choir practice. Frank Costello: [Mutters] Choir practice. The point I'm making with John Lennon is: a man could look at anything and make something out of it. [Pulls the hand out of the bag, then takes the ring of its finger] For instance, I look at you and I think, "What could I use you for?"

Dialogue

Frank Costello: You know, if your father were alive, and he saw you here sitting with me, let's say he would have a word with me about this. In fact, he'd kill seven guys just to cut my throat, and he could do it. Which is maybe something you don't know about William Costigan, Sr. Billy Costigan: So he never? I mean, never? Frank Costello: No. He kept his own counsel. He never wanted money. You can't do anything with a man like that. Your Uncle Jackie, he also would kill my entire fucking family if he saw me here with you. And I think about this. Billy Costigan: [confused] So what the fuck are we talking about here? Frank Costello: Did you ever think about going back to school? Billy Costigan: School? [laughs] All due respect Mr. Costello, school is out. Frank Costello: [annoyed] Maybe someday you'll wake the fuck up.

Dialogue

Madolyn: What do you expect coming in here? Billy Costigan: I have to come here. Madolyn: I know you have to come here, but now that you're here, what do you want? Billy Costigan: You want the truth? Valium. Madolyn: You know if you lied, you would have an easier time getting what you wanted. Billy Costigan: What does that say about what you do for a living? Madolyn: I just think we should have a few more meetings before we even talk about prescriptions. Billy Costigan: Look...look, I'm having panic attacks, alright? The other night I thought I was having a fucking heart attack. I puked in a trash barrel on the way over here. I haven't slept for fucking weeks. Madolyn: Is that true? Billy Costigan: Yeah, that's true. Alright? I said it was fucking true. I want some fucking pills and you're gonna what? You're gonna close my file? Is that what you're going to do? Madolyn: No, I didn't close your file. I-- Billy Costigan: I thought I was supposed to tell the truth here, if only fucking he

Dialogue

Frank Costello: [sniffs his drink] I smell a rat. Jesus Christ. You got a girlfriend? Billy Costigan: No. Why? What does that matter? Frank Costello: It depends. I'm sure by now you know i got an informer in my outfit. Cop...staties...Boston police department. I'm not sure. Billy Costigan: Jesus Christ. You sure it's not the FBI? Frank Costello: Yeah. It ain't the FBI. Ex-wife. Old girlfriend...or stupid. That is what brings you down in this business. Billy Costigan: Stupid, huh? Well, I guess that leaves me out. Frank Costello: [laughs] You know past days, in situations like this, I'd kill everybody. Everybody that works for me. Billy Costigan: Alright. You know, Frank. I look around at your other guys. And they're all murderers, right? And I think could I do murder, and all I could answer myself is...what's the difference? Frank Costello: Give them up to the almighty. Billy Costigan: You see, that's my point. You accuse me once, I put up with it. You accuse me twice, I quit. You pres

Dialogue

Frank Costello: How the fuck did this happen? Colin Sullivan: You're an FBI informant? Are you fucking kidding me? Frank Costello: [coughs blood] Grow up! [laughing] Of course I talked to the FBI. Colin Sullivan: Do they know who I am? Frank Costello: I-I never gave up anybody who wasn't going down anyway. Nobody knows nothin'. Colin Sullivan: Frank...Frank...Frank. Do they know about me? Frank Costello: I know about you, Colin. You know I'd never give you up. You're like a-- Colin Sullivan: What, like a son? To you? Is that what this is about? All that murderin' and fuckin', and no sons? Colin Sullivan: [shooting] FUCKING RAT PRICK!

Dialogue

Billy Costigan: FREEZE! Colin Sullivan: Hey, whoa! Billy Costigan: Put your fucking hands up! Colin Sullivan: Put the fucking gun down! Put the gun down. I came to talk sense into you. Billy Costigan: HANDS! Colin Sullivan: All right. Just act professional. I can get your money. Billy Costigan: What'd you say? Colin Sullivan: I can get you your money. [Costigan strikes him with his gun and cuffs him] Billy Costigan: You didn't come here to talk. You came here to get arrested. Colin Sullivan: You have fucking tapes of what? Costello was my informant! I was a rat? FUCK YOU! Prove it! He was working for me. He was MY INFORMANT! Billy Costigan: Shut your fucking mouth. Come on, get up! Colin Sullivan: What is this, a citizen's arrest? Blow me. All right, only one of us is a cop here, Bill! You understand? No one knows who you fucking are! Billy Costigan: Would you shut the fuck up?! Colin Sullivan: I'm a sergeant in the Massachusetts State Police! Who the fuck are you? I ERASED YOU! Billy

Dialogue

Okay…