The Departed | Movie Mistakes 

Continuity mistake: In the scene after Queenan dies, when Sullivan picks up his phone to contact Costigan, he presses the "talk" button and a smudge of blood is left. In subsequent shots, there\'s no trace of blood on the "talk" button.

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Continuity mistake: When Ellerby attacks the guy for not installing the cameras in the right place, he knocks off a map from the board. A second later Ellerby is still going after him, and the map is fixed.

Other mistake: When Costigan drags a handcuffed Sullivan into the elevator, Costigan slams Sullivan against the wall and his left arm is visible and not in handcuffs.

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Alec Baldwin is briefing the cops on the micro processor bust, his shirt has distinct sweat patterns. These patterns change between scenes, back to original then finally almost dry.

Continuity mistake: After the beach scene, Costello is preaching young Sullivan on loaded guns. His cigarette disappears from his lips between shots.

Revealing mistake: When Costello\'s men drive off, after throwing Queenan off the top of the building, the state troopers are firing at the van. One back window is shot out, then in the next shot of the van the other window is shot out and then the same one is shot again so the one window is shot out twice in the same scene.

Revealing mistake: In the Porn theater after Frank reveals the dildo to Sulivan and they argue about it, when the camera zooms out and the view is behind Sullivan the guy to the far right looks like he was added post production.

Visible crew/equipment: When the song starts, right before the main title, we have a dolly shot of Billy in jail. It starts from a red wall and moves towards him. If you look closely at the wall, you can see the subtle shadow of the camera and the rest of the equipment as it moves.

Continuity mistake: When Billy Costigan is at the funeral near the beginning of the movie and reads the card signed "From Frank Costello," it is initially seen as a heavy bold script, but in the closeup, it is a thin script written in different handwriting.

Continuity mistake: At Billy\'s mother\'s funeral, the signature of Frank Costello on the flowers changes between shots.

Continuity mistake: While Costigan is having coffee with Madolyn, a coffee cup suddenly appears in his hands close to his mouth, and the toothpick that was in his mouth a second ago vanishes.

Continuity mistake: When young Sullivan is at Mass, a priest is swinging the smoking incense burning. In the next shot the smoke is gone, and he is away, arriving with the burner and repeating the previous movement.

Continuity mistake: In the scene after Queenan dies, when Sullivan picks up his phone, the number Sullivan calls Costigan in isn\'t the same as the one from which Costigan calls back, even though it\'s the same mobile (silver and blue vs. Costigan\'s red phone for Costello\'s gang). When Sullivan calls, the number begins with something like "617-854" and when he sees Costigan calling back, it\'s "617-177".

Revealing mistake: ***SPOILER*** When Costello is killed, a blood-pack is noticeable under his shirt.

Continuity mistake: When Costigan is with Madolyn in her office, the tissues in the tissue box change consistently between shots.

Continuity mistake: When Costello and French encounter the cops, the first shot shows the cops\' car turning their lights on. In a new shot a second afterwards the lights on the middle and right side cars are out and they are turning them on again. On yet another new angle, the lights on the car on the left turn from off and on again in a split second.

Continuity mistake: When Billy and Costello are talking in the bar, after Costello fires the paper cloth, smoke is visible in the shots involving Billy, but not in the ones involving Costello.

Visible crew/equipment: When Queenan is in the subway and looks to see if he has a tail following him, you can see a boom mic appear and disappear in the top right corner.

Revealing mistake: In the scene where Costello is smashing Billy\'s hand with the boot heel, you can tell from the position of Billy\'s arm that Costello is hitting the pool table rather than Billy\'s hand. He is actually hitting his own hand more than he could possibly be hitting Billy\'s.

Continuity mistake: The top layer on their dessert changes when Sullivan and Madolyn are in the restaurant. Between shots, the top piece changes back and forth between flat and curved.

Colin Sullivan: I\'m going to need the identity of your undercovers. Dignam: Blow me, all right? But not literally, though. Unfortunately, there\'s no promotion involved for you.

This was Martin Scorsese\'s first film to win Best Picture. And his first Oscar for best Director. Martin also said that this was the first movie he ever made with a plot.